I was given four days to travel outside of Onishi during my internship, so I took my holiday while my sister and mom visited! It was great to show them around Onishi so they could see what I’ve been experiencing these several weeks.
We decided to travel to Kyoto, a more touristy city in Japan. We took a train to Tokyo Station, and from there rode a bullet train to Kyoto. I had booked a hotel a while ago not really knowing the absolute best spot to stay, but it ended up being just perfect. It was only a ten minute taxi from Kyoto Station, and was walking distance from the Gion District and a large shopping area. That first night we explored the old district and had some of the best dumplings EVER. Then we walked around the shops and had some great finds. We went in the coolest vintage clothing store and Emily and I bought some really neat dresses.
Our next day we visited Fushimi-Inari Shrine. It was breathtaking! We made a wish with a coin in the main area, and then shook these wooden containers and pulled out a stick with a number that corresponded with a fortune we received from the counter. We later found that there were also shrines up the mountain that had each number on them so we found our shrine as well. We started up the stairs going through these large orange gates. We learned that they are all there from those who donated. As we went higher and higher the gates change from large, to small, to large again. We made it to a spot that had a progress map and found out we had only made in to the first marker!! After all that way? So we decided maybe it wasn’t the time to go to the very top. What an incredible place to visit, something so out of the ordinary!
We then travelled to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. I’ve never seen that much bamboo! It felt like walking through a portal into another world. We walked for a long time through the forest and then came across a Temple that we explored. The grounds were beautiful and it had a lovely garden as well.
After a long day in the sun, we were hungry! We had tried to eat at this Italian restaurant, Vinaino, the previous night, but it only had five tables and was booked, so we had it reserved for that night. It’s hard to put into words not only how delicious the food was, but how wonderful the dining experience was. The man who owned the place was talking to us the whole time we were there and was just so jolly and welcoming. He wanted us to try many dishes, so we all shared several. It’s times like this, even across the world, that people are still people. That might sound odd, but there are good people everywhere, and experiences like this make me so excited to travel more and open myself to different people.