Japan 2023 - Day 12

The forecast for today is a maximum of about 4 degrees and we woke to snow drifting happily down from the sky. And we are going on a cycling tour of Kyoto. Winning. Apparently they sometimes cancel if there’s a lot of rain forecast but snow? Pfah! Toughen up.

So we all set out, appropriately rugged up (though me sans gloves because yep, they’re waiting for me in Shiga Kogen and Sam in his shorts of course) and set out on our cycle adventure. It was actually awesome. The guides had spare gloves and beanies so everyone was able to dress appropriately warmly as we cycled our way around.

Our first stop was Honganji Temple where I felt a little sorry for the family having some sort of ceremony while a bunch of tourists walk in behind them, kneel down, watch for a bit and leave, but at least we were quiet! 

We went from there to Kitano Tenmangu where we learned the shrine has a gate that is reserved exclusively for the emperor. Our guides weren’t aware of a time in recent history where that gate had actually been used, but it was quite ornate (I neglected to get a photo though).

Third stop on the tour was the Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji). Last time we visited it, it was raining and quite miserable, but this time we actually managed to get some sunshine amongst the snow that fell throughout the day which presented some spectacular views of the pavilion.

Next stop was the imperial palace where we’d hoped to lure at least one Rowland into posing for a photo up against the wall just to set off the proximity warning that Michael had found on our trip many years ago. Unfortunately, as it was a guided tour, we had to skip over that little joke.

One of the highlights of the tour had to be the lunch we were treated to. Despite it being our fourth trip to Japan, it was the first time as a family that we’d been to a sushi-train restaurant! We were escorted to our pre-booked table and watched as the sushi went by because our guide told us we were better off ordering fresh dishes from the tablet rather than taking them from the conveyor as it went past. He started ordering for us and when a dish was ready, a second conveyor delivered it straight to the table. It was awesome. To top it off, every five plates you ordered entitled you to a game of chance to win some crappy little random prize. Must be a good one to get the kids sucked in! We ate very well and were surprised at just how economical it was. There’s no way we’d be getting away with eating what we did in Adelaide without taking out another mortgage.

With our bellies full, we continued on to the last of our tour stops, cycling along the Kamo River and into Gion, the Geisha district where amongst all the tea houses we saw a restaurant that specialised in puffer fish. It wasn’t something I’d ever thought of putting on my list of things to try in Japan and I’m not about to either! Apparently there’s still a couple of deaths a year, usually from amateurs eating this ‘delicacy’ but failing to prepare it properly.

With the cycle tour over I suggested that we slip in a visit to Fushimi Inari, but Caroline wasn’t feeling a hundred percent so we shipped everyone else off while she rested up before dinner. That was something of a mixed bag with Caroline not really up to eating and a hodge-podge of choices by everyone else. In the end Emily and I ended up eating at a Yakotori restaurant that Jason and Bel had also chosen to eat at. There wasn’t enough seats for the rest of the young adults who ended up at an Okonomiyaki restaurant instead. With that all done it was time for bed!