tokyoto
Every year, I aspire to go on a big ol’ adventure. I try to include lil’ adventures as much as possible in my day-to-day… but big ol’ adventures usually include:
1) A location that is not easily reachable by my Prius, Pri Baby
2) A goal that can’t be accomplished in a long weekend
3) Extended solo time
4) Minor to moderate sufferfests, usually of the trail variety
Examples: Wicklow Way 2022 and Oregon 2021. I noodled on 2023 for a while. I’ve been feeling the pull to far-away places, especially Asia. Everest Base Camp has been on the dream list forever, and I mentally had it pencilled in for ‘23. My main problem was the trekking season; the best times to hike in Nepal overlap with my busiest months at work.
EBC went back in the “to-do” bucket- but I had $ saved up. While looking for an alternative, I learned about a pilgrimage hike in Japan, the Kumano Kodo, that looked incredible… four days trekking through the rainforest, dozens of Shinto shrines to visit, evenings spent at hot-spring onsen. Ideally, I’d book through a tour company to make my life easier; unfortunately, most were booking for 2024. Not to be deterred, I decided to GO IT ALONE and FIGURE IT OUT!
After quite a few late nights sorting out hiking logistics [more on that later], I found myself on an UPGRADED biz class flight to Tokyo. My points game has really been paying off this year, and I am getting very spoiled very quickly. My jet lagged self was grateful to be picked up at Haneda and grab dinner with friends from work. Tokyo was bustling and bright and HUMID.
Thanks Naoto, Rei, and Akira for the tempura and welcome!
I slept like the dead and woke up with ambitions of going for a run before catching the bullet train to Kyoto. I stepped outside into the sunshine and learned…. Japan is really hot in the summer. Oppressively hot. And wet. Running turned to walking real fast. After packing up and taking a shower, my ten minute walk to the train station also had me soaked. Being absolutely drenched in water, be it sweat or rain, was a hallmark of this Japan adventure. I resolved to be at one with the sweat. People pay big money for cleanses!
[ENTER CUTE JAPAN STUFF HERE AND EVERYWHERE]
Another hallmark of this trip was me needing an extra 20-30 minutes at all times to sort out very basic things. English is everywhere in Japan, and many people speak it. Still, I rode the struggle bus! My primary problems included: figuring out which tickets to buy, finding the right train platform, doing yen to USD math… basically existing.
A good example is the subway in Kyoto. You turn on the machine, there’s an English button: great! The machine then asks you: “How much do you want to pay me?” Well… how much do I NEED to pay you, machine? There’s no other options on the menu, so I just put in 1000y and called it a day. [Later, I got schooled by an American teenager who told me there’s a physical map above the machines that has the cost per stop. Ohhhhhh].
In summary: it’s not you, Japan, it’s me. Similar to accepting sweat into my life, I just worked the inevitable Theresa processing time into my travels.
Despite some initial struggles, I successfully took a Shinkansen Bullet Train from Tokyo to Kyoto, 7/11 bento box in hand.
I stayed at K’s House Kyoto, which was a gem of a hostel. The common room was bumpin but my private bunk room was quiet and air-conditioned. After cooling off, I went to stuff my face and get the lay of the land with Ninja Food Tours Kyoto.
We visited the Nishiki Market first, then had three main stops: a wagyu beef place, a fish spot, and a tempura restaurant.
This was a slightly pickled fish situation and it was soooo goooood
The guide, CJ, was great- she gave us an overview of Kyoto food culture, and a history of the city.
Savory gluten pops
On top of a metric ton of food, there was an alcoholic drink included at each restaurant… which may have led to me taking a lot of pics…
We ended our tour in the Pontocho district of Kyoto. I said goodbye to new travel pals and continued to poke around the neighborhood.
When I got back to the hostel, I was completely toast from jet lag… but the bustling common room beckoned me in. It felt SO. GOOD. to be back in that environment again: chatting with interesting people out on big adventures, sharing some beers from Lawson, trading travel tips and places to eat. I have long nursed a regret of not taking a gap year, but this trip was a nice reminder that I can still tap back into the hostel world, even as a Certified Adult.
The next morning I took the subway [newly empowered by my American-teenager schooling] to the Fushimi Inari stop, then went on a ~3 mile RT hike to the top of the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine.
I tried to avoid getting souvenirs this early in the trip, as I was carrying most of my luggage on my back… but I could not resist getting a Rilakkuma trinket in one of the little shops on the way up to the Taisha. When in Rome!!
It was a Sunday morning, so the shrine was bumpin. I poked around the entrance area, then started up the mountain.
The path to the summit is lined with about 10,000 wooden gates. It was a conga line at the beginning, but the higher I went, the quieter the forest was.
The journey was steep, hot, and humid. A highlight for me was an international giggle fest that ensued when a toddler started wailing during a particularly tough section. Maybe we all didn’t speak the same language, but every hiker understood that sentiment… “I DON’T WANT TO GO ANY FURTHER!” I feel you, kid.
There were little shops along the way. I picked up my new drink of choice, Pocari Sweat. It’s similar to Gatorade.
I did not drink any beer or see any monkeys.
I made it to the wooded summit and headed back down. The back side of the trail was my favorite… so many magical corners and shrines.
After about 2.5 hours of moseying, I was back to the train station.
I rushed back to the hostel to change out of my soaked clothes. I had a ticket to a Geisha performance at Minazima Theatre. There were no photos allowed of the performance, but here’s a shot of the flyer:
Attendees after the performance
The dances and outfits were really beautiful- but I didn’t have time to get lunch first, so I struggled with some hanger during the 2 hour event. [Human bodies are such a drag sometimes.] Luckily, there was plenty of food to be had afterwards in Kyoto.
Some squishy snacks and my first ramen of the trip
After fueling up, I did some further exploring of historic Geisha districts in Kyoto, which were peaceful.
I got a hot tip from reviews on Google Maps that the Yasaka Shrine was lovely during the day, but stunning at night. Google Maps was not wrong.
Seeing the lanterns was one of my favorite moments in Japan.
After soaking up the magic, I went back to the hostel to start prepping for my Kumano Kodo adventure.
where:
tokyo and kyoto, japan
when: june and I wouldn't recommend it hahhah
how: ninja food tours [thanks for the rec alex], k’s house hostel, fushimi inari taisha trail
