Dear friends and family,
Where did the month of June go?! I feel like we only just arrived in Kyoto, and now we’re already off on our final stretch of adventuring before heading home to Ireland. It was a relatively quiet month, with E focused on work and me focused on locating prunes in Japanese supermarkets to help my tummy adjust to the food here. I reckon I’ll find a good balance right about the time we’re getting on a plane to head home. Alas, the joys of life on the road!
Life’s ups and downs aside, we really enjoyed our time in Kyoto. More so than any big tourist hotspots, we loved our day-to-day interactions with the people there. I’ve truly never felt so welcomed and looked after in a new country before.
We returned two more times to the sushi restaurant across the street from our Airbnb, and the restaurant owner recognized us each time, welcoming us with a big smile and questions about our trip. We ate there three times and not a single time would she let us pay for the miso soup—she kept insisting that we were regular customers and refused to let us pay. On our last night there, she walked us out to wave goodbye and insisted on taking a photo with us too.
Our Airbnb hosts also acted above and beyond during our whole stay. Every time the mum came by to pick up the bins, she would bring us pastries or fruit. We felt bad whenever the rubbish piled up because we didn’t want her to bring us any more gifts. And when they found out we were getting married on our return to Ireland, the son brought us a little bride and groom teddy bear set to say goodbye. The mum even drove us thirty minutes from the apartment to Kyoto Station the day we left, to make life a little easier in the heat. And it never felt forced. It didn’t feel like they were desperate for a good review or they thought we were expecting that level of service. They really were just being nice. So, if you ever go to Kyoto, please stay at the Kurokawa Inn! They’re the sweetest family.
Embracing our inner tourist
Many of us try not to appear too “touristy” when visiting other countries. Particularly Americans in Europe. We’re often trying to blend in, follow the local rules and customs, trying not to be that American. Sometimes it even works, although most of the time, the locals have us pegged from a mile away. Well, here in Japan, there’s no use trying not to look like a tourist because, at least in me and E’s case, it’s quite obvious we’re not from here. So, I’ve been trying to embrace looking dazed and confused as we navigate the city streets and public transportation system or attempt to hold a conversation in some blend of Japanenglish. We also braved the crowds and checked off a few of the major attractions in Kyoto, flowing along with the masses.
That last part was particularly true at the Golden Pavilion, or Kinkaku-ji. A shogun’s retirement villa turned Zen temple in 1408, the top two floors of the temple are covered in gold leaf, creating a striking image in the sparkling sun. We knew it was a “must-see” in Kyoto, so we tried to go first thing in the morning when it opened, but we still ended up in a massive crowd, inching along the one-way path on a human conveyor belt of selfies and group photos. Despite this, I did enjoy the visit and found the temple quite beautiful.
After the Golden Pavilion, we walked about 20 minutes to a quieter Zen temple containing what is said to be the most famous rock garden in Japan, Ryōan-ji. This was a much nicer experience, with far fewer people.
Apparently, no one can agree on the meaning behind the rock garden, so it’s left to the viewer to decide what symbolism speaks to them. I did not see a tiger carrying its cubs or islands in a sea, but I did feel a sense of peace and calm there. I liked that it was just a place to go and contemplate. As we stepped out of our shoes and onto the old wooden floors, shuffling over to the swirly pebbles and large stones, the hustle and bustle of the city easily slipped away, giving way to absolute serenity. It was beautiful.
And on the opposite end of serenity, we also visited the SAMURAI NINJA MUSEUM, and yes, it’s in all capitals in all of their marketing materials. IT’S VERY EXCITING, OKAY?
I knew it was going to be a bit touristy, but it felt like something we had to do while we were there. And we actually learned a lot doing it.
Here’s a few fun facts we gathered as we toured the experiential museum:
Ninjas and samurai go hand-in-hand together—ninjas worked for the samurai as their spies. I don’t know why, but I always pictured them as two separate things.
Ninjas didn’t wear black. Japanese theater productions depicted ninjas in all black and the idea stuck in our collective consciousness. Instead, they typically wore a dark blue, which helped them blend in. It seems counterintuitive but black can actually stand out more than blue in the dark. Also, indigo fabric was much more widely available than black clothing back then.
Masterless samurai were known as rōnin until they found a master to serve again. Apparently they still use this word in Japanese culture today—to describe students who’ve failed their university entrance exams and must take a gap year before trying again. Ouch!
Being a samurai or ninja was typically a family business—you inherited the job by being born into a samurai or ninja family. Including the girls!
This was one of the benefits of the mustache on the samurai masks. It could hide a female warrior’s identity as a woman, or make a young male soldier appear older—and therefore stronger—than he was.
I really enjoyed learning more about the history of samurai and ninjas, and loved looking at all the cool swords they had on display too. But probably my favorite part of the tour was the shuriken (ninja star) throwing demonstration. They brought us into a long room with targets along one wall and space for us to spread out on the other side. Naturally, the shuriken they handed out were a hard rubber, not metal, so none of us could inflict too much damage on ourselves or our fellow tourists. They taught us how to throw, let us practice a few times, and then initiated a competition within our tour group of about 30-40 people. Neither E nor I won, but we both got one or two good shots in! Here’s my best attempt:
I don’t think they would let me become a ninja, but we certainly had fun with it.
Final days in Kyoto
Other than temples and museums, we also visited a couple handicraft markets in Kyoto, although both visits required an umbrella—one for the rain and one for the scorching hot sun. Weather aside, it was fun visiting the markets. The first one, in the rain, was relatively small, but the second one we visited was held at a huge temple complex and it must’ve taken up an entire city block. Rows and rows of stalls selling food, clothing, and handicrafts, both antique and modern. We really enjoyed wandering around the temple grounds, taking it all in. And yes, we picked out a few souvenirs for our future home too.
Unplugging
Finally, it was time for a proper holiday. E put his laptop away and we said goodbye to Kyoto, hopping on a normal train and then a shinkansen (my first bullet train experience!) to get ourselves to the coastal city of Kanazawa.
We’re both really enjoying Kanazawa. It’s smaller than Kyoto but still a pretty big city with a population of nearly 500,000 people. There’s great seafood—although picking apart a whole grilled fish with chopsticks is NOT easy—and a beautiful old samurai district and teahouse district to wander around. They’re known for their handicrafts here, particularly gold leaf products. And they really lean into it. You can buy everything from jewelry and household goods to cosmetics and food—chocolate cake, candies, and ice cream—with gold leaf in it or on it. I saw a 24k gold leaf face mask in one shop! Besides the gold leaf curiosities, we stumbled across some cool samurai masks and swords, as well as more antique wall hangings, hair combs, and more. There really are some beautiful handmade crafts in this country.
Kanazawa also lays claim to one of Japan’s three “perfect” gardens. We’re visiting twice during our stay—once just to walk around and a second time to attend a tea ceremony this afternoon. I don’t know if I have the garden expertise to confirm if it really is “perfect” but we both really enjoyed strolling along the winding paths, interspersed with babbling brooks.
An abandoned beach
One of the reasons I chose Kanazawa for our next destination was for its coastal location. I figured we could spend one of our days here at the beach, getting some saltwater therapy cooling off in the Sea of Japan. The closest beach is only a 20-minute train ride from Kanazawa city and it’s presented online as a popular summer hangout. The Kanazawa tourism website describes it as “crowded with marine sports and bathers” and notes that the Ministry of Environment has dubbed it one of the 100 Best Pleasure Beaches. Well, there may as well have been tumbleweeds blowing across it when we turned up—there was no one there. We walked under the underpass to find multiple diggers as if we’d stumbled onto a construction site, and the beach was completely empty as far as we could see. As we walked toward the water, we noticed a small handful of cars parked close to the water where people were fishing, and when we reached the water’s edge there was one group of three foreigners slowly turning lobster red in the blazing sun. Developers in the Med would’ve killed for a miles-long stretch of empty beach like that and yet here we were with no infrastructure in sight. No beach clubs, no volleyball games or water sports, nobody swimming. Nothing.
I know that sounds really nice to find a whole beach to ourselves but there was something really off about it. It was a scorching hot day in the middle of summer, and the internet had assured us that this was a “go-to” beach and yet there was next to no one there. Maybe it’s all in the perception… if the internet had said this was a “secret” spot to enjoy a quiet beach to ourselves, would I have been overjoyed to find it that way? Is it only because I was expecting it to be crowded and lively that I found the lack of activity so disconcerting? Either way, not exactly the beach day I was hoping for but hey, we tried.
What’s next?
We still have a week left in Japan, but I think I’ll wrap things up here. We’ve got this last day to enjoy Kanazawa and then we head to Tokyo tomorrow. I’m looking forward to exploring the Imperial Palace and the Japanese Sword Museum. We’re also planning to meet my cousin and his wife for dinner, which will be really nice. I love having family and friends all over the world. I also want to visit the bookshop neighborhood that inspired Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa. And yes, I’m sure we’ll go to the Shibuya crossing just to see it.
And just like that, our Japan adventure will be over. It has been quite the adventure, but I’m really looking forward to being home—well, home away from home. We’re back in Ireland first for the rest of July. Then we’re in Italy to see our house, then it’s off to Maine until we can finally return to Italy and move into our new home. So much to look forward to in the months ahead. I don’t know how much I’ll be writing about our comings and goings the rest of the summer, but perhaps I’ll have some updates on life in Italy once we start to settle. In the meantime, sending everyone a big hug. Stay cool in these heatwaves, and I look forward to seeing many of you very soon—in Ireland or the U.S.!
Until next time,
Xx N