[ENG] Japan2k26, Day 9
Hi dear readers,
today I have to admit I had a really nice day. I saw quite a few beautiful things, even though just as I expected the best ones were the lesser known spots.
We’re on day 9, and even though time is flying by, I’m really starting to feel the Japanese vibe flowing through my veins, hahaha. By now I even go out alone in the evenings for a walk, I know the streets, I can find my way around, and I can even read some signs.
Today, aside from the usual morning routine, we decided to stay in Kyoto and the surrounding area to visit some of the city’s most touristy spots—especially Kinkaku-ji and Kiyomizu-dera, passing through the very famous (maybe too famous) Kiyomizu-zaka, the street that leads straight to the temple.
I want to spend a couple of words on this place in particular: as cute as it is, it’s unfortunately completely overrun by tourism (and yes, I’m part of it too, so no misunderstandings). It’s not just the endless crowds walking through it every day, but also the fact that everything has adapted to this constant flow low quality souvenir shops selling things at crazy prices, and places to eat designed more for volume than for the experience. In the end, what can you do? It’s a problem that affects pretty much the whole world by now.
Overall, I have to say that even Kinkaku-ji and Kiyomizu-dera didn’t completely blow me away. Everything is beautiful, of course huge, clean, well-kept, and very scenic but that feeling of “everything ready for everyone” takes away a bit of the magic. It’s something I felt quite clearly, and I’ll talk about it more in the final recap post of my trip to Japan.
Without giving you the usual detailed list of everything we did today, besides those visits we also spent some time in the Gion district. It’s extremely famous, yet at the same time surprisingly less touristy than I expected. It’s the most well known area in Japan when it comes to geisha culture. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any, but the place is absolutely beautiful: quiet streets, a suspended atmosphere, and an incredible number of very elegant and very expensive venues that host ceremonies and experiences related to geisha. It’s a world I know very little about, and one I’d really like to learn more about.
After a relaxed dinner of ramen and meat, we went back to the hotel. Shower done, then I went out again by myself, headphones on, for a night walk toward FamilyMart to grab a late night snack and a croissant for tomorrow morning. Of course, I filmed everything to make a cute little video like:
POV: you’re hungry and it’s 10 p.m. in Japan.
Thanks for reading this post too pretty simple, but honest, haha.
See you soon.
— tega
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