Japan Déjà vu: May 6-7

In the morning on May 6^th, I’ll be leaving Dogashima for the historical city Kyoto. Being one of the oldest Asian metropolises, Kyoto has a lot more to offer than historical sites.

Of course I will go to the famous Kinkaku-ji, for the sake of one picture. (But maybe I will fall in love with this place!) Also Nanzenji、Arashiyama、Bamboo Grove and Ise-Jinguu.

Another big deal about Kyoto is that I will be able to eat authentic Kaiseki, the traditional multi-course Japanese dinner. Its delicacy is supposed to let the proud French people step back. A kaiseki dinner usually costs over $100 and I cannot afford that much for a single meal. But what’s great about Kyoto is that most restaurants offer Kaiseki Bento (lunchbox) that has the sample courses for about $50.

Kaiseki

Kaiseki Bento

Memoirs of a Geisha Déjà vu

Fushimi Inari-taisha, the head shrine of Inari, is made more famous for its appearance in the famous movie Memoirs of a Geisha. I want to visit the red toriis (gate entrance to the shrine) as if I have watched the movie scenes again.

Budget

Hotel $60

Food $50+30

Admission Tickets $40

Total $180

Where

I will be going to Japan and spend half of a month there. When talking about Japan, people think about Californian Rolls and Comics. Sadly, neither of these is genuinely Japanese. Californian Roll to Japanese is like tofu burger to Americans – Japanese people have never heard about Californian Rolls. Also, comics are American art while people in Japan call theirs manga.

Besides, Japan is just so much more than its food and contemporary art. With land area 1/25 size to Canada, Japan is surprisingly blessed with 6 vastly different climate zones from north to south, and over 90,000 species of wildlife.

Who

I will be travelling by myself, which I have never done before. This will be somewhat inconvenient from a traveler’s perspective, since no one will be at my side to help me make decisions, nor will there be a company to share my laughers and doubts to a new culture. But I want to be an explorer this time, an explorer who strides along in a totally different country, with people speaking an entirely different language. And this will be a great chance for me to push myself beyond limits to overcome obstacles yet to come. To be honest, I kind of take these potential obstacles as surprises that will add flavor to my trip!

May 6-7 – Kyoto 京都