Kyoto - Day Two, On Yer Bike !!

We decided that the best way to get around Kyoto for the day was by cycling. After a nice hearty breakfast in a big restaurant that we had to ourselves, we rented bikes for quite cheap. I love cycling around cities that I'm unfamiliar with and this was no different.Our first destination was Kiyomizu Temple, another UNESCO World Heritage site. Just before the temple, there was a very steep hill which we had to cycle up and it nearly killed me. We parked the bikes in a car park just before all the tourist stalls, shops and cafes. It was quite crowded. It was very impressive. Near the entrance, is Tainai-meguri, here you can enter the womb of Daizuigu Bosatsu, a female Bodhisattva who has the power to grant any human wish. It's probably the darkest place I have ever been in. We were guided by a rope and we couldn't see anything, it was completely pitch black apart from a glowing stone. The view of the city was amazing up at the temple. After walking around and having a look in some of the stalls, we were back on the bikes. Cycling down the hill was obviously a lot easier and fun too.

We pulled into a shop to get a drink and Philip led the way out on to the main road. 5 minutes later of cycling, we realised Eric wasn't with us and Philip's phone had died so we cycled back to the shop hoping Eric would go there and if not, Philip could buy a portable phone charger. Eric was standing outside the shop eating an ice cream and told us he saw us cycle away but he wasn't ready and when he tried to follow us he couldn't see us so waited at the shop. Buddy system doesn't work with an odd number of people.

Next on the cycling itinerary was Shimogama-Jinja shrine in Tadasu No Mori forest, one of the oldest shinto shrines in Japan. It was a very nice shrine in a very nice setting. It was a quick visit as there were still a lot to do and see.

Back on our bikes, we went to the Kinkaku (the Golden Pavilion) - Rokuon-Ji Temple. It's a Buddist temple and was by far the most impressive temple I had seen in all of Japan. It was a 3 story with a gold leaf coating standing in the middle of a small lake with impressive surrounding gardens. There was a small little rock monument which seemed to have penises carved into them but on a further look they were Buddhas and a bit beyond that was a wishing chair. We didn't sit on it in fear of being too big and breaking it, the small crowd of children waiting to sit on it was also a factor.

We stopped off at another small shrine before embarking on the long cycle back to the bicycle rent shop. By the end of the long cycle, myself and Philip were in pain due to small saddles. We ate in a ramen place near the train station. Myself and Eric bought umbrellas because it looked like rain was coming and I developed a weird fascination with Japanese umbrellas.

After going back to the hostel and getting ready to go out, we got a taxi to the nightlife area again. We walked around the "night-life area" looking for a place that wasn't an Irish bar and not a sleazy Japanese men bar. We eventually gave in and went to The Gael Irish Pub for a few drinks. It was quiet enough in there. We noticed in each of the booths, they had their own television which was pretty cool. There was a French football match on. After a quiet few beers and observing the people who looked like they were having a work party, we left it at that and went home.

Our taxi driver going home was awful. He took us but didn't have a clue where he was bringing us. Taxi men in Japan look cool. They wear hat like a pilot's cap and look very professional. Most of them know what they are doing too and where they are going. One of our taxi drivers in Kyoto was great. Being a daring amber gambler, he was making our fare cheaper. He didn't have a cap like most of them so we joked that he damn well deserved one for being great at his job.