Okay, Okay, Okay... Kyoto Was a Whole Thing
okay, so kyoto. it wasn't what i expected, honestly. i mean, i’d seen the pictures, the *temples, the gardens, the whole nine yards. but being there? different. i’m a freelance photographer, and usually, i thrive on the chaos, the hunt for the perfect shot. but kyoto…it kinda just happened to me.
first off, the humidity. ninety-one percent, apparently. felt more like a thousand. i just checked and it's…a damp hug right now, hope you like that kind of thing. the temperature hovered around thirteen point seven nine degrees, which sounds nice, but when you’re lugging around a camera bag and trying to navigate crowds, it’s just…sticky. i swear i left a layer of myself on every stone lantern i touched.
i was staying in a tiny little guesthouse near gion, and the walls were paper thin. i heard everything. like, everything. one night, i overheard a conversation between two older women - i think they were talking about a geisha who’d eloped with a ramen chef. it was wild.
“apparently, she traded her shamisen for a bowl of tonkotsu. scandalous!”
. i’m not even kidding.
getting around was…an experience. the buses are efficient, but packed. like, sardine-level packed. i spent a good portion of my time apologizing to strangers for accidentally elbowing them. i found this helpful guide on the Kyoto City Bus website: https://www.kyotocity-kyogaku.or.jp/english/bus/. seriously, bookmark that.
food-wise, it was amazing, obviously. i ate so much matcha ice cream i’m pretty sure i’m turning green. i tried to find a really authentic izakaya, but i ended up at this place that was clearly geared towards tourists. someone told me that “the best places don’t have english menus, and the owners glare at you if you ask for one.” which, fair. i also heard that “the okonomiyaki near the station is a tourist trap, go to the place three blocks over.” i didn’t verify either of those claims, to be honest. i was too busy trying not to get lost.
the neighbors? well, kyoto is close enough to osaka and nara that if you get bored, those cities are just a quick train ride away. i didn't venture too far, though. i was too busy getting lost in the smaller streets.
i spent a whole afternoon wandering through arashiyama bamboo grove. it was beautiful, but also…full of people. like, a lot* of people. it felt less like a serene escape and more like a very green, very crowded hallway. i found some tips on TripAdvisor about visiting early in the morning to avoid the crowds: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g298566-d321478-Reviews-Arashiyama_Bamboo_Grove-Kyoto_Kyoto_Prefecture.html. i should have listened.
honestly, kyoto felt like a beautiful, overwhelming puzzle. i didn’t solve it, i just…existed within it for a little while. and that’s okay. i’m already thinking about going back, maybe in the fall. or maybe not. who knows? i’m a photographer, not a planner. check out some other reviews on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Kyoto&find_loc=Kyoto. and if you're looking for more travel inspiration, check out this blog: https://theblondeabroad.com/kyoto-travel-guide/.
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