Saturday October 4, 2025

We woke up to heavy clouds and rain. Checked the forecast, yep rain all day. This was going to be an interesting visit to Kyoto.

After breakfast we donned our Taiwan Ponchos and headed to the train station. When we were in Juifen, Taiwan last year it poured with rain and we bought these colourful ponchos. When I was packing for this trip I asked Ralf if we should take them, they were light and if we happened to get caught in the rain during a rest day they may come in handy. They came in very handy today.

Photo of us in Ponchos

We took the train from Otsu to Kyoto and stopped at the Tourist Information office in the train station for a map and I asked where the old town was. The lady showed me on the map and told me the Geisha Walk is at 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. I asked if they would be out as it was pouring with rain. Yes, they always do, but sometimes walk a shorter route.

We left the train station and meandered around the back streets trying to find the older part of the city. We found a few temples along the way.

Then we decided to take the Subway to the Gion area and we had a wonderful few hours walking around the old part of Kyoto with its small narrow streets and interesting restaurants. We found a few more temples and ended the day taking the Subway back to Kyoto station and the train back to Otsu.

After a while of walking in the rain, I needed to find a washroom. We spotted a Family Mart Convenience store and I popped in – this is the first Family Mart with no facilities. We carried on walking, we spotted a small temple with a Johnny on the Spot. I asked at the small office if I could use the toilet. The older gentleman came out – Japanese toilet. That’s o.k I said, I was desperate. The gentleman went back into his office to get the key or screwdriver. In the meantime another older gentleman appeared from nowhere and starting shouting at the first gentleman. They started shouting at each other and the second gentleman looked as if he was going to hit the first gentleman with his umbrella. Oh no, I have caused an international incident by asking to use a toilet. I think that the second gentleman didn’t think the first gentleman was moving fast enough and he should accommodate this little English woman faster. It was a squat toilet, but clean and I thanked both of the gentleman for their assistance.

Kyoto is one of the ‘must sees’ in Japan. It was worth visiting even in the rain. Kyoto was once the capital of Japan. It is famous for its numerous classical Buddhist temples, as well as gardens, Shinto shrines and traditional wooden houses. Tokyo officially became the capital in 1869. In 1868 the Tokugawa Shogunate was removed from power and Imperial rule was reestablished.

As it happened we saw the Emperor today. As we crossed over the rail crossing, Ralf was waiting to take a photo of the Shinkansen Train. A police officer approached us, introduced himself as a police officer and asked us to leave the bridge as the Emperor was due in Kyoto and they had to keep the area clear. He was very polite. We carried on walking towards the old City where the police were blocking off road crossings. After about 5 minutes the first batch of police cars and police motor cycles came through, then about 5 minutes later the Emperor came through. Nobody knew he was coming through, but there was a lot of waving and cheering when the locals realized what was happening. I said to Ralf I think he is only a young fella. He looked young as he waved to the crowds as the car sped past. Turns out he is 65, so not so young after all.

You can rent a kimono for the day.

Kyoto is also known for Geisha (Gaiko), female entertainers often found in the Gion district. The Geisha tradition goes back centuries. These are not prostitutes but young women who are trained in the Art of entertainment, singing, and dancing. Traditionally the evenings entertainment included a Geiko and a Maiko (trainee), food, drinks, entertainment (dancing and singing). The bill would be tallied up and sent to the customers account/bank. The customer would be a trusted client. It is was very rare for tourists to be able to take part in these evenings. However, there is now a show available so that tourists can see what the ceremony/entertainment is all about.

I think we saw more temples today than we have seen since we got here.

When arriving at Otsu, we put our return ticket into the gate and it would not let us through.  We had to go to the Fair Adjustment window, fortunately there was a fella in the office. He checked our tickets, we had paid the correct amount. However, because we had bought the ticket on the Subway and transferred to the Otsu line without validating the return ticket, the ticket was rejected. Sometimes you need a person not a machine.