No plan, lots of Kyoto (and surprisingly a lot of spontaneity)

Today we started the day very relaxed. We simply had no desire to get up and therefore stayed lying down for quite a while. Accordingly, there was no big program today - we just explored Kyoto itself. Without a concrete plan, just a few rough ideas.

We began with a small snack. For this, we strolled through the Nishiki Market, a long, covered alley where - apart from a few tourist shops - there is actually only food in all possible variations. From classic to quite bizarre, everything is available here. And by bizarre, I mean really bizarre - for example, sparrow. And yes, the little bird.

We tried a few things: eel, simple chicken, and in the end, even quite un-Japanese burgers and fries - out of curiosity about what Wendy’s would taste like. Conclusion: rather so-so.

After that, it was time for the obligatory coffee break. We went to a cafe quite nearby. The alley around the Nishiki Market was almost consistently crowded, but at the cafe itself, it was surprisingly quiet. Although there was also a good amount of activity there, it felt almost a little secluded - a very pleasant break after the many people beforehand.

Afterwards, we made our way to Gion Shijō, a well-known historical district of Kyoto, famous for its traditional streets, tea houses, and Geisha culture.

On the way there, we stumbled upon a small art gallery for manga and anime art that had really beautiful works on display. However, the prices were a bit too high to spontaneously take something home - the most expensive pieces were over two million yen, so around 12,000 €.

Arriving in Gion Shijō, it was predictably a bit more crowded, but it was still easy to move around. We strolled through one of the historic streets of the district and could at least get a small impression of what Kyoto must have looked like here in the past.

From there, we actually wanted to head to our last destination for today: a very specific manhole cover. Sounds strange, but that's how it is.

Just before we set off, we stumbled upon a temple with a special exhibition - the Kennin-ji and something with dragons. Since it looked quite interesting, we spontaneously went inside.

And it was definitely worth it. Besides beautiful insights into the historical rooms and the peaceful gardens, the absolute highlight was the centerpiece of the exhibition: a massive ceiling painting with two dragons, created by Koizumi Junsaku. The twin dragons fill the entire ceiling and appear extremely impressive due to their dynamics and details.

After this successful detour, we finally headed to the last planned destination of the day - the manhole cover:

From there, we slowly made our way back to the hotel, planning to stop for a bite to eat along the way and let the day wrap up in a relaxed manner.

But of course, it didn't quite stop there. Spontaneity seemed to have established itself as the unofficial motto of the day.

Since it was dark by now, a lit temple caught our eye along the way - something you don’t see every day in this form.

It was also announced that there should be illuminations and light installations set up inside. That sounded enticing. And as the temple opened just as we were passing by, we quickly decided to go in. We even borrowed a small lantern to walk through the facility.

The temple itself was very atmospheric with the lighting, but the real highlight was the garden, which really stood out in the light of the lanterns and lamps. But what more can I say about it - just see for yourself:

That was really it for this day. After a little dinner - in the form of different and again very tasty ramen - we were back at the hotel and could end this relaxed but eventful day filled with many spontaneous experiences.

Oh, and so much for yesterday’s statement about 'probably one of the last cultural places we visited in Kyoto'... I guess I was a little off.