Day 10 & 11: Shopping and moving

Hello Hello,

After the strenuous day in Arashiyama yesterday, we wanted to take it easy today and have a relaxing day where we also discovered the local shopping opportunities.

But first we should go to the Samurai and Ninja Museum. After we got there, a woman greeted us in a friendly manner and explained to us that the tour (“which tour?!” we thought) started in 5 minutes and cost 3500 yen per person. I tried to hide my shock behind an “aahhhhh…. “Okayyyyyy” (I don’t think I succeeded) and save us from 7000 yen (approx. 45€) with the statement “we’ll just have a quick look down.” After I told Moritz how expensive the whole thing was - he apparently hadn't fully checked what was going on - we decided to just stroll down the street and stroll around for a bit.

A dish shop immediately caught my eye and I bought a small bowl.

There was also something for Moritz: a vintage shop sold the most beautiful shirts we had ever seen.

Moritz saw some that he liked, but he wasn't willing to spend €40 here either.

So we went further where there was finally something in sight for me: a shop called “Little trip to heaven” where there were all sorts of long skirts, dresses, blouses and many other things that I like would have bought.

I really felt like I was in heaven and even found a dress, which I bought based on Moritz's advice.

After I had my dress, I encouraged Moritz to buy his shirt too.

If I had money for this dress, then of course he had money for his shirt too.

No sooner said than done, Moritz bought his new vintage silk shirt. He only had to sew on one button.

Both of us were full of joy and dopamine. But hunger slowly crept in.

Luckily there was a nice restaurant nearby where we were able to eat several small dishes for €7.50. And it was soooooooo delicious. Here too, the service was extremely friendly and we wished we could have given a tip.

We slowly made our way back and then relaxed a bit in the room before setting off again at 5:30 p.m. to visit a very beautiful shrine. But it was already closed when we arrived.

So we walked a bit through the small town, along Philosophenweg.

The Philosopher's Path goes back to the Japanese philosopher Kitaro Nishida, who always walked along here to meditate.

We could understand that very well, because it was really a very calming path. Apart from the cicadas, of course, which absolutely had to scream the craziest sounds in your ears at a monkey's pace.

We also got quite philosophical and discussed the best way to consume an egg.

Raw, cooked, cured, baked? Unfortunately we didn't come up with a correct answer. We just don't think it's that great raw...

Since it got dark here so quickly, we slowly went back and got a drink from the nearest supermarket. When we got to the hotel we also grabbed something for dinner.

Unfortunately, when we got back we still had to do laundry and pack our bags because tomorrow we're going on to Fukuoka.

Fukuoka is located on the lower large island in the far north, relatively on the coast. We would also take the high-speed train, the Shinkansen, for the first time. Will they also be 50 minutes late like Deutsche Bahn? We'll find out.

The eleventh day of our trip to Japan is probably told pretty quickly. First of all, of course, we got up well rested and ate breakfast. Since we had already tried all the breakfast options, we were able to order our favorites again. In any case, it was another successful breakfast and we were able to carry on feeling full. Since this was the day we left Kyoto, we checked out at 11 and spent the time until the train ride in the lobby playing “The Game”.

When it was time to catch our train, of course we did. First we went to the nearest subway station, where we went to Kyoto Central Station. When we got there we were under a bit of time pressure, so it didn't really matter that we got lost for a few minutes. The reason for this was the different paths we took to the next floor and the fact that I (Moritz) thought that it would be easier for me to find Jule again than was the case. After all, I knew where the elevator was from, so how hard could it be to find it on the next level? Apparently more difficult than expected since the elevator went up outside the station and I was only looking inside. Luckily, after about three minutes of pure stress, we found each other again by chance and made our move. The Shinkansen (bullet train) journey went quite smoothly. We changed trains in Okayama after about 1 1/2 hours. On the trip we also saw something of the Japanese landscape.

When we arrived in Fukuoka very punctually, at around 4:00 p.m., we quickly went to our hotel to check in. The review that Jule had read to me and the strange smell in the lobby didn't make me expect too much. Well, it's not the nicest or neatest hotel but it's fine for a few days. The rooms are quite small and I find the window in the bathroom, from which you can see the bed from the toilet, a bit questionable (even though that would certainly be a dream for some). At least there are microwaves, ice cream makers and washing machines here. The nearest convenience store is also right next door.

Once we had settled in a bit, we became hungry, which was understandable since we could hardly eat anything during the day. So we quickly looked for a restaurant. There was ramen again, even if Jule unfortunately couldn't find anything this time. However, she was able to eat fries, kimchi, and pickles. For me there was Tonkatsu Ramen, a dish in which the broth was made from pork bones (so there was nothing for Jule). The noodles and various toppings were very good, so I would say this was the best portion of ramen I've had here. Of course I felt sorry for Jule and so I invited her for a snack from the nearest convenience store (there was the classic cheese and tomato sauce burrito). After we were both well full, we decided to take a rest today. So, armed with drinks, we went to our room and watched My Neighbor Totoro, a Japanese animated film (for children) from the 80s, on Netflix. When this was over, that was it for us. So it was time for us to go to bed and we both fell into our bed exhausted. As always, we thank you for reading our post and wish you all the best.