Day 23 - Kyoto & Arashiyama

today we activate our subway pass so we'll get to travel quite far out. the intention was to cover Kyoto, Arashiyama and Uji if the weather doesnt turn bad. it was bright and sunny when we reached Arashiyama. crossed some old bridge and started our walk to the Bamboo Forest. reached Tenryuji, where we were last year and decided to get an ice cream cone cos the weather was really super duper hot. 4 different soft cream flatours - mango, soba, green tea and vanilla. totally yummy. after having a first mouthful, i immediately asked tobs to buy another one.

there were many small bugs at Bamboo Forest so we didnt spend too long in there. plus it was hot. would have been infinitely better in autumn i guess. took a bus (free with the pass!) to the nearby subway station and boarded a one-carriage train to (FILL IN NAME OF THE PLACE). enroute to see a (free) temple, i saw a shop selling tofu cheesecake so of course i had to try it. but alas, it was not very good.

Tenmangu Shrine enshrines a Heian scholar who is also regarded as the Deity of Learning. so we saw lots of high school kids praying for good grades at the shrine. did we pray? erm, no? but it was fun watching the procedure for praying.

at Kyoto station, i wanted food. but not real food so i settled for a strawberry tart. that shop had a particular signage tt says the tart maker has trained under famous patisserie for 5 years, ensuring the quality of the sweets made. the tart was indeed quite nice i must say. 378Y.

travelled down to Uji in the hope of having our 350Y cone. so we walked all the way to the shop but IT WAS CLOSED. all our hopes were dashed. lucky we had the soft cream cone at Arashimaya earlier else it would have been really very sad indeed. tobs was hopeful tt perhaps the Honten will have it so we navigated until we reached the main shop but alas they do not serve soft cream cones. boo. wasted trip.

went down to Shinsaibashi for dinner and ended up at Kamukura - where we had our first bowl of ramen when we first went to Japan 2 years ago. that place brings back fond memories. but business aint as good now. after we ate, we could tell why - standard has indeed dropped. but i liked the chives offered as a side. they were quite nice. finished up with desserts at My Dear's restaurant.