Being Allured By Honshu - Day 4

        This morning's sunrise photography outing was definitely one of the best in this trip. I'm glad I tore myself away from the comfortable hotel bed and joined Derrick on this outing at Gion's Yasaka Pagoda. When we reached the spot along Higashiyama-ku Kiyomizu Sanchome (that's the name of the street), there were two other photographers who had set up their tripods there. Gradually, more shutterbugs joined us. Everyone was rather peeved when a taxi pulled up further down the slope and the passengers took ages to get off. However, it all turned out to be a bonus.

All in line for good shots of Yasaka Pagoda

        It was an ang moh photographer who had brought a kimono-clad model. Like most Westerners, he politely enquired if he could get his model to pose in the middle of the slope. Everyone assented. The presence of a Japanese girl in kimono at the dark, lonely Gion street with the imposing Yasaka Pagoda in the background...it all added to the allure of the scene. As I watched the photographers happily clicking away, a story weaved in my mind. I shall dedicate an entire blog post to that.

Memoirs of a Geisha

        By the time the sun came up, everyone had clinched some good shots. Slowly, the group dispersed. Derrick and I decided to stroll around for a while before we made our way back to the hotel. And that was how we ended up at Maruyama Park, right next to the Yasaka Shrine (not to be confused with Yasaka Pagoda). This park is especially popular for cherry blossoms, but the autumn scene was  quite a sight to behold too. As we were here so early (around half past seven), there were no tourists to jostle with. Whilst Derrick was happily taking pictures here and there, I decided to have something warm in the crisp autumn morning --- a tin of corn soup from the vending machine. Yum!

My 500 yen comfort food on a cold autumn morning

Big Bird spotted enjoying an autumn morning at Maruyama Park

Lovely autumn colours at Maruyama Park

       

On the bus 

        We later returned to Kyoto Station via bus no. 207. At our hotel, we rested for a while with our coffee (love my Chek Hup 2-in-1!). Then we proceeded to our next Kyoto destination via bus. no. 5 --- the Nishiki Market, also known as Kyoto's pantry. With more than 100 shops and restaurants along this five-block long shopping street, Nishiki Market is a must-visit in Kyoto. The snag is : your Yen will slip away easily if you stop at every shop. We were cautious about that and did not succumb to the temptation of every shop.

Nishiki Market, here I come!

Yummy soy milk doughnuts (300 yen for 10 pieces)

Happy with my soybean milk cream croquette (300 yen)

Vinegared fresh oysters

Nishiki Market's famous Octopus and Quail's Egg on a Stick

Sea urchins, anyone?

Custard cream porcupines

Snoopy marshmallows to tempt a die-hard Snoopy fan

Saying Konnichiwa to Snoopy

The grilled hotate (scallops) were so juicy and sweet

No way am I eating these!

Nishiki Market stretches on

       

           Again, we just strolled around and in one of the narrow alleys, we stumbled upon a jewel. It was a hole-in-the-wall tsukemen eatery with only 8 seats! Tsukemen is ramen that is served dry, to be dipped into a separate bowl of broth. Our lunch came up to 2070 yen. We had never tried this type of ramen, did not even know the popularity of this place, but our instincts told us that it was not to be missed. Only as we were leaving did we take note of the name of the eatery as I was again keen to rave about it on TripAdvisor. Kyo Tsukemen Tsurukame gets my thumbs up!

Just looking at this picture of my tsukemen is making me drool!

Perfect ajitsuke tamago

Kyo Tsukemen Tsurukame, tucked away in one of the many alleys, serves the most delicious noodles

        As the day was still early and we had unlimited rides on the bus, we decided to make our way to Tofukugi Temple, especially popular for the fall foliage. That must be an understatement, for it seemed that the entire Kyoto was there! We were literally elbowing our way through. Deterred by the crowd, we decided not to fork out more Yen to view the autumn colours from the famous Tsutenkyo Bridge. 

At the entrance to Tofukugi Temple

Finding a quiet spot away from the throngs of tourists

Tsutenkyo Bridge with its vivid autumn leaves and the "ants" on it

Adorable stone statues

        After having our fill of the free areas of the temple, we left and made our way back to Kyoto Station. Before going up to our room to rest, we took full advantage of the free drinks at the hotel lobby. Ms Kiasu had a cup of cold houjicha, followed by cold Premium green tea, and then took a cup of cold jasmine tea, and finally ended it with a cup of hot houjicha.  Love this hotel!

        We had a fairly early dinner at Ajisaiya, one of the many eateries at Porta Dining (located below Kyoto Station). I chose a rice set with unagi (eel) while Derrick went for beef slices with rice. My unagi don was tasty and so was Derrick's meal, but it wasn't an unforgettable meal, unlike today's lunch.

My grilled eel with rice costs 1700 yen

Derrick's 1700 yen dinner

        As we would be leaving Kyoto the next day, it meant that there would be no more 551 Horai fixes.  551 Horai is only found in Osaka and Kyoto. So we decided to etch the exquisite taste of their steamed pork buns and pork dumplings in our minds by having them for supper in our hotel room. Simply superb!!!

Patiently queueing up for butaman and shumai at the 551 Horai stall near the Hachijo exit

Face of sheer glee to have secured my supper

Illuminated Kyoto Tower as we make our way back to our hotel from Kyoto Station

Welcoming The Pig In Advance

        When I made the switch from SculptFitness to Ipoh Swimming Club, what I missed the most was my gym buddy. I had always looked forward to working out and chatting with Patsy. Thankfully, we can still continue our chats over WhatsApp.
        Patsy is knowledgeable in many aspects and I learn a lot from her. As she goes to KL often, she knows many good eateries there. She had much earlier raved about The Butcher's Table and when she found that it had spread its wings (or should I say, knuckles?) to Ipoh, she excitedly urged me to give it a try.

Head to 18, Tingkat Taman Ipoh 6, Ipoh Garden South for some oink oink

        Despite Chinese New Year being more than a week away, hubby and I decided to welcome the Year of the Pig in advance by dining at The Butcher's Table this evening. As we arrived just slightly after six in the evening, we were the first customers. But a steady stream of customers started coming in soon after.
        Upon Patsy's recommendation, I ordered their homemade sausages, which are nitrate and preservative-free  and made with a mix of 80% topside lean meat and 20% fat. From a tempting array of 11 flavours, I decided to have a Farmer's Bratwurst (RM9 for about 100gms) and a Deluxe Cheese Ring (RM25 for about 300gms). I also ordered a side dish of mashed potatoes (RM5). Hubby went for their Smoked Pork Knuckle set (RM69), which came with one side dish. It was an enormous portion, probably ideal to be shared.

My dish of sausages

Loved this mashed potatoes, which had real chunks of potatoes in it

Derrick's Smoked Pork Knuckle

Let's pig in!

        Hubby's Smoked Pork Knuckle took a while to be prepared, and in the meantime, he happily dug into my sausages, which were served with a delicious mustard sauce. Hubby preferred the Farmer's Bratwurst, which was flavoured with parsley. I, on the other hand, delighted in the Cheddar cheese that oozed out from the Deluxe Cheese Ring.
        Hubby enjoyed his Smoked Pork Knuckle, which had been tenderly cured for 10 days, slow-cooked for 2 hours and hot smoked using natural wood chips for 30 minutes. I did not particularly fancy the smoky smell and thought the usual German Pork Knuckle's way better.
        Poor hubby finally conceded that it was too big a portion for him to finish, especially since I was not much of a help. We asked for it to be packed and taken home.
        Although The Butcher's Table may be new to us in Ipoh, KL folks have been enjoying its porkylicious goodness since 1992. Mr. Ho Kim Loon, the owner, had once been a butcher and then started serving the porcine dishes at Bangsar Shopping Centre. That restaurant has closed down and KL folks now go to the heart of PJ's SS2 for The Butcher's Table. As for hubby and I, we welcome the pig and all its goodness to Ipoh.

The menu

More porcine goodness!

Being Allured By Honshu - Day 3

            Dragging myself out of bed at 4.30 a.m. and wrapping myself up warmly, I accompanied Derrick to catch the 5.17 a.m. train to Fushimi Inari Shrine. I usually do not leave my warm bed to follow him on his sunrise pursuits but I do not trust him to navigate his way to the right destination using public transport. Despite it being so early in the morning, there were already commuters making their way around Kyoto Station for their respective trains. And when we arrived at Fushimi Inari Shrine, we were not the only crazy photographers.
        The way in and up were lit up, which was handy so as to not stumble and fall. However, Mr. Photographer grumbled that it interfered with the natural light that he was seeking. Hence, his photos did not turn out the way he desired. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable early morning outing.

Mr. Photographer hard at work

        After the sun had come up, we returned to our hotel for some warm coffee and a snooze. Later, we crossed over to Kyoto Station to catch bus no. 17 to Ginkakuji Temple (The Silver Pavilion), alighting at the Ginkakuji-michi bus stop. We must have missed the turning to the temple as we entered the Philospher's Path instead.  This stone path by the canal earned its name when Nishida Kitaro, one of Japan's most famous philosophers, used this path to commute daily to Kyoto University and practised meditation whilst doing so. Feeling slightly peckish, we popped into Coffeeten Sagan, one of the many eateries along the Philosopher's Path.  Adorned with antiques and paintings, this cafe seems to be run by an old couple. We had some sandwiches and coffee, which were quite nice.

Queuing up orderly for the bus outside Kyoto Station

Requesting to stop at Ginkakuji-michi

Meeting bears on the way

And befriending the bears

Philosopher's Path

Brunch along the Philosopher's Path

        We later paid a visit to Honen-in Temple (法然院), a quieter yet charming Buddhist temple. It's unique because of its moss-covered gate and sand mounds. We did not linger long because we wanted to move on to the more famous Ginkakuji or Silver Temple (銀閣寺), a Zen temple built by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa in 1482. It was his retirement villa but was converted into a temple after his death. There was an admission fee of ¥500. It was a small price to pay for such a delightful place, with stunning fall foliage.

Lovely autumn colours outside Honen-in Temple

Iconic moss-covered gate of Honen-in Temple

Stunning autumn colours at Ginkakuji

Tranquil spot at Ginkakuji in spite of the throngs of tourists

        Leaving the temple, we found many shops and food stalls along the streets to cater to the visitors. We shared some yummy custard puffs ( ¥500 for 6) as well as the most exquisite steamed premium Kyoto beef buns (¥450 each). The steamed buns or pau were so soft and the well-marinated beef slices were tender and juicy.

These custard puffs really melt in the mouth!

Got the custard puffs from this stall just outside the entrance of Ginkakuji

Nikuman or steamed beef buns

Keep your eyes peeled for this menu or you'll miss the tiny shop

        We caught the bus (no. 100) to Gion, Kyoto's most famous geisha district. We got down at a stop just outside the Yasaka Shrine but we did not venture in as we were in Gion for another famous landmark - the Yasaka Pagoda. There were several food stalls outside Yasaka Shrine and we were allured by the aroma of grilled beef. So we got ourselves a skewer of grilled beef with lemon sauce and another skewer with barbecue sauce (¥500 each). Yum!

It's all about beef!

Indulging in beef skewers at Yasaka Shrine

        It took some wrong turns but we finally located the beautiful five-storey Yasaka Pagoda, nestled protectively amongst many narrow streets. The entire area has been capitalising on tourism as many of the old houses had been transformed into shops, eateries and machiyas (traditional Kyoto townhouse-turned guesthouse). Wandering around the area, trying to survey for the best spot to capture Yasaka Pagoda, I really love this ancient area and the nostalgic feeling it lent. We also got ourselves burger boiled pork (stewed pork sandwiched between a steamed mantou) - ¥450 each. It was so hot that I had to juggle it from one palm to another to avoid burning myself, but it was incredibly tasty.

Look out for this street sign and turn left. 

After meandering around some small streets, Yasaka Pagoda comes into sight.

Stumbled upon this yummy burger boiled pork along one of the streets

Malaysian lovebirds and the Yasaka Pagoda

        After getting enough of the 49-meter-high pagoda and marking in our minds the spot to return to for the next day's sunrise photos, Derrick and I returned to Kyoto Station via bus no. 206. With that, we had almost fully exhausted the amount that was pre-loaded in our ICOCA cards, leaving behind a mere ¥10. We could, of course, top up the amount and continue using our ICOCA cards. But after some deliberation, we decided we were better off purchasing a one-day bus pass (¥600 each) for the subsequent day's use. We also bade sayonara to our Hello Kitty and Thunder Gods as we returned our ICOCA cards at the JR-West ticket office at Kyoto Station to redeem our ¥500 deposit. Whilst at the JR-West ticket office, we bought the Limited Express Thunderbird train ticket to Kanazawa for 30 November (¥6900 each). Reviews had said that the trains to Kanazawa were usually not full and it would be all right to buy on the day of departure, but we decided to play it safe by purchasing in advance.
        For dinner that night, we headed for Kyoto Ramen Koji (Kyoto Ramen Street) on the 10th floor of Isetan, Kyoto Station. Kyoto Ramen Koji is like a ramen theme park with different ramen varieties to delight even the most finicky eater. Everything looked good to us, but we finally settled for Bannai Shokudo, which served the Kitakita ramen, ranked 2nd of the 3 top ramen varieties in Japan. Their noodles are thick, chewy and curly, and their tonkotsu pork soup is flavoured with sardines and soy sauce. Derrick's choice (¥1420) was a large bowl of chashu ramen, broiled chashu pork rice and an ajitsuke tamago (soft-boiled egg marinated in a sweet and salty soy-based sauce) while choosing the Lady's Set (¥800) freed me from the hassle of deciding between goodness and more goodness. My Lady's Set consisted of a smaller bowl of Kitakita ramen with chashu and crunchy bamboo shoots, a tiny bowl of absolutely flavourful broiled chashu rice, an ajitsuke tamago and 3 pieces of tasty gyozas. Upon leaving the shop, I took note of the name of the shop as I was keen to give it a good review in TripAdvisor.

Derrick was in porky heaven!

My very tasty Lady's Set