When I begin planning my itinerary for Kyoto, I anticipate spending five days in this city. That quickly doubles after my arrival.

This is the first of many Kyoto posts and I hope each one illuminates why I feel such a connection to this place.

The photos above and below were taken on the rooftop of Backpackers Hostel K’s House Kyoto.

There’s a scenic walking and bike path that runs alongside the main river.

Hanamikoji is the heart of Gion. It’s a beautifully preserved street lined with traditional tea houses and restaurants. I return to this area at night to look for the elusive Geishas (more on this next week).

 

Due to limited availability, I split my time between two hostels. Hana Hostel Kyoto is my favorite, with Backpackers Hostel K’s House Kyoto a close second. (Both have other locations throughout Japan.) Every hostel I stay at in this country is impeccably clean and well-maintained.

I love the dorms at Hana Hostel because it’s like I have my own mini-room. The bed platforms are large enough to stow a suitcase plus each bed has 1 or 2 power points, an individual safe, light, hangers, and privacy curtain.

This sink area is better stocked with hair dryers and beauty products than any other hostel I’ve stayed at.

And let’s take a moment to discuss the bathrooms in Japan. The rumors are true: these toilets are from the future.

Please note there’s a SINK on the back of this toilet. You can wash and dry your hands before even leaving the stall.

Even public restrooms at fast food chains or major tourist sites are this upscale.

A few more shots from Hana Hostel:

And I get a kick out of this: Universal Studios Japan has Horror Nights just like we do in Los Angeles (or Florida, for that matter). Beware the zombies that will come next to you…

There’s a group dinner my first night at Hana Hostel. We each pitch in a few dollars and a staff member cooks us a variety of local dishes.

Here’s some of the food we try. It’s mostly typical ingredients, just combined together in different ways than I’m used to — like the savory pancake below left with meat and veggies.

I make two new friends this evening: Asadeh and Nino, the couple in the center of the photo below. They are visiting from Germany and quickly become my new favorite people. We travel together to Nara the next day and meet up for dinner in Toyko a week later! I am so glad to have met them.

Asadeh and Nino introduce me to their favorite Japanese soda called Calpis. I like it but think it’s a terrible name for a beverage.

One of my theater friends in Los Angeles (hi Jen Lin!) recommended that I check out Takarazuka Revue, an all-female musical theater troupe. To quote Wikipedia, “Women play all the roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western musicals, and sometimes stories adapted from shojo manga and Japanese folktales.”

This is their website in English, which I find difficult to navigate. But they have a new musical production of Gone with the Wind that sounds intriguing so I show up at the box office to enquire about tickets.

Unfortunately they only have a matinee that day (which I couldn’t decipher from the website calendar) so I don’t get to see a show. But they have video monitors playing highlights from past performances in the lobby, which I find interesting.

This is Kyoto’s main train station. It is enormous and listed as one of the city’s attractions in my visitor’s guide.

We explore the upper levels of the train station at night when everything is lit up. This staircase changes colors and displays images and text.

Looking back down into the station:

And one more shot from the very top:

This is the Kyoto Tower. It is visible from almost anywhere in the city so I use it to orient myself whenever I get turned around.

The signage on the left side of this door cracks me up:

My favorite words: “Photos ARE permitted.”

I spy this dress in a display case… there are Hello Kitty dolls inside the lining. As someone comments when I post this photo on Instagram, “That is a commitment!”

Allow me to fawn over Kyoto’s extensive and efficient metro system for a moment. Not only does it run like clockwork, but passengers even queue up to board the subway car! I don’t notice this at first and walk right up to the platform’s edge, then I spot those yellow stripes and wonder what they’re for. Oh, I’m supposed to get in line! Then the doors open right in front of the queue and everyone files in, orderly and polite. This would never happen in New York.

While ascending the stairs at a metro stop, I notice they’ve listed the calories you burn by climbing each step. How’s that for motivation? I love that they kindly include English on the left in addition to the Japanese characters on the right.

And in the photo below right, that is a partial list of all the networks that pop up when I log into the hostel Wifi. It’s like that everywhere I go — everyone is so connected in Japan.

Ah, the joys of typing on a non-English keyboard.

There is a Starbucks around the corner from Hana Hostel. Love the giant SOY indicator!

The 100 Yen Shop is equivalent to the Dollar Store in the States.

This storefront makes me smile:

Japan is referred to as the Land of the Rising Sun due to its position at the easternmost part of Asia, but their sunsets aren’t half bad either. This is one of a few vivid displays I see during my 2-week trip:

This post is just the tip of the iceberg — Kyoto has many UNESCO World Heritage Sites within its city limits, plus other impressive temples and shrines.

There are also several fun day trips accessible from Kyoto — to Nara, Arashiyama, and Kobe.

Kyoto, I’m yours.