This morning we wanted to get an early start because we were going to Kinkaku-ji, one of Kyoto’s busiest locations. We ended up timing things with the rain instead. It started immediately after we got on the bus, poured for the 45 minute ride, and stopped seven minutes after we got off. It felt great to have a momentary break from the heat. While waiting for it to quiet down a single deafening crack of thunder went off in an area best described as directly next to our heads.
Kinkaku-ji is crowded with international tourists, domestic tourists, and Japanese school groups. The crowds are merited. The Golden Pavilion is breathtaking. The austerity of the garden and the pool allow the pavilion to stand out without being ostentatious. Being in crowded areas also makes good people watching. I like seeing how the school kids, who all wear uniforms, differentiate themselves with backpack accessories.
We bussed over to what may be Ned’s highlight of the trip: the Kyoto Railway Museum. The hands-on and working models at the museum were excellent. Other train museums (yes, I’m married to a transportation enthusiast) I’ve been to seem to focus primarily on what I’ll call “passenger forward” aspects, plus the history of rail. This museum covers all sorts of the underpinnings, including different mechanisms of coupling, rail gauges and shapes, system maintenance, pantograph systems, and ticketing. All this, and a cafeteria with a view of electric passenger trains, freight, and Shinkansen passing regularly. We were there for more than four hours, which honestly felt too short.
For all that Japan gets right with rail, it is a mystery that the rail pass booking system is so baroque. After the museum we spent entirely too long standing in front of a machine to book the six legs of our journey to Takamatsu and back. I’m not entirely sure it was worth the cost savings of the Kansai-Wide pass to use it. In the end we had 21 tickets to keep sorted and use in various combinations at the ticket gates.
It is our last night in Kyoto, and I had hoped to hike Mt. Daimonji. With the high temperatures we abandoned that plan and went back to Maruyama Park instead. Our picnic dinner came courtesy of the nearby grocery story, which had warm whole-roasted sweet potatoes near the check-out. Yes! It was a nice evening, with turtles, streams, and lit lanterns.
(14 205 steps)
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