“It takes a long time to grow young.”
Pablo Picasso
And
so, I turned twenty-seven a couple of weeks ago. To all of you who
wished me all over the places - Facebook, Line, Whatapps, Instagram,
text messages, etc, here is a BIG THANK YOU from me. I sincerely
appreciate each and every wishes from all. This year, it was a little
extra special because I celebrated my big day in Kyoto. Why Kyoto, you
may ask. That's because it was a birthday-cum-honeymoon trip. Haha, just
kidding! I know it has been a while since April 1st, but no, this is
not another April's prank from me lol!
This
time, I will make it simple. As I had just turned 27, here are the 27
wonderful things during the 2-day-1-night trip in magical city of Kyoto.
#1: Hello from Kyoto!
#2: The long pathway of
endless vibrant torii gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine.
#3: Kyoto city, as seen from
one of the slopes which is surrounded with little shrines, tombs and
neighbourhood.
#4: An antique green coach
of Japan Railway, more commonly known as JR, on its way to Kyoto
Station.
#5: Kamo River (鴨川),
which literally means "duck river". There are no many ducks in this
river, but the riverbanks are popular walking spots for residents and
tourists.
#6: A group of random
Japanese girls in colourful kimon, spotted along the way to
Kiyomizu-dera Temple.
#7: This temple, built
without a single nail in the entire structure, needs no further
introduction.
Kiyomizu-dera temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) in UNESCO World Heritage site
#8: Higashiyama shopping
street, which is a great place to experience traditional old Kyoto.
Narrow lanes, wooden
buildings and traditional merchant shops here invoke a feeling of the
old capital city.
#9:Kyoto is well known for
its matcha desserts and one of them is matcha soft cream.
#10: The Philosopher's Path
(哲学の道) is a pleasant stone path which follows a canal which is lined by
hundreds of cherry trees.
#11: A close-up shot of the cherry blossom, or sakura.
#12: A trip to Kyoto will
not be completed without experiencing the stay in a traditional Japanese ryokan.
#13: Served with hot green
tea, sweets and warm hand-cloth upon checking into the
ryokan.
#14: One of the popular area
in the Gion district is the Hanami-koji Street, which are lined with
preserved machiya houses many of which now function as restaurants, serving Kyoto style kaiseki ryori (Japanese haute cuisine).
#15: Chicken broth based ramen at Monsen (門扇) in the Gion district. This bowl of ramen was fantastic!
#16: The beautiful light-ups
at Shirakawa area in Gion. As it is a little off the beaten path, the
Shirakawa Area is typically somewhat quieter than Hanami-koji Street.
#17:Enjoying the night sakura, or yozakura (夜
桜) at Shirakawa Canal. The canal is lined by willow trees, high class
restaurants and ochaya, many of which have rooms overlooking the
canal.
#18:The Golden Pavilion of Kinkaku-ji Temple, which is one of the most recognised structure in Japan.
#19: The Zen garden at
Ryōan-ji temple (龍安寺). Placed within it are fifteen stones of different
sizes. The stones are placed so that the entire composition cannot be
seen at once from the veranda. They are also arranged so that when
looking at the garden from any angle (other than from above) only
fourteen of the boulders are visible at one time. It is traditionally
said that only through attaining enlightenment would one be able to view
the fifteenth boulder.
#20: Cherry blossom tunnel
in between Narutaki Station and Utano Station on the Randen Kitano
Line.
#21: My first visit to
Arashiyama! The station was simply beautiful.
#22:The magnificent bamboo groves in Arashiyama.
#23: Two Japanese girls clad
in their beautiful kimono, walking along the bamboo forest, striking a
great contrast with the refreshing green bamboo.
#24: The wooden Togetsu-kyo
bridge that spans the Katsura River in front of Arashiyama Mountain,
offering incredible views of the spring cherry blossoms.
#25:Visitors can hop onto a
wooden boat and enjoy a short ride around the river.
#26: A set of tenpura-don at
Kyoto station for dinner, before heading back to Tokyo.
#27: And to cap of a
wonderful day, some home-made desserts and supper from 7-Eleven over
several candles in glasses.
Sometimes,
I guess you do not need fancy presents, candle-lights dinner, or big
parties to celebrate your birthday. Simple little things, and when they
come around with the right company, in fact make things more meaningful
and memorable. And for that, I am very thankful for.
Arigato!
