Free travel in Japan-Chapter .1 | Kyoto Part 1

A trip to Japan.

I only brought one camera and two lenses with me to Japan this time

Fuji-xh1+16-55mm f2.8 & 56mm f1.2

However, in fact, 16-55mm is basically used because it is more convenient. In order to present the actual situation more intuitively and realistically, in order not to be said to be deliberately over-beautifying, so the photos this time are basically The original image was output directly without post-processing. No filter effects were added. Only a few individual photos were slightly adjusted with light, dark, and warm and cool colors.

In fact, this trip was my first trip to Japan, and I actually wanted to go to many places. Although it was said to be a free trip, it felt like traveling in a group, and it was also in a hurry, so there was often no time to really Slow down and appreciate and discover some details... This is a big regret.

Day 1.Kyoto

Kyoto. Shijo River Source Town

According to international practice, the first day of the trip is naturally on the road.

We set off for the airport at five in the morning, with a flight at eight o'clock. We arrived at Kansai Airport at almost one o'clock (Japan time zone). I took the IC card I booked online and transferred to the limited express. It took 40 minutes to drive straight to Kyoto Station and transfer to Kyoto Station. After a few subway stops, I walked for five minutes to my hotel in Shijo Kawaramachi, Kyoto.

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When I was at the airport, I didn’t really feel anything big. I just felt that there were a lot more Japanese-speaking people around me. But when I got on the express train to Kyoto and left the airport, I saw the buildings on both sides that were completely different from those in China. Images of Japanese dramas, movies, cartoons, and documentaries that I had watched in the past ten or twenty years kept popping up in my mind. . In the past, the Japan I saw through the monitor always felt very far away, and I even felt that the place called Japan was simply fictitious and did not exist in reality. For many years, my feelings about Japan (or foreign countries) have been very illusory. It seems that they are all covered with a layer of filters, one called the "Mysterious Yearning Card" filter.

So when I am really in Japan, everything I see seems to be no different from usual, but it also feels very fresh. I feel that it finally overlaps with my impression of Japan, and there will always be something in my heart. A subtle feeling and sigh: Well, it turns out that this is Japan, I am really in Japan, I am not imagining it...

This feeling slowly subsided until I went to the Kyoto Hotel and then walked to the street...

The hotel where I stayed in Kyoto for a few days was just on the roadside of Kawaramachi. This is the environment outside the window.

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The hotel we stayed in was in Shijo Kawaramachi. I went out for a walk around five o'clock. I won't talk about the environment. After all, it was similar to what everyone has heard about the streets being very clean. However, what I want to say is that Shijo Kawaramachi is actually a commercial area. Basically, tourists who come to Kyoto will gather here. Therefore, when walking on the street, I hear not many people speaking Japanese. They all speak Mandarin and Cantonese... .I wonder if I went to fake Japan? ?

I found a taiyaki seller in a shopping street and ate the type of taiyaki that I have seen repeatedly in cartoons.

Actually, it’s nothing special…

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There are many small shops nearby. At around six o'clock, I randomly found one and had dinner very casually...

I feel a little regretful about it. I promised to eat something delicious...

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Before coming to Japan, I said I wanted to buy the ice cream that is limited to 7-11 in Japan. When I bought the ice cream, the convenience store happened to have a lottery and I won a bottle of wine... But I really didn’t expect this ice cream. It can be eaten for such a long time. This is unprecedented. One ice cream can actually make you feel full. It’s so... so delicious. The ice cream bucket is completely filled with ice cream without any gaps. Ever since, The first day passed like this

Feeling sad….

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Day 2.Kyoto

きふねじんじゃ

Kyoto.Kifune Shrine

The next morning I started at the convenience store, and had something to eat.

Take the subway and transfer to the train to go to Kibune Shrine…

When I went to the subway station in the morning, I passed by Kamogawa River

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Someone asked me before how to distinguish which is a tram and which is a subway?

I don't know how to answer

But the following kind should be called a tram...

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We got off the tram at Kifunegami Station and walked up the mountain along the road, stopping and going for almost an hour. In fact, there are shuttle buses going up and down the mountain, but if you are not in a hurry, it is actually more recommended to walk slowly because the scenery along the way is really great. It would be even better if it comes in autumn, because there are many maple trees. In autumn, the mountains and fields are covered with red maple leaves.

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It sounds strange,

A long time before I came to Japan, I really wanted to buy Pocari in this kind of packaging, because the packaging of this bottle is different from the ones bought in China, and I couldn’t even find Pocari in this packaging at Magnum. , I usually see on twitter and ins that many photography enthusiasts in Japan particularly like to use Pocari as props. It’s this packaging, so I have always been reluctant to buy it.

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After walking for almost an hour, we finally arrived at Kifune Shrine…

The weather is really good, the sun is very strong, but because there are many and lush trees, it doesn't feel hot at all, it's actually quite cool...

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I tried this "water divination" at Kibune Shrine

Just put the signature into water, and the wet signature paper will show the signature on it.

Quite interesting.

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The main purpose of coming to Kibune Shrine is to try the Ryusui Somen here.

But there were a lot of passengers that day. The queue was so far back that I had to wait for more than an hour to be seated...

So after taking the number, I can only continue shopping nearby...

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I heard that you can seek marriage here, is it very effective?

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There are too many people, and they are all Chinese tourists…

After being seated, we waited for more than half an hour. When we arrived, other tourists jumped in line to grab our seats. We were forced to wait for the next round before we could officially get to the flowing water seats. The waiters seemed very helpless, but they didn't say much. They probably were too. It’s no surprise to see these tourists.

As for whether it tastes good or not?

I think it's just average. After all, it's a fast-food restaurant in a tourist attraction. The atmosphere is not as poetic as what you see on TV. At this time, the taste of the food is no longer important. It just feels like a perfunctory feeling of "just coming here"...

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It was already past two in the afternoon when I came out after eating some rice noodles.

I feel like this process is very difficult.

So when I don’t want to leave when I go down the mountain, I might as well take the shuttle bus…

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Day 2.Kyoto

かもがわ

Kyoto.Kamogawa

After returning from Kibune Shrine, we exited the tram station.

We happened to be in Kamogawa Park, so we decided to walk along the Kamogawa River back to Shijo...

(Okay, actually the walk was just my idea...)

The first time I learned about Kamogawa was when I watched NHK's "72 Hours Documentary" program. One of the episodes was in Kamogawa Park. When I watched the show at that time, I felt that the human touch and humanistic atmosphere in Kamogawa was really full. Later, I saw a travel writer introducing Kyoto on LOFTER, which also included a description of the Kamogawa River. At that time, I felt that the image of the Kamogawa River had become more complete.

However, when I actually came to Kamogawa, and came to Kamogawa Park where the NHK interview team actually filmed, the feeling was completely different at this time. Putting aside the regional awareness in my consciousness, the feeling I had when watching the program had indeed disappeared. , I even felt that strolling on both sides of the Kamogawa River in front of me was no different from visiting parks in China.

The full feeling that I had originally imagined and longed for was gone, it was just that there was another humanistic atmosphere around me. However, in fact, it feels really good to walk on both sides of the Kamogawa River in the evening...

I just walked for more than an hour before returning to Shijo. I was very tired...

There are many of these gray pigeons in Kamogawa Park that are not afraid of people at all. There are also... eagles that descend from the sky and snatch food from passers-by? ? Such large birds are actually a major feature of Kamogawa. After all, Kamogawa is a famous leisure attraction in Kyoto.

I personally saw a big bird flying down and snatching the bread from a tourist's hand.

Only the confused figure of the tourist was left...

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Start in the morning at Kibune Shrine

The two of them went into a crazy selfie state all the way

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In fact, I still feel that I was too perfunctory during this trip and did not slow down to discover some details worth exploring. Firstly, I wanted to present what I wanted to see more realistically, and secondly, because of the different seasons and time points, the photos I took were actually really It’s an ordinary tourist photo, and you can’t see what the Kamogawa River should really look like. In fact, if the weather is good or there is sunshine in winter and spring, it would be absolutely great to walk on both sides of the Kamogawa River. It would be even better during the cherry blossom season...

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It was already around six o'clock in the afternoon when we returned to the vicinity of Shijo Kawaramachi.

I found a restaurant that specializes in soy foods for dinner. It seems that you can find an introduction to this restaurant on Dianping. The taste is relatively light. I personally like it better!

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However, it was only 7 o'clock after dinner. It was really early, so I wandered around. In fact, Kyoto is really a quiet city, right? There were not many cars and people on the street. Compared with Tokyo later, it didn’t feel like the same Japan at all. Starting at 9:30 in the evening, there were no people on the street and it even felt a bit deserted...

Then I suddenly thought about going to Kyoto Tower? ? It's only a few bus stops away, about ten minutes, very close and very convenient. However, the place to buy tickets for Kyoto Tower is a bit remote. It's in an inconspicuous place on the second floor of the mall, so you need to look for it. After all, it is not a very special tourist spot, so the tickets are not expensive.

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However, it turns out that going up to Kyoto Tower at night is meaningless. Because Kyoto itself is not a big city like Tokyo, there are not many lights. In addition, there are many low buildings, so You can hardly see anything when going to Kyoto Tower at night...

If you want to go,I suggest it’s better to go during the day.

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It felt like during the three nights in Kyoto, I had to go to the convenience store to buy snacks... Actually, I prefer the ice cubes in the cups in the convenience store. I bought other drinks and poured them directly. Very convenient…

The second day in Kyoto,

It ended like this after a glass of cold drink...

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next episode

Free travel in Japan-Chapter .2

Kyoto day 3 itinerary

Go see hydrangeas

Eat authentic Ito Kuemon Uji tea and seasonal special desserts

And of course, go to Nara to see deer…

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