🥦Mizuo's Travel Blog🥦No.32 - 3/3- Kyoto, Japan 🇯🇵

🥦Mizuo's Travel Blog🥦No.32 - 2/3- Kyoto, Japan 🇯🇵 - Dec. 2022

👉👉👉Please check out my previous blog in KYOTO, JAPAN!

What a fun time I spent with my mom~~~~ Kyoto!

Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto, Japan

We could see the whole Kyoto city from the temple!

Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto, Japan

I came to Kyoto to eat eel with my mom, but since we came all the way here, we decided to go sightseeing to Kiyomizu-dera Temple for the first time in a while.

As I wrote in a previous blog, there is a continuous slope from Pagota of Yasaka to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. This narrow slope is flanked by many small stores selling sweets, traditional Japanese dolls, and various other souvenirs.

This small hill seems to be a very popular place for tourists and is always full of people when they approach this hill.

Sannenzaka Slope (三年坂)

Then, you finally see Kiyomizu temple on the top of the hill!

Kiyomizu-Dera Temple stands at the top of the hill. My parents live in Osaka, but if you live in the Kansai region, you have probably been to this famous temple at least once. It is also a very popular place for school excursions for elementary and junior high school students, partly because it only takes about an hour by train to get there.

It says, "National Treasure of JAPAN!!" haha! Yup, it is our national treasure.

As those of you who have been to Kiyomizu temple will know, there is literally a "stage" at the front of the temple called "Butai (stage)" in Kiyomizu temple. There is a Japanese expression that says you need to have enough guts to "jump off the stage of Kiyomizu temple". The stage is quite high, and it takes a lot of courage to jump down from this very stage.

Kiyomizu Temple is built on a hill from which you can enjoy a panoramic view of Kyoto city. I could also see Kyoto Tower, which is located in Kyoto City, although it is small, and it was really refreshing to be able to see the whole area of Kyoto.

It had been more than five years since I had been sightseeing in Kyoto with my mom, so I was really glad that we were able to have such a wonderful time together. It was also a very good memory.

One of the nice things about Kyoto is that many people wear kimonos. In Japan, kimonos are still worn during summer festivals, but it is not so easy to wear kimonos in daily life. However, there are many people in Kyoto who wear kimonos for sightseeing. It seems that many tourists from overseas also wear kimonos while sightseeing in Kyoto, and I really like the atmosphere of Kyoto because the city looks like a Japanese town 300 to 400 years ago.

Sightseeing is done! It’s time to go down the hill!

This group of young samurai is pretty cool! Haha!

After sightseeing, we took a short break and my mom bought many gifts at a pickle shop on the side of the road. After all, who wouldn't like to receive pickles? Perhaps this is a uniquely Japanese souvenir culture. In Sweden, you would not be happy to receive "pickles" as a souvenir.

I bought some toys for my friends in Sweden. Japanese toys for kids.

Unagi shop - "Matsuno" in Kyoto, Japan

Itadakimasu!

This is where we wanted to come! Unagi!

Matsuya - The best Unagi restaurant in Kyoto!

Whenever I return to Osaka and have some free time, I always invite my mom to Kyoto to enjoy "unaju" (eel stew) at our favorite restaurant, Matsuno.

What is "unajū (鰻重 ) "??

Variations include unajū (鰻重, the same dish served in jūbako (重箱), food boxes often lacquered), nagayaki (長焼き, the eel and rice are served separately), and hitsumabushi (ひつまぶし).

There are two styles of grilled eel, the topic of which is covered more precisely under kabayaki. Essentially, in the Kantō region style, the eel is steamed before being grilled with sauce, which makes the eel more tender.[4] The other is the Kansai region style, which is grilled without steaming. - Wikipedia

I often came to this "Matsuno" and talked with my mom about many things. We have good memories of talking about my sisters, nephews and niece, relatives, my mother's friends, neighbors, and many other trivial things here.

How to get to Matsuno is very simple: it is located a few minutes' walk from Kyoto's "Minamiza" theater.

Minamiza theater

Are you interested in Kabuki and maiko dance? If so, visit Minamiza !!

Let's go back to Osaka by Keihan train!

At the end of the day, I took a premium seat on the Keihan train back to Osaka. I always think the green and red car body of Keihan trains is so cute. I love it!

清水寺、京都

オカンと鰻を食べに京都に来たのですが、せっかくここまで来たし久しぶりに清水寺まで観光に行こうと言うことになりました。

先のブログでも書いたのですが、「八坂の塔」から「清水寺」へは坂道が続きます。この幅の狭い坂道は両脇に小さなお店がたくさんあって、お菓子を売ったり、伝統的な日本の人形を売ったりと、いろんなお土産を買うことが出来ます。

Sannenzaka Slope (三年坂)

この小さな坂は観光客にもとても人気のある場所の様で、いつもこの坂に差し掛かると人でいっぱいです。

坂を上り切った頂上に清水寺は立っています。わたしの実家は大阪なのですが、関西に住んでいる人は一度は行ったことがあるほど有名なお寺ではないでしょうか。小学校や中学校の修学旅行にもとても人気のある場所で、電車で１時間程度で来れる場所と言うこともあって、とても人気の場所です。

清水寺に行かれたことのある方はわかると思うのですが、清水寺には「舞台」と呼ばれるお寺の前方に文字通り「舞台」があります。日本語の表現に、「清水寺の舞台から飛び降りる」ぐらいの度胸がいると言った表現があります。この、舞台からはかなり高く、まさにこの舞台から飛び降りるのはかなりの勇気がいります。

清水寺は高台の上に建っているお寺なのですが、そこからは京都市内が一望できます。京都市内にある京都タワーも小さくですが見えて、京都一円を眺めることが出来て本当に清々しい気持ちになりました。

本当にこうしてオカンと京都を観光するのももう５年以上ぶりだったと思うので、本当にこのような時間を一緒に過ごすごとが出来てよかったです。これもまたとても良い思い出になりました。

京都のいいところが、たくさんの方が着物を着ていると言うことです。日本でも夏のお祭りの時期などは今でも着物を着ることもありますが、日常生活ではなかなか着物を着る機会がなくなりました。しかし、京都には着物を着て観光する方がたくさんいます。海外からの観光客も京都に観光している間は着物を着て観光する方も沢山いるようで、京都の町は３００年から４００年前の日本の町の様な雰囲気がしてとても好きです。

観光の後は少し休憩しながら、道脇にある漬物やでオカンはたくさんのプレゼントを買って帰っていました。やっぱり、漬物もらっていやって言う人いないですものね。きっと、これは日本独特のお土産文化かもしれません。というのも、スウェーデンでお土産に「ピクルス」をもらってもうれしくないですものね。

この「松乃」によく来させてもらって、オカンといろんな話をしました。わたしの姉たちの話、甥っ子や姪っ子、親戚、母の友人、近所の人の話など、些細なことをここでたくさんしたのはよい思い出です。