It was another big Kyoto sightseeing today. Henry again had his breakfast of frosted corn flakes (we’ve been looking for sugar free plain cheerios or corn flakes, but haven’t seen many supermarkets or understood packaging). We set off around 9am by 50 minute bus, getting to the Arashiyama Monkey Park around 10am. It was a fun hour or so where we hiked up, got some nice views over Kyoto, and saw scores of Japanese macaque monkeys – from adults to teenagers to babies. We learned that they become adults by age 10, typically live to age 30, weigh between 10-15kg, and are fairly functional (ie – can walk and balance and call for help) when they’re born. We saw a baby walking a horizontal bamboo pole lose its balance, nearly fall off, cry in terror for help, and get rescued by its mother.
Next up was the more popular Arashiyama Bamboo Forest (probably in the top 5 Kyoto tourist attractions, like the torii gates we visited yesterday). We walked, with hordes of tourists, along a pathway that meandered through a towering bamboo forest. We overheard a guide saying that the trees can grow at a rate of up to 4cm per hour until they reach their maximum height (up to 90 feet). It was a cool feeling, walking through a forest of bamboo, where you’re surrounded just by vertical branchless poles towering above you.
We went to a convenience store for lunch, and then found that there’s an express train that got back to Kyoto Station in 15 minutes (much nicer than the bus, same price, and we’re not sure why google maps didn’t recommend it on our way out). We collected our bags from the APA hotel (where we stayed for the last two nights) to Dormy Onyado Nono, which is where we have the next two nights. Dormy is nicer, but it was more expensive Fri/Sat, which is why we had two nights at APA. Dormy Onyado Nono is the same hotel chain as we stayed in Matsumoto, and the room and service is nearly identical here in Kyoto. There’s a free espresso machine in the lobby, free ice cream, free noodles after 9pm, and a really great onsen. We arrived at the new hotel and Viki and Henry immediately napped. I went to the onsen, where there was a big indoor hot pool, a “milky” translucent hot pool, two one-man barrel tubs, a cold plunge pool, an outdoor hot pool, a sauna, and a relaxation hot pool with lounge chairs.
For dinner we went out for okonomiyaki, which is noodles, egg, squid, and meat cooked on a giant hot plate in front of you. One of the ingedients on the English menu was “hormone”, and when we asked, the chef said in broken English that it’s beef intestine. We found this a bit off-putting, but had it anyways, and didn’t notice it in the prepared dish. We had fancy cakes from the Porto food court in Kyoto station and then headed back to the hotel to call it an evening.
