Kyoto in autumn
Posted: Thu Nov 21, 2019 7:28 pm
Kyoto in autumn. Do I need to say more? The play of the coloured leaf would put most other places to shame in their vibrance! I headed to the country side taking a boat trip on a famous river gorge, where one could see it in all its glory unhindered by buildings – as beautiful as they sometimes can be in Kyoto.
The other thing I had not noticed on previous visits is that there are tea bushes growing virtually everywhere in the city. Almost all the temples and shrines had at least one, on the streets, in the gardens and private dwellings, everywhere! And curiously blooming in many cases.
Also the first time I had a weather alert for extremely dry conditions on my app!
The city itself is deservedly beautiful as its reputation suggests, just walking around is inspirational. The wood details everywhere are magnificent.
As for our shared interest, tea… oh well. It is expensive, very expensive and if I compare the value in taste to the price it is too expensive in most cases. Hojicha that just tastes like mediocre roasted Taiwan oolong costs triple or more. To be fair I did not have time to dive into specialty tea shops, so just generalising on what is commonly available. Actually nothing is really a good deal, be it food or tea ware or anything. At best it is not expensive. More moderately priced tea ware is made in China, even to my eyes quite common looking cups cost an arm and a leg! Guess it has to do with high cost of living and salary in Japan.
Maybe it is Kyoto. I remember finding nice things at ok- price in Tokyo.
Seems to me that better deal are to be had, buying tea ware online? Like prices of AN for nice tea ware seemed lower to me than what I saw on the streets for less nice pieces.
Also, it was the first time I had some experiences where places purposely turned away foreigners with flimsy pretexts, which I can be sure of, as my wife speaks Japanese… Seems a few are fed up of all the tourism in the city. Some nice areas with old houses are basically all tiny inns and hotels. Locals moving to the suburbs and making a killing on rent. Venetians can probably tell a tale or two of that.
Food is great, if one avoids the big traps in crowded places.
All in all, Japan is always great, especially with this perfect autumn weather we had, sun and just cool enough to comfortably walk for hours.
More musings when I think of them…
The other thing I had not noticed on previous visits is that there are tea bushes growing virtually everywhere in the city. Almost all the temples and shrines had at least one, on the streets, in the gardens and private dwellings, everywhere! And curiously blooming in many cases.
Also the first time I had a weather alert for extremely dry conditions on my app!
The city itself is deservedly beautiful as its reputation suggests, just walking around is inspirational. The wood details everywhere are magnificent.
As for our shared interest, tea… oh well. It is expensive, very expensive and if I compare the value in taste to the price it is too expensive in most cases. Hojicha that just tastes like mediocre roasted Taiwan oolong costs triple or more. To be fair I did not have time to dive into specialty tea shops, so just generalising on what is commonly available. Actually nothing is really a good deal, be it food or tea ware or anything. At best it is not expensive. More moderately priced tea ware is made in China, even to my eyes quite common looking cups cost an arm and a leg! Guess it has to do with high cost of living and salary in Japan.
Maybe it is Kyoto. I remember finding nice things at ok- price in Tokyo.
Seems to me that better deal are to be had, buying tea ware online? Like prices of AN for nice tea ware seemed lower to me than what I saw on the streets for less nice pieces.
Also, it was the first time I had some experiences where places purposely turned away foreigners with flimsy pretexts, which I can be sure of, as my wife speaks Japanese… Seems a few are fed up of all the tourism in the city. Some nice areas with old houses are basically all tiny inns and hotels. Locals moving to the suburbs and making a killing on rent. Venetians can probably tell a tale or two of that.
Food is great, if one avoids the big traps in crowded places.
All in all, Japan is always great, especially with this perfect autumn weather we had, sun and just cool enough to comfortably walk for hours.
More musings when I think of them…