Godsill Away: A Gion Kind of Day

Had a leisurely breakfast at a local bakery/cafe today called Sagan. If you find yourself in Gion, check it out. It's run by an artsy Japanese man who plays groovy music and cooks all the food himself. Loved his baked goods and I had my favorite breakfast yet. They had great matcha lattes too.

We stayed around Gion today and just wandered around. Us and the million other people who took a Sunday stroll. Whew. It was hot and crowded in these narrow streets. There were so many people in kimonos today. I love the beautiful fabrics!

Our first stop was Kiyomizu-Dera temple. It was so beautiful. The grounds were spectacular and the peaceful feeling around us was very nice. We purified ourselves with their sacred water as we entered and enjoyed the beauty of the temple, the smells of the incense, and the sounds of the bells and chimes. No trains to catch today so this slow walk through these beautiful grounds was just perfect. We even had a lovely visit with some junior high students who asked us questions about where we were from and gave us something they had made at school with Kyoto information. They were excited when we said we were from Hawaii.

After we were done, we re-entered the bustling streets of Gion. As we passed one of the busy shops, we saw a girl passing out samples of something we couldn’t identify. Fiona went to check it out and found out it was mochi! They had so many different flavors to try and they were giving free cups of green tea. This was just the pick-me-up we needed. It wasn’t quite lunch time and we didn’t have any snacks.

We probably each tried at least 7-10 different flavors. It’s different from the mochi we are used to at home. It’s rolled thin and like a ravioli, is folded over a flavorful filling. The girls were stoked. We bought a small pack of mango and it made me feel better for eating so many free pieces!

The pursuit of lunch began after this. Walking around looking for food is not my favorite part of the trip but is a real part of traveling with kids. Picky ones. Our walkabout took us to Totoro shops, Sanrio shops, and the Gion Starbucks.
Check out the link! It shows pictures of how neat it is. It was really a cool Starbucks. Mack wasn't in the best mood so we couldn't just sit and "chill" in the AC for very long. It was a little detour from our mission but it was a place Brian wanted to check out. Even Fiona had a few slurps of daddy's strong coffee which she likes a little more than we want her to. Well, she does come from Brian. He is known to drink a wee bit of coffee.

Found a place that serves ramen finally and got in a 20-30 minute line on a set of stairs heading to a second floor dining room. I loved the decor. It was family style seating and though the kids were wary of the menu, we ordered. It was very different from what we had had before and I wouldn't go back. But, one out of two kids ate and we had a pack of crackers for the other one on the walk home. Mission mostly accomplished. By now Mack is coming out of her skin and throwing insults our way so we head back to rest at our place until our evening adventure.

Dinner at Sagan too! Japanese Yams. She said foreigners don't like this. It wasn't bad if you can handle the texture.

Tomorrow we fly out to Thailand. Mack is really excited because we have a layover in Hong Kong and she has learned there is a Popeye's chicken there. She doesn't even know what that is. She is also excited about the IMAX theater which we aren't going to. I'm sure we can keep her busy. Tomorrow night we have a hotel once again! Here are the last of the pictures from the day. Now off to bed before long travel day...Sayonara Kyoto!