A chilly day in Kyoto

 

We awoke to a cold day in Kyoto this morning, with a forecast top of only 5 degrees celcius!

We ‘layered’ up and packed extra clothes, then headed out to explore the town of Kyoto.

Our first stop was the Nishiki food market, which was packed with eager shoppers looking for a bargain.

I must admit that I didn’t recognise a lot of what I saw, but it sure looked interesting!

We then caught a train to the Southern Higashiyama area, which was filled with impressive temples, shrines and gardens.

We pretty much started at the south of the area, and headed north, covering about 6 kilometers on foot.

Along the way we came across quaint laneways filled with shops and restaurant, and were sure to sample some of the local delicacies.

As the morning progressed, the sun started to disappear behind low lying clouds and the temperature dropped dramatically. I was so glad I had packed some extra layers, and was thankful for my beanie and gloves.

The walking had made me hungry, so we decided to stop for a big bowl of steaming hot soba noodles.

Delicious!

These warmed me up (for a while at least), and we continued our walk through the district.

Our final stop for the day was the Kyoto Imperial Palace, which after the sights we have seen over the last two days, was a little unimpressive.

I was completely frozen by this stage, so we decided to head for the subway to warm up and to catch a train back to the hotel.

The rest of the evening included a trip out for some sushi, some iced coffee (Japan-style) and an early night! We have to be up early tomorrow to catch a 6am train to the ski fields.

I hope that you are all having a fantastic new years eve – and are welcoming in the new year in style. Have a glass of champagne for me!!

Happy baking :)

Crazy deer, temples and sake

After my morning run, we headed to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Mr BBB went for the American breakfast, while I stuck with my favourite – oatmeal.

It was then time to check out and head to Osaka station, where we caught another train to Kyoto. We dropped off our bags at the hotel, then took a train to Nara – approximately 50 minutes away.

It wasn’t long before the view of the city and its buildings was replaced with views of the gorgeous Japanese countryside.

Once we arrived, we re-fueled with a little coffee then started to explore the area.

My belly was starting to rumble at this stage, so I convinced Mr BBB that sushi was again in order for lunch. We stumbled across a sushi ‘train’ and was to excited to try the various kinds of sushi.

Amongst those sampled were tuna, egg, fermented beancurd (disgusting!), salmon etc.

Our bellies full, we started the climb through the Nara Koen area. We first came across the Kofuku-ji temple and the ‘Five storey pagoda’.

Followed by the Todaji temple…gorgeous.

The whole park was swarming with deer, over 1200 we were told, which in pre-Buddhist times were considered messengers of the gods. It seems that today they are spoilt by the tourists who can purchase biscuits to feed them.

  

They are certainly not shy creatures, at least in this park, and were actually quite greedy once they realised that you had biscuits to offer!

After surviving the deer stampede, we headed further into the park, passing hundreds of gorgeous lanterns. I can only imagine how majestic the area would look if all the lanterns were lit.

We finished off our adventure with a walk back down the mountain using the paths lined with trees, lanterns and of course, deer! I think we walked over 6km all up, and my legs were certainly feeling tired by the end.

Daylight was fading fast, so we caught the train back to Kyoto.

We arrived after 7pm and decided to head straight to the shopping district for dinner. After some more walking (coupled with indecision), we finally settled on a quaint yakisoba / okonomiyaki restaurant which turned out to be quite busy.

I ordered a rice filled omelette, with sake on the side, and Mr BBB went for the okonomiyaki (a Japanese pancake).

Both dishes were placed on a hotplate in the middle of the table to finish cooking and to keep warm while we ate our way through them. Both were delicious - and were eaten up quickly. We were starving after our long day of walking!!

I also ordered a sake to drink on the side....not my favourite drink but certainly interesting....

 

(Don't be alarmed by the size of the glass...it was mixed with water for this first timer!!)

Dinner was delicious – and we made our way back to the hotel quite tired yet satisfied after the long day.

It's off to bed for me now. Tomorrow we are set to explore the city of Kyoto!

Happy baking :)

Come run with me

Training: Run 40 mins (6km approx)

This morning I practically jumped out of bed when my alarm went off. Well rested, I layered up and headed out for another morning run - this time solo as Mr BBB wanted the extra rest.

It was still a little dark when I started, so I headed along the river.

Then across a bridge and through some of the back streets.

I then headed back to the river, which I followed for the next 25 minutes or so, running under several bridges...

Past some tall buildings...

 

Near some awesome lamps and structures...

By now daylight had broken so I looped back around and finished at our hotel - sweaty yet refreshed.

Now I am off for a quick shower and breakfast, before we head to Kyoto.