In early winter’s chill, I gaze,
From a rooftop garden, a modern maze.
The city of Kobe, a sight to behold,
A dull steel-blue, stories untold.
Smoke rises gracelessly, a constant sigh,
But toward the mountain, clear is the sky.
A streak of longing, a sorrow that’s deep,
A modern city, where old secrets sleep.
Back to Kyoto for another few days, this time in the Arashiyama District in the northwest of the city. Like the rest of the popular places in Kyoto, it was crowded with tourists. We arrived in the early afternoon, our hotel was in the central area and our car had to weave through quite the constantly moving fellow visitors. Most people day trip out here so the town closes up early and the evenings are nice.
We chose to chill here, took advantage of the facilities. We did make it to the Bamboo Groves though and enjoyed walking the area’s famous Togetsukyo Bridge (Moon Crossing Bridge). No kimono rentals or rickshaw rides for us though.
The Togetsukyo BridgeThe Togetsukyo BridgeYou can take tours of the area on Rickshaws.Pleasure boats on the Katsura RiverShadows on the Togetsukyo BridgeThe Bamboo Groves of ArashiyamaGreen Blanket of MossesArtwork in the Bamboo GrovesArtwork in the Bamboo GrovesArtwork in the Bamboo GrovesA dusty 1937 Rolls Royce PHANTOM IIIThe Bamboo Groves at nightThe Bamboo Groves at nightThere is a very active train track that passes through the Bamboo Groves.Togetsukyo Bridge at night
First an explanation for the title. In the 60s (the 1960s, Dan) There was a sketch comedy television program called “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” that reflected the zeitgeist of the time. The show launched many catch phrases, one was “Sock it to me” that guest stars and show performers would say in amusing ways. Richard Nixon said it and it was fundamental to helping him win the 1968 election. Actress Judy Carne was a featured performer and known on the show as the “Sock it to me girl”, when she said the phrase she was socked, splashed with water or some other chaos. They had skits that involved trying to trick her into saying the phrase and one was “It may be rice wine to you, but it’s still sake to me!”, which is one of the first cross cultural jokes I remember so I had to mention it here. Sorry.
In southerm Kyoto lies the Fushimi Sake District, one of the major sake producing areas in Japan. The area name Fushimi originally comes from fusu + mizu, meaning “hidden water” or “underground water”, these springs supply fresh water that is ideal for sake brewing. Sake maker Gekkeikan was founded in 1637 and has a nice museum which gave us a great introduction to how Sake is produced. The visit included tastings, so off we went via the Keihan Line in Kyoto for a visit.
Walking to Gion-Shijo Station The tunnel at Gion-Shijo Station is from “The Shining”Fushimi Canal BoatsGekkeikan Ōkura Sake Museum
The museum covered the world of Sake from the making to the consumption.
Inside the Gekkeikan Ōkura Sake Museum Sake Manufacturing notesSake coupons, equivalent to gift certificates todayGekkeikan Ōkura Sake MuseumA display showing “seimaibuai” (rice polishing ratio) iand the of grain that remains after a part of the rice has been polished away.The tasting room10 products to choose fromWe placed our Ochokos (sake cups) next to the sake we sampled when we took picturesThe spring at Gekkeikan Ōkura Sake Museum
We next headed to Fushimi Sakagura Koji (Fushimi Sake Village) where there is a gathering of Sake producers and food under one roof. We had a round of Ramen at Ramen Monsen Fushimi Sakagura-ten, very tasty for this wet day.
Walking through FushimiPassed many elegant ladiesWalking through Fushimi Sake VillageOur lunch at Ramen Monsen Fushimi Sakagura-tenOf course we had more sakeStill researching “squid under the feet.” Google AI gives contradictory responses. Don’t trust AI.
Our time in Kyoto is coming to a close soon, we headed back to two places we enjoyed there, Sakura Bar for dinner and Record Bar Yamada for some drinks and music. Going to miss these places.
Sakura BarInside Sakura BarOne last visit to Record Bar Yamada as well
These rice snacks can be found in many convenient stores around Japan. They come in many flavors and are quite tasty. Packaged in a way that keeps the seaweed from getting soggy, unwrapping them is fun IMHO. I’ve been consuming a couple every morning for breakfast in Kyoto.
