Okay, so I know it's been forever and a year since I updated but I have a reason - I've been hard at work on the site redesign I keep talking about - it's about 70% of the way done and I hope to have it live in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned. But you're not here to hear about that - you're here to read about the great 2008 Autumn Road Trip, right? So without further ado, here we go.

A restaurant open for business near Gion

If you're in Japan in the Autumn there is one place you both absolutely need to see and absolutely might be well advised to avoid and that is of course, Kyoto. Autumnal Kyoto is filled with some of the most stunning foliage you will ever see in your life, set against a backdrop of beautiful temples, shrines and centuries-old cityscapes that makes for a gorgeous and uniquely Japanese experience. Just walking around Kyoto in the cool crisp Autumn breeze, passing the falling maple leaves, the wood sided buildings, inhaling the smell of roasting sweet potatoes on the street and watching the amazing tapestry of Autumnal hues in peoples' clothing... it almost makes you feel nostalgic for an era long since passed (until you snap out of it and remember that you yourself are not Japanese! *laughs*). In short, I love Kyoto in the Autumn so very, very much and cannot get enough.

Streaky headlights in quiet neighborhoods...

The only problem is that the beauty of Kyoto in the Autumn is not exactly a secret and every Autumn literally millions of tourists descend on Kyoto en masse to snatch up every available hotel room, book out every restaurant, crowd out every attraction and snarl up every intersection. It's even worse if you go on a weekend, or heaven forbid, a three day weekend.

Care to guess when we went?

Planning an Autumn road trip in Japan is a tricky affair - a lot is determined by when the leaf-viewing migoro (best viewing time) is for a given place. For Kyoto, it fell at the very start of our trip, during the three day Japanese Labor Day weekend. The first problem we ran into when planning a stay in Kyoto during this time was, well... finding a place to stay. Everywhere - and I mean everywhere - was booked solid. Compounding the problem was the fact that we needed a place with parking, since we were driving. Hours of fruitless searching and calling later, we began to despair that we might need to stay in Osaka or another nearby town and train it back and forth (costing valuable time), when finally, by miraculous luck, we suddenly found a little Ryokan that was a) cheap, b) centrally located, c) had parking and most importantly, d) had an open room.

Perfect backdrop for an evening stroll...

The only problem? Online reviews were mixed, including one reviewer who commented the place "smelled like cabbage."

A somewhat noisier part of town...

Huh.

"What the hell," I decided "I like cabbage."

And with that, we booked it.

The (non-cabbage-smelling) ryokan we stayed at...

Now I'll save you the suspense. The place was pretty good, especially for the price. It was a little old, but that only added to the charm, and the owners were friendly. And it didn't smell like cabbage (slightly to my chagrin as that would have made for a more interesting blog entry). Anyway, if you're looking for cheap lodging in Kyoto and all the usual suspects are booked solid, give the Hiraiwa Ryokan a chance.

Damn. My blog is turning into a goddamn informercial. Anyway, moving on.

A river running along a particularly scenic part of town

Ooh, toppling ovar-looking building!

Mmmm.... yakitori...

Now by the time we got to Kyoto we were pretty exhausted despite it only being 1 PM on a Friday, because it had been raining torrentially along the way (though Kyoto itself was beautiful and clear). But time was a-wasting, so after a quick nap, we headed out for the Gion and Yasaka-shrine areas of town. (Those would be the pictures you see all over this entry.) I won't bore you with describing these areas - you can read the wikipedia links above if you're interested.

Ema (devotional plaques) at Yasaka Shrine...

Suspiciously expensive-looking restaurants by the river...

Needless to say, the menu confirmed our suspicions...

Suffice it to say, however, that it made for a lovely stroll, especially as the sun was starting to set and the crowds relented a little bit. Nothing much of interest happened for the rest of the day - had a leisurely stroll around, took some pictures, jumped around in front of temples, ate some food, bought some omiyage (souvenirs), stopped by Starbucks (don't judge me! *laughs*), and then called it a day.

A small shrine by an intersection...

A lamp lit bend in the river...

A narrow walkway leading to a seedier part of town...

In a way, however, that almost lulled us into a false sense of security... we had no idea that before we left Kyoto we nearly be shoved off a 10 story building, accused of supporting state-sponsored terrorism, force fed an intact baby bird impaled on a bamboo skewer or practically get trampled to death in a quiet bamboo grove.

But those stories, my friends, are for the next post... :)