Japan 2017 | Day 10 | Kyoto

SEE

We went to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove today. Bamboo is a really cool plant, not only because of how it looks but it’s many uses so I was excited to check this out. I’m glad I went however I was more impressed by the garden we stumbled across than the grove. It wasn’t as big as I thought it would be. The garden that’s at the end of the grove is stunning and the view is incredible.

We did a bit of shopping around Kyoto station then headed to Ninenzaka for a wonder and tea ceremony. This is another area that has a lot of old wood houses plus we found a great coffee shop.

The tea ceremony was so delicate and graceful it was mesmerising to watch. It’s all about respect and tranquillity. We did a casual tea ceremony but a formal one can take up to four hours. Everything they do has a meaning behind it, for example when you are presented the cup the host turns the beautiful side to you as a sign of respect. We also got to mix our own matcha, it’s harder than it looks. My arm got sore from the motion. It is a delicious drink plus it has great health benefits.

EAT

The garden in the bamboo grove included a tea house so we had a cup of matcha. It was such a beautiful setting I could’ve stayed there all day.

For lunch I had a Japanese bowl, it was from a shop in Kyoto station and was super fresh.

For dinner we went to a sushi train that everyone on our tour was recommending. It was so delicious and cheap. I even tried eel for the first time and it was amazing, I thought it would be really fishy but it was buttery.