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Canal on Philosopher's Path
Otani Mausoleum
Fushimi Momoyama Castle Gate
The coasters I bought. Very beautiful
Well, looks like all decent accomodations in Kyoto are fully booked! I checked all types of ryokans (well, there were some I did not care to stay in) - then I gave up and looked at the Westin - well, it's also booked!
I am quite upset at this - if this is the height of tourist season, I am thinking of just cancelling my trip and doing at a different time. I never imagined I would not find a hotel a month before the trip! If all hotels are packed - then Kyoto, no matter how bit it is, will be packed.
Is this normal for this season, or are the hotel people just holding on to rooms until the last minute?
On the good side ... maybe I can go back to Spain this year after all ;-)
>> no matter how bit << ... no matter how big.
Wow, talk about poor planning!
Well, I guess October is not as hot as the mid summer and not yet cold as in the winter, so maybe it is popular season .)
You didn't indicate your dates, but check the following site, I can see there rooms availability for October and some are not that expensive either.
http://www.agoda.com/world.html
He he, I was using that exactly the same Ryokan Shimizu two months ago while in Kyoto. The advantage being out of the season is that the city was not total packed and we had some space, but still, it is very popular and always crowded, no matter when you go. Same maybe like Paris, Rome, Prague, there are always tourist there, all year around. Anyhow, I already gave our friend a link to book this Ryokan earlier so I assume that it is already fully booked as he indicated in his message. He can try to look also outside the city or even Osaka, it is not that far away and if you have the JR pass you can use it anyway.
Oh yeah, that place is popular with Finns, there were few more there at the same time as we were, maybe because this place is also listed in Finnish travel site for Japan. I will make my Kyoto pages when have the time and add all the useful information.
I did try Shimizu and Rakuten yesterday - no room. I actually used this site I had found some time back: http://www.ryokan.or.jp/index_en.html - I may have found a room for for two nights from a request I sent yesterday night when I did this post, awaiting confirmation.
I did not check the very inexpensive places as some had bad reviews ...
Perhaps I'll stay the last night in Nara ...
check toyoko-inn.com
Toyoko is a chain of a regular hotels, nothing spectacular, but they are cheap (~8000yen for a double room), clean, have a good free breakfast, free internet, and always centrally located. They do not need your credit card for reservations, so it is very easy to cancel if you need it
Thank you Vadim - I've already found where to stay, but thanks for the info.
Kyoto has a lot to show, you have a lot to see, to smell, to feel... Appart from thousands of temples, each with its own sense, the place itself can give you a lot of great moments for contemplation and relaxing... You don't need to be looking for something special, it simply happens.
My sisters and I were walking towards the bathroom at the Kiyumisudara Temple, when we saw police officers running towards an aisle. There were also people running towards us. We did'nt really know what as going on. There was no chasing or anything involved so w didn't panic.
We followed the small aisle until we realized that it was leading us to a cemetary! Obviously, we didn't intend to go there but, it was kind of fascinating to see the different headstones in a Japanese cemetary. We kind of sneek in. We didn't know whethe we were allowd there or not. The cemetary was actually different. It was just something that we saw that was kind of out of the ordinary on our tour of the temple.
In Gion District, the subway or bus won''t be of any use. If there is a specific landmark you want to visit but don't have the energy to go "up" or "down" there, take a ride with these guys. They are in incredible shape and will take you anywhere for a reasonable fee.
Try tempura. Deep fried vegetables or meat with special flour dipped in a special sauce when you eat.
I have forgotten the name of the restaurant that I went to. But I know it was very crowded and it is at the JR station.
Its next to Gion center and in my opinion its the best zen stone gardened temple..as a great gift you will see doubledragon on the roof just next to stone gardens..if you cant stand temples I am promising you to that you can not leave this magnificent temple until it is closed. Absolutely wonderful
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