Fun things to do in Kyoto

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Though Japanese rice wine is often referred to as sake in English, sake in Japanese refers to alcohol in general. In Japan, the preferred word for rice wine is "Nihonshu."
Nihonshu has a very distinctive aroma and fruity sweet taste. It is usually 14 to 19 percent alcohol.

Drinking chilled nihonshu in summer helps you feel refreshed after working and increases your appetite. In winter hot nihonshu makes you feel warm and relaxed.

There are approximately 2,000 nihonshu breweries in Japan producing more than 10,000 products.

Getting here was a bit challenging ... you must take the green line to the end going south and then switch trains and hope you get on the right train like we did .... once there you must follow the exact direction shown on the website ... if you don't YOU WILL GET LOST !!!!!!

Spent about an hour here and came away with a better understanding of SAKE ... and right around the corner there is a complete SAKE STORE that has tons and tons of selection .....

Admission to sake museum is 300 yens with some tasting at the end !!!!

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Jonangu Shrine was established as an Imperial Villa during the Heian Period. Simultaneously, it was used by pilgrims going to Kumano as a spiritual place to pray for a safe and successful journey. This spiritual aspect is what led to its later transformation into a shrine.

The shrine also has some historical military significance on two separate occasions. First in 1221 a militia was formed here to try and restore Kyoto as the capital by bringing down the Kamakura shogunate. Later in 1868, in front of Jonangu Shrine was where the famous Battle of Toba-Fushimi between the Tokugawa and Satsuma clan from Kagoshima.

Because it was once a villa, the shrine is famous for its two gorgeous gardens (subdivided into five gardens), some of the best in Kyoto in my opinion, although most tourists don't seem to even know about it. It's one of the best places in the city for viewing plum blossoms but the gardens have many seasonal plants to keep it interesting throughout most of the year.

Entrance is 500 yen. Don't forget to go across the path to the second garden area after visiting the garden that wraps around the back of the shrine.

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The Kyoto Aquarium opened on March 14, 2012 making it one of the city's newest attractions. It features exhibits of Kyoto's aquatic fish, Japan's giant salamanders, seals, penguins, crabs, and a variety of small aquariums with various fish. One of the highlights is the large pool filled with fish, turtles, sharks, and stingrays viewable from the first and second floor.

It also has dolphin shows, which of course are very popular and a big draw for visitors. The show is nice but if you've seen dolphin shows elsewhere chances are what you saw was better (but maybe not). For me, I have seen more impressive dolphin shows in the USA. The dolphins simply don't do that many tricks here, but still, if you come you should see the show!

The aquarium seems a bit small but it's still nice for those traveling with children, people who are looking to mix things up in Kyoto (as in, do something aside from visiting the historic sites), and those looking for something within walking distance of Kyoto Station.

Entrance is 2000 yen for adults, 1500 yen for high schoolers, 1000 for middle and elementary schoolers, and 600 yen for age 3 to elementary school.

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Umenomiya Shrine was originally built in Nara but was moved here after Kyoto became the capital. It is one of the top 22 shrines, so the imperial court made offerings here. It is famous for both sake making and childbirth, thanks to the four gods enshrined here. The story is that Saketokokono and Owakukuno had a child and she made sake in celebration of the birth of her son.

The stone in the shrine precints (Matage-ishi) is said to ensure a woman will someday bear children if she walks over it. An empress is said to have been unable to bear children until after walking over this stone. She was then was able to get pregnant and give birth to a baby boy!

Although the history and such is interesting, the shrine is most famous for its garden. 'Ume' means 'plum' in Japanese, and not surprisingly the garden has many plum trees that bloom in March. It's a nice strolling garden with a pond that travels around the back of the shrine through other blossoming trees and ends in a small bamboo grove.

The shrine grounds are free however, the garden costs 500 yen.

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The Baikasai is held every year at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine on February 25. It's a celebration of the plum blossoms which bloom in late February through March. Food stalls line the approach to the shrine to create a nice festive atmosphere but the reason to come to the Baikasai is to be served tea by maiko (apprentice geisha).

Many visitors come to Japan come to Kyoto with hopes of seeing them. Here at the Baikasai you will see many of them up close, and to be served tea by them among the plum blossoms makes it special. You can either sit in a chair and have them serve you or sit on the ground and they will serve you and walk around you as they serve the seated guests. Both offer a good chance to see the maiko.

To be served tea it costs 1500 yen. If you don't want tea you can observe for 1000 yen but if you do that you aren't allowed to sit down, so I really recommend paying the full price to get the full experience. It's pricey but worth it for those interested in maiko and the shrine itself is quite nice, too, and it's free to visit. You can purchase the tickets right at the shrine the day of the event, so no need to worry about reservations.

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Once just an ordinary inn, the Teradaya Inn became famous after an assassination attempt on the famous Sakamoto Ryoma. The inn was owned by the Satsuma Clan from Kagoshima who had formed an alliance with the Choshu and Tosa Clans to take down the shogunate. Some of their meetings were even held here. Sakamoto Ryoma, from Tosa (modern Kochi), stayed here often. One night (January 23, 1866) when he was staying here, troops sent by the shogun tried to ambush and kill him but he got away with the help of members of the Satsuma Clan and Oryo, his girlfriend who was bathing when she heard the invaders and ran upstairs naked to warn Ryoma.

Ryoma was injured but not killed. Afterwards, he and Oryo went to Satsuma so that he could rest and heal. This is romantically referred to as Japan's first honeymoon.

Today you can visit the inn. It's quite pretty inside, but of course the highlight is not in the architecture or furnishings: You can see the Plum Room (Ume no Ma) where Ryoma stayed along with katana marks and bullet marks in the wood from the battle. In the Plum Room is also a painting of Ryoma hung by the proprietor which was used as the model for the statue of Ryoma in Maruyama Park. It's an interesting place and definitely brings the history to life a little. (The bathing room of Oryo is not open to visitors.)

Entrance is 400 yen.

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The Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum is one of Japan's most famous historic sake breweries which was founded in 1637. It's located in the Fushimi area along the Horikawa River which they once used to ship the alcohol. It is considered to be one of Japan's top three historic sake breweries and the entire area is quite scenic with many historic buildings.

The museum is really nicely layed out and there are English explanations at each exhibit. The museum takes you through the traditional sake-making process and ends with exhibits of the Gekkeikan's history featuring artifacts and old ads for the brewery. Within the grounds there is also one of the area's springs where you can sample the famous "pure Fushimi water".

Entrance is 300 yen and comes with a small sample of Gekkeikan products. Before you exit, you can also have a sample of some of their alcohol. The plum wine is particularly good!

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The Fushimi area was once a major battleground in 1868 as part of the Bonin War in order to put an end to rule by the shogunate. The western domains of Choshu (present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture), Satsuma (Kagoshima Prefecture), and Tosa (Kochi Prefecture) had been gaining power and formed an alliance to fight against the shogunate. Although the domains were far away, each had a base/residence in the Fushimi area, so when the shogun (Norinobu) felt threatened, he decided to try and rid the capital of them by attacking their bases in Fushimi.

In the end, the shogun's forces were defeated and after many more battles outside this region the alliance successfully ended the shogun's rule and restored power to the emperor which ushered in the Meiji Period.

Today you can still see some sites related to the battles. The former house of the Tosa Domain's foundations have been preserved and the spots where the Choshu and Satsuma clans resided have small monument-like markers accompanied by some information. Just outside of Keihan Fushimi Momoyama Station you can also still see marks made by guns from the battles in the wood.

I would say for most travelers there is not enough left of these sites to warrant a trip here however, those with an interest in Japanese history (particularly modern Japan and the modernization of Japan) may find them interesting, and they are convenient for anyone visiting the Fushimi area. Plus, they compliment a trip to the sites related to Sakamoto Ryoma, who was a member of the Tosa Clan. They are also all free.