It was now day 2 of my 3 day vacation in Kyoto. I was still tired from the previous day (the sound of late night sirens in the streets didn’t help the matter), but I knew I couldn’t just stay in my hotel all day. I went outside and sought to fulfill my first priority of every morning: coffee. Luckily, there was a Caffé Veloce nearby. I ordered my coffee and took a seat near the window.  From here I had a nice view of Kyoto Tower, where I had just been the previous night. After traveling so much the day before, it was nice to slow things down. A little coffee, a little people watching. It was quite pleasant.  As I enjoyed my time in the café, I tried to work out a plan of action for the day. I decided to start with Nijo Castle 二条城 and figure out my next step from there.

The train to Nijo Castle was pretty quick, so I didn’t have to wait too long. Purchasing an entry ticket was also fast, as they had a few ticket machines stationed outside the grounds. No sooner did I pass through the main gate did  I notice people were taking out their umbrellas and shielding themselves from the falling snow (I can’t seem to get a break when it comes to the weather).

The architecture of Nijo Castle was nice, comprising of old Japanese style buildings, bridges, moats, etc. There was actually a lot more to explore than I initially anticipated. There’s even a set of stair you can walk up to get a pretty good view of the entire grounds. Much like other areas of Kyoto there are plenty of ancient buildings and nature to admire here.

Afterwards, I decided I wanted to just walk around Kyoto, without a real plan in mind. Setting a destination and seeing famous sights is good (and I do enjoy that), but it’s also nice to simply walk around and get lost every now and then. I walked up one street, and took turns when I pleased. Sometimes I’d see a shrine that looked interesting (which Kyoto is FULL of), or I wanted to cross an overpass bridge to see the cars pass by. I would have visited the Kyoto National Museum had it not been closed that day, but I wouldn’t have though to go there if I hadn’t passed by it during my walk. I even passed by a cool shop that specialized in complex origami crafting. After I had my fill I retired to my hotel room for the night.

On the third day I was even more exhausted than the second day. However, I had to check out of my hotel, meaning that not only could I not rest, but I was left to figure out what to do with my luggage. I went to Kyoto station to seek out a locker, but finding one was a lot more difficult than I imagined. Depending on the area and the time of year, it seems that most of the lockers will be occupied. Even if a locker is empty, it is sometimes one of the smaller sizes, which doesn’t work out too well if you’re lugging around a larger bag (I’d say mine was about ‘carry on size’). After about 15 minutes of searching I was able to secure a locker for 700 yen. Now I was free to go to my next destination…wherever that was.

I decided to take a walk in one direction and grab a coffee from a local vending machine when I noticed a sign indicating the direction to Toji Temple 東寺. I figured since I didn’t have any real plan at the moment it was as good a destination as any. It took about 15 -20 minutes to reach the temple, and I knew I was going the right direction since the large pagoda isn’t exactly discrete amongst more modern looking city buildings.

The temple grounds looked a lot less grand compared to other areas in Kyoto I had visited in the last few days (compared to places such as Fushimi Inari Shrine and Nijo Castle). Toji seemed a lot more humble in comparison. However, that did not take away from my enjoyment of it. Though it seemed more simple, the grounds were still sizable, and there was a nice koi pond nearby that went nicely with the surroundings. The pagoda I had seen from the street was now closer,  and it turned out to be much larger than I thought. Standing at five stories, it is (apparently) the largest wooden pagoda in Japan. Getting a good ‘selfie’ with it proved to be problematic, as I had to stand a fair distance away just to get it in view. After exploring the rest of the area, I decided to head back towards Kyoto Station, since I’d have to be nearby for when my bus was ready to leave.

On my way back to Kyoto station I explored a bit more, finding things like an arcade and what appeared to be a foreign hobby shop (proudly displaying the American flag). I decided I wanted to spend some time exploring Kyoto station itself, since I hadn’t had the chance in the last couple days. This is where I would spend the remainder of my time in Kyoto, as there is a lot to be seen in the station. There are a number of different shops and areas to see. There are also lots of restaurants and cafés, not only offering Japanese food, but many international as well, such as Italian, Korean, and French.

At the top of the station is the Kyoto Sky Garden, which offers not only some nice foliage to look at, but also a great view of the city itself. From here I noticed the blend of traditional and modern Kyoto. Some parts seemed like any other city in the world (tall office buildings), but there are shrines and pagodas scattered all around which adds a unique flavor to the view.

Aside from the larger attractions in the station, there are also smaller things to be enjoyed, like a waterfall that can display different kanji and other images, a lego replica of the station itself, or interesting statues scattered around the area. It’s a place that easily entertained me up until I had to leave for my return bus. Eventually I retrieved my luggage from my locker and headed towards my bus back to Shinjuku.

As I boarded my bus back, I looked at the city that I had the pleasure to explore for the past few days. It was a great experience, one that I had looked forward to most of my life. Now that I had completed this goal, I was a bit saddened to be leaving. I feel I will revisit Kyoto, though. There are still plenty of other areas I could explore, and I think there is a good energy in the atmosphere. Kyoto was very kind to me, and I look forward to my next visit!