Kyoto tales: Converted ryokan, Kinse Inn was a real winner

By Melissa Masatani, Staff Writer

Easily my favorite part of Kyoto was the lodging. As five adult travelers in a land where even the more luxurious hotels rarely accommodate more than two people per room, I turned to AirBnB to find a hotel-substitute — and it delivered.

There were modern apartments, traditional homes and even shared rooms to choose from for all different types of travelers.

For my group, the Kinse Inn was a clear winner. The converted ryokan, or traditional Japanese inn, is run by a descendant of one of the original owners as a bar/restaurant on the ground floor with a restored and updated second floor, where we stayed.

It was fascinating to see the tatami rooms with paper doors, sleep on a Japanese futon and test out the traditional bathtub and shower room.

The hosts, young married couple Kojiro and Seanacey, met while Kojiro was studying in the U.S., so they were able to provide a detailed history of the 250-year-old building and neighborhood — in English.

While I only stayed in Kyoto for 36 hours, it would be worth a return trip to catch some of the sights I missed, like Gion, known for its geisha tradition and teahouses, or the Imperial Palace, which requires reservations made months in advance.

But Kyoto’s true charm lies in its ability to blend history with modern comforts, making even a simple walk through its neighborhoods an educational adventure.

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Kyoto tales: City travel is simple and efficient, buy a bus pass

By Melissa Masatani, Staff Writer

Travel within Kyoto is relatively simple, with an efficient and reliable bus system that will get you to almost every major site.

Independent travelers can easily coordinate their own sightseeing schedules with a Kyoto city bus travel map, “Bus Navi,” available in English at the Kyoto Tourism Information Office in the Kyoto Station.

A one-day bus pass is 500 yen (depending on the day’s exchange rate, $4.92), which will pay for itself on your third 220-yen ($2.16) bus ride. Most bus drivers, even if they don’t speak English, know the tourist spots and will play a pre-recorded announcement in English before a popular stop.

A one- and two-day sightseeing pass offers fare for all city buses and subway trains at 1,200 yen ($11.81) for one day, 2,000 ($19.68) yen for two days, for the more ambitious adventurer.

A limited Japan Rail train system is available for Americans using the JR Pass, though it pales in comparison to Tokyo’s rail lines. Taxis also are abundant, but more costly and usually require some knowledge of Japanese.

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Kyoto tales: Torii gates take your breath away, inari are yum

By Melissa Masatani, Staff Writer

Another of Kyoto’s most photographed sites is the Fushimi-Inari Taisha, a shrine dedicated to the god of rice and sake. While the buildings are impressive, it’s the torii gates that take your breath away.

Visitors can walk to the top of the mountain through thousands of vermilion red-orange post-and-lintel gates, each one sponsored — and replaced every decade — by companies looking for success in business.

While I didn’t make it to the top, which is supposed to have spectacular views of the city, I definitely recommend stopping at several of the food vendors and trying the inari, or “footballs” as I call them.

Inari are fried tofu pockets filled with rice and, while some sushi restaurants offer them in the U.S., I have not found any that compare to the way my grandmother made them, and how they make them in Kyoto every day. It was a real treat.

On our way back to central Kyoto, we hopped off the bus near the Kyoto National Museum and were one of the last visitors of the day at the impressive Sanjusangendo.

A Buddhist temple, it houses more than 1,000 statues of the Buddhist goddess of mercy, Kannon, each one different and all of them sculpted more than 800 years ago.

Visitors are required to remove their shoes and photographs are forbidden inside the hall. The grounds are beautifully peaceful despite the busy streets and commuting crowds outside the temple walls.

Fushimi-Inari Taisha and Sanjusangendo are along Kyoto’s eastern border, making both of those sites easily visited in one day.

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