Kyoto Days 10, 11 & 12 - Enryakuji

On Saturday, we had a pretty low key day (we must have. I have no photographic evidence of what we did that day). But I do have photos from the afternoon, however, and it appears that Ryan and I met the boys in town for lunch. ;-) Because we were all late getting to town, and we were all hungry, I suggested we try Japan's McDonalds-eque competition- Mos Burger.

Not only does the food take a lot longer (as it's fresher, made to order), but it also cost me $50 for the four of us. And for that higher than expected price, my meal was far from delicious. The boys were happy though, and that's all that matters. After we ate they wanted to cruise town themselves, so I went off on a mission to try and find Ryan a yukata.

More floats being readied for the upcoming parade, lining the main streets of town.

Mos Burger costs the mos. I won't be back.

This temple looked like something out of a Southeast Asian temple...not Japan. But I loved it! It's hard to see, but there are little stone tablets set in tiers.

This little guy was getting photographed at Gion Matsuri, dressed in his finest kimono...couldn't resist a snap for Ryan, who would have loved to see it himself!

Later that evening, the boys met up with Mika, and ate udon at one of their favorite restaurants in town near their dental clinic. I excitedly met up with them there, after *FINALLY* finding ONE single store that A) Had a yukata in Ryan's size. And B) That the one single yukata in his size happened to be his ideal color of 'black' with no pattern!!! V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! Seriously, NO other store I went to (about 15ish?) had a single yukata that would fit him, and the only one that did...was in a fabric he specified as acceptable! I was so giddy I practically ran to find him at the udon shop so I could take him back to the store and make sure it would fit him. We also splurged a bit on a new obi for him, but the happiness on his face made it all so worth it! We'd gambled and bought a set of black wooden geta slippers a day earlier in Arashiyama, so this completed his desired outfit.

I had thought he was outgrowing his interest in a yukata a few years ago, so he surprised me by expressing an interest in getting another one (he's had two other ones). In fact, a few months prior, I'd asked him a few times if I should order him another one from Japan, and he'd declined. To ensure it wasn't just a whim or an impulse buy, I reminded him that IF we found one, I'd hoped he'd wear it more than once or twice before he outgrew it, as each outfit tends to cost about $80+ when you factor in the yukata, the obi (belt) and the geta (wooden slippers). So far, he's worn it twice...so I'm at only $40 per outing so far!!! :-D

Yep. He loved it. He asked to try it on the moment we got back to our apartment. The yukata is actually 3 inches longer (by our design, so it lasts longer than a year), but I quickly hemmed it with our emergency travel kit to fit him.  

On Sunday, our final weekend day before our trip ended, I told Ryan we had to get out of town and do something fun. I researched day trips the night prior, and decided on Enryakuji. It was only an hour or so away by express train, it had a scenic tram, and it was a higher elevation...which meant cooler temps. Those factors combined with the scenic temples to explore at the top sounded pretty alluring, so off we went! From Tanbaguchi, we caught a local train to Kyoto Station, then transferred to a train to Shiga/Biwako area that took about an hour.

The walk from the station up to the temple is a little over a half mile, by my estimate. In the baking 95-100 degree heat, this was pretty unbearable. We were both drenched by the time we got to the station.

Thankfully, the walk became shaded after awhile, and more scenic.

The cable car was a single car that seats perhaps 50 people, and cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $8-9 each way, per person. The journey up was a tad anticlimactic, but definitely scenic! We were the first ones on the train and picked our seats.

The massive body of water below is actually a lake (Biwa).

Once we exited the station at the top, we walked about a third of a mile over to the heart of the temples/shrines. Though it was indeed cooler at the top of the mountain, it was perhaps 3-5 degrees cooler. So perhaps 92? I don't know...I was sorely disappointed though, as I'd promised Ryan a refreshing, cooler walk in the forest.

The highlight of our temple walk was definitely the ringing of a temple bell. I've always seen large temple bells, but I've never been able to ring one before, so it was a thrill, and we queued in line twice to be able to do it again!

The gong was so loud that you could hear it at the station quite a distance away (just under a half mile).

We spent a few hours exploring the other temples and shrines in the area, buying bottle after bottle of water to re-hydrate ourselves, and had a picnic at a scenic lookout of musubi together.

My sweet patient son had had enough after temple three or four, but he gamely hung in there for a few hours despite *gasp* there being zero wifi up there. The audacity. Monks are jerks!

After we caught the tram back down, we managed to get some great shots in and outside the scenic tram.

It was one of those days to remember forever. Not because we had a lot of fun (it was just too hot to say it was enjoyable, and I don't think temple hopping is most 10-year old's idea of 'fun'). But we managed to go sightseeing, on our own, to a place we'd never been before, on a gorgeous, historic and fascinating tram (it still goes up and down by a pulley/cable system). I was proud and relieved we'd managed to do it without getting lost, and that we'd accomplished something on our own. I'll never forget ringing that temple bell with my son, or eating musubi under a tree together overlooking Lake Biwako.