We left our hotel in Seoul at 5:15am on the airport shuttle and flew out of Incheon Airport at 8am. We landed in Tokyo around 10:15am. After getting our Japan Rail passes (discounted passes for foreigners travelers in Japan) and riding on two different trains, we arrived in Kyoto at around 3:30pm. Kyoto is the former imperial capital of Japan and is great place to experience traditional Japanese traditions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto). After arriving, we checked into our ryokan (Japanese style inn http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2029.html) right away. The ryokan had amazing, friendly staff, and we were given green tea and biscuits when we arrived. Very delicious and welcoming. We were shown our beds (mats on the floor), where the pubic bath was, and given Japanese style robes and taught how to tie them (I think they are called "yukata" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukata). We asked the staff for recommendations on where to eat kaiseki-ryori (traditional multi-course haute cuisine http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2348.html). We were told about a place called Kodaiji Doi and the staff said they would call a taxi for us later that night. Before dinner, we walked around the area for a little while. Our ryokan was right next to the Kyoto Tower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Tower) and many temples and gardens. It was also interesting to see all the bikes/bikers in Kyoto. They were all over the place! At 6:30pm, we were picked up by our taxi and we were taken to Kodaiji Doi. I noticed that the taxi drivers where suits in Kyoto. When we arrived at Kodaiji Doi, a women dressed in a kimono arrived and greeted us warmly. She led us upstairs to the restaurant. We were the only ones there so she gave us her entire attention. The view from the restaurant was amazing…you could see a temple and there was a fountain near the window that had running water. The meal was nine courses long. It started with tea with a red olive and something else (not quite sure) and ended with dessert (custard, melon, strawberry). Some of the dishes included sashimi, tempura, oysters, crab soup, Kyoto radish, wasabi radish, and Japanese lobster. Our server only spoke a little English, so she wasn’t able to explain all the dishes. We were also served warm sake and tea. Kaiseki-ryori is described as elegant and elaborate…and it was exactly that. Every dish was both beautiful and delicious. After the amazing dinner, Abby and I went to the public bath area at the ryokan to relax and soak in the hotel water.
Japanese style robes and towels provided by the ryokan
Green tea and biscuits given to us when we arrived
Our room, shoes were taken off at the front door and kept in a closet
Kyoto Tower
Dressed up for dinner
Kaiseki-ryori course