Oh Japan 2 - Kyoto

Kyoto … a two hour journey from Tokyo on the Shinkansen (bullet train) was beautiful. Less hectic than Tokyo and steeped in history, The original Imperial capital. However, I’m presenting today one of my favourite pictures from the trip.

We arrived in Kyoto early in the evening and after settling into our hotel and taking advantage of the traditional Japanese hot bathing facilities at the hotel we ventured out for some dinner in the old town. Walking back toward our hotel after unsuccessfully trying to find some nightlife … the place we were recommended was closed(!) … we came across these cavernous markets the Nishiki Market (錦市場, Nishiki Ichiba). They stretch across five blocks and at midnight when we came across them they were largely deserted. We could then only imagine what they must look like during daylight trading hours … which we did upon visiting them the very next day 🙂

This place was huge and we walked the length of this particular covered street.

During the day we sampled local foods in the Nishiki food market … like the picture above but packed with food shops. I sampled this delicious grilled octopus on a stick … the head had been stuffed with a quail egg and it was utterly delicious … would you try one?