Kyoto Shopping Haul-part 2

 Back to the rest of our Japan trip number 2.

Above: notepad, stickers and mobile phone sticker, all from Kyoto station.

Nail varnish, purfume and cute chirimen rabbit, all from Kyoto station again.

Paper tray made from washi.

 

 Laquered box

 Very scary ninja doll

This adorable doll comes from the Kyoto Handicraft Centre. I met the lady who makes all the dolls there. Imagine being a doll maker for a living! I would love it.  How sweet is her face?  And those paper cranes are teeny tiny.

and here is my biggest purchase of the trip - a divine bride doll. She is quite big; 42 cm tall. I purchased her from Kyoto Station.

the detail in her clothing is amazing

I love everything about her. This is one doll I have always wanted and I'm so happy I was lucky enough to find one.

To summarise my thought on Kyoto:

Accommodation- Although I did enjoy the hospitality of the backpackers inn, I feel I am too old to stay in one, mainly as we slept on the hard floor and I was very sick at the time. If you want to save money for other things, then backpackers is a good option. I however, would prefer to pay extra and stay in a hotel, especially with four people sharing one room. Also, it is much more convenient to stay close to Kyoto station for ease of using public transport.  Our backpackers was just a bit to far away from the action and carrying all our luggage to and from the train station was also another issue. (We should have used a taxi)

Souvenir shopping - You can find almost everything you wish to buy at the shops leading to all the temples and shrines. Kyoto station is also a fantastic place to buy your souvenirs, and so convenient too. Downtown Kyoto has many large department stores and the Teramachi area has some interesting indie shops.

Transport - The train system is not as extensive as Tokyo's of course. My tip is to catch the train as far as you can go and then use taxis. We ended up using alot of taxis as it was more economical than paying for four train and bus tickets. I estimate that taxi fares are about the same as in Australia.

Eating - Food and drinks are easy to find wherever you go in Kyoto, and very good too. Kyoto is reknown for it's haute cuisine, but we didn't have time to seek out these eateries. There are plenty of konbini too if you want a quick snack.

Two days in Kyoto is not nearly enough time to see everything, when you consider the sheer amount of historical landmarks.  Do some research and prioritise the places you reaaly want to see. I had so many places on my itinerary that we didn't visit due to time constraints. They were: bead shops, Morita Washi, Nishijin Textile Centre, Idola, Cocon Karasuma, Le Passage, Tanaka, Linnet, Keibunsha, Daimaru, Shin-Puh-Kan... the list goes on and on. Until my next trip to Kyoto...

I love Kyoto !