Kyoto Advice

[gehenna]

So, Ill be spending from Jun. 15 until July 19 in Kyoto as part of a language program with UC Riverside. Ill be staying in the I-House, which is near Kyoto Sangyo University. While my weekdays will be primarially filled with language instruction, on evenings and some weekends I'll have some time for exploration. I know Az and a few others are in the area, so if anyone has suggestions as to good places to eat near the I-house, or interesting things to do in the area I would really appreciate it.
I've read in a few travel guides that the weather is supposed to be pretty hot in the time I'll be visiting, but do the evenings cool off much? Given the constraints of luggage space, I'm trying to figure out whether or not it is a good idea to pack some slacks/jeans to wear out.
Does anybody have experience with the I House? Anything I should be aware of or expect? Any general suggestions for traveling to and living in the area would be awesome too.
Thanks

[mikem]

So, Ill be spending from Jun. 15 until July 19 in Kyoto as part of a language program with UC Riverside. [...] Anything I should be aware of or expect?

Rain. Lots of it. When it isn't raining expect miserable humidity and later, more rain.

[DoM of the South]

I was in Japan for the same sort of time period but only in Kyoto for a week. The heat is oppresive but manageable with many stops for aquarius (lemony isotonic sort of drink made by coca-cola). I visited all the local shrines etc and I remember one having a pretty nice flea market on a sunday (south of the station) which was worth a morning stroll. You might want to take at least one pair of jeans/trousers just because you never know where you might end up and what you would need to wear.

Head to the train station and orientate yourself from there. The whole central city is created in rows so it is quite easy to read a map and just count the roads as they match the map (sounds logical but in some cities, London for example, there are many off shooting small roads and lanes).

Enjoy yourself and hopefully you will meet people to go out with and suggest specific restaurants/things to do.

[Civilization Phrase III]

Nintendo HQ is in Kyoto if I'm not mistaken. YOU'RE SO LUCKY!

Could you tell me how far Kyoto is from Osaka? oO;

[mikem]

Nintendo HQ is in Kyoto if I'm not mistaken. YOU'RE SO LUCKY!


It's only the most dull, drab and boring building in the whole city.


Could you tell me how far Kyoto is from Osaka? oO;

Specifically from Kyoto Station to Osaka Station it is 27 minutes by train. So it mostly depends on where you want to go in Osaka really. (For example Shinsaibashi is almost 45 minutes.)

Trizzain Schedules (http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/norikae/e-norikeyin.html)

[seiji]

Specifically from Kyoto Station to Osaka Station it is 27 minutes by train.
Yeah, by Shinkansen, which is fine if you're a tourist with a JR rail pass following guidebook directions that all begin at Kyoto Station. On the Hankyu Line it's about 45 minutes from Saiin (Kyoto, near my apartment) to Umeda in Osaka, depending which train I get. 390 yen.

Where is the Nintendo building? I've seen one way out south on the way to Fushimi. Is that it?

[Vengro]

You don't have to take the shinkansen to get from Kyoto to Osaka. You don't even have to take it to get from Tokyo to Kansai, but it just makes the whole trip faster, although not more enjoyable if you end up riding with everyone else and their mother and have to stand for two hours...

But yeah. You can just take a regular train line. It shouldn't be that difficult.

[mikem]

Yeah, by Shinkansen, which is fine if you're a tourist with a JR rail pass following guidebook directions that all begin at Kyoto Station.

It's not just by Shinkansen. It really depends where you start and when you end up. At the place I stayed it was only about 35 minutes on an express.

He didn't really give us enough detail to give a better answer so I just through out what was easy to find.

[seiji]

You don't have to take the shinkansen to get from Kyoto to Osaka. You don't even have to take it to get from Tokyo to Kansai, but it just makes the whole trip faster, although not more enjoyable if you end up riding with everyone else and their mother and have to stand for two hours...
Been there, done that, bought a reserved seat for the return. :bang:

Sorry I can't help you with local eateries, gehenna, but you're waaay out north. But if you just bus yourself downtown, you won't have any trouble keeping entertained. Assuming you like temples and karaoke and beer, that is.

[Vengro]

Sorry I can't help you with local eateries, gehenna, but you're waaay out north. But if you just bus yourself downtown, you won't have any trouble keeping entertained. Assuming you like temples and karaoke and beer, that is.

And noodle shops. :yes:

[Fred]

1. Bring a hat.
2. Bring something warm to wear on the train and in class.
3. Visit Nijo palace and walk softly on the Nightingale floors.
4. Ryuanji is worth seeing.
5. Kinkakuji is not worth seeing, but you should see it anyay.
6. Ginkakuji is definitely worth seeing.
7. I liked Sihoji (aka kokedera), but mostly in the fall.

[Fred]

Excuse me, its Saihoji, not Sihoji

[Kyoushu]

Just an FYI, there's an edit button for a reason.

[羽之助]

Really? My friend went to see Ginkakuji and said it was very drab and boring, and showed me pictures - it may be different from seeing it in person, but it looked rather poorly maintained.

[japanat]

I like Kiyomizudera, it's so damn big, and just off the traditional shopping street.

[羽之助]

Come to Iwate! We have a copy of it! Please! We need the tourist money!

[Fred]

Hanenosuke: I tend to most enjoy the places that have a worn quality to them. I guess it is just a matter of preference. Certainly Ginkakuji is not as bright as Kinkakuji, but I find it much more peaceful.

[gehenna]

Thanks for the suggestions! On the weekends, other than when we go to biwa-ko, Ill have all day bus passes, so ill be able to check out the more central areas of kyoto. My rough guide for Japan says that that most public transportation stops at around eleven. Aside from a taxi, is there any other way to get around after that?

[Vengro]

Walk, bicycle or skateboard. Most of Japan closes at around 11.

[seiji]

Except karaoke.

Trains usually run till about midnight, but if you're out later than that you'd better have a friend or three to split the cab fare. Oh, and do not barf anywhere within the general vicinity of a Japanese taxi. Just trust me.

[japanat]

Except karaoke.

Trains usually run till about midnight, but if you're out later than that you'd better have a friend or three to split the cab fare. Oh, and do not barf anywhere within the general vicinity of a Japanese taxi. Just trust me.

But barf EVERYWHERE else, and you'll just blend in. I live 25m from a busy station, and going to the conv. store at night is like walking a slippery minefield. I guess that's the one nice thing about the visibility of undigested ramen....

[羽之助]

I heard from someone (coughcough) that if you throw up IN the taxi they will charge you an extra 2000 yen.

If you stay out late and are not drunk, or at least not drunk enough to fall off a bike, bolt cutters to snip the locks of all those free bicycles might be a good idea :stirthepo Or invest in a folding bike that you can take on trains. I wish I had done that during my last foray into Godzillaville.

[seiji]

I heard from someone (coughcough) that if you throw up IN the taxi they will charge you an extra 2000 yen.
I guess we got the wrong taxi company. My friend calmly rolled down the window (he was sitting in front) and threw up outside the cab. Of course, the cab was moving, so it kind of splattered all over the doors. And reeked of alcohol. The driver handed him a handkerchief to wipe his mouth.
When we got home and the barf friend got out, the driver turned to us girls (my friend tipsy, me sober) and told us the fare, which must have been around 1600. We paid that. He then exploded into the most ferocious rant I have ever heard from a Japanese man about how it was going to take him three hours to clear out the smell and we'd just cost him the rest of the night's business and what the hell are we gonna do to make it up to him, huh? We asked how much he wanted. He said 10,000. We were so terrified we gave it to him.
When barf boy and his countryman (who had already thrown up all over the club, prompting us to put them in a cab in the first place) regained consciousness, they split the 10,000 between them. Including the actual fare, that's over $50 each for a ride from Keihan Marutamachi to Hankyuu Saiin.
I can't imagine what that driver would have done to us if he'd thrown up IN the cab.

Edit: As long as I'm here, I might as well tell my other evil taxi stories.
This happened to my friend (the tipsy one from the above story) while her family was visiting. Their hotel was at the east end of Sanjo-dori, which happened to be under extensive construction as they were riding home from a temple one day. Traffic was slow. So slow, apparently, that the cabbie suffered a massive lapse of professionalism, prompting him to mutter "the bus is faster than this," pull over at the next bus stop, and dump all four foreigners on the sidewalk.

Not quite as evil, but thoroughly inconvenient; I have now taken MK Airport Shuttle service twice from Osaka to my apartment, and both times the driver has had to ask me directions to the address I provided when requesting the service. The second time was fine, since I actually knew where I was going. The first time, however, I'd been awake for about 28 hours straight, spent over half of that time on three different planes, dragged 70kg of luggage through four different airports, and paid 2000 yen to get from Itami to the apartment where I could go to sleep.
driver: "Excuse me, but the map they gave me is faded out in the area where I'm supposed to take you. Do you know how to get there?"
me: "I've never been to Japan in my life."
He had to call headquarters and get verbal directions to my building.
Keep in mind this service is specially targeted to non-Japanese-speaking tourists, and my driver spoke only Japanese.
Also, somewhere along that ride (which included a transfer from shuttle to cab) I lost the wallet containing 90,000 yen and my passport.
Should that be in the Japan Rant thread?

[gehenna]

Well, I've been in Kyoto for a bit over a week and its been interesting. I've discovered that Kyoto sandai is in the extreme north of the area, so none of my guide books really cover the area. Anybody had any good luck with food in the vicinity of KSU or the KSU international house?
Also, a group of us are planning on on going to a beer garden this friday evening, does anybody have any suggestions for good ones? Ideally it would be in the vicinity of Shijo Station, but we can go to downtown kyoto should need be.

a bit random, but does anyone know if the absinthe served at hub (pernod) is the real stuff, or like the pernod in the states?

[mikem]

a bit random, but does anyone know if the absinthe served at hub (pernod) is the real stuff, or like the pernod in the states?

Not so random. I wondered the same thing.

From The Absinthe FAQ (http://www.hbd.org/brewery/library/absfaq.html):
"Pernod is basically absinthe without the wormwood."

Edit:

On the other hand according to this website it has the legal (EU) limit:
http://www.absinthe.jp/drink-absinthe.htm

So ... who knows?