Backpackers Hostel in Gion, Kyoto: July 2012

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Enjoy Yasaka-jinja shrine (八坂神社, やさかじんじゃ)

The view from the gate way of Ysaka-jinja shrine (八坂神社, やさかじんじゃ) is a little bit tricky like this.

You can look down a busiest street of Kyoto from there. The name of that street is Shijo-dori street (四条通り, しじょうどおり). And that corner is almost center of Gion (祇園, ぎおん) area. In front of the gate way you will find Gion bus stop.

And almost all the time it’s so crowded. There are small sidewalks and so many people, travelers and local people. If a traffic light to go to Yasaka-jinja shrine from a front sidewalk changes, you have to cross a street to get to the orange gateway, pushing people and pushed by people, especially at a new year.

It’s also a cultural characteristic aspect of Japan!!
We enjoy that crowdedness!!

The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Eel rice bowl in a summer day

If you loss your vigor to do work or play, you should eat the eel rice bowl.

In Japan, we eat this cuisine before we are suffered from the tiredness from high temperature.

It looks tasty! On rice there is a grilled eel. That seasoning is, of course, soy sauce.

I've eaten it and got back the vigor!
Going out to enjoy this city, Kyoto is nice to walk in the hot summer!

The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Nishijin Textile Center

What's your image of Japan?

I think that one of your image should be kimono.
In Kyoto, there is a place where you can see a kimono fashion show.
The place is "Nishijin Textile Center"(20 mins from A-yado by bus)

When you go there, an elegant kimono fashion show which last 15 mins is held 7 times a day.
Also if you have advance reservations, you could be a model in a kimono fashion show.

It's nice place, isn't it?

When you come to Kyoto,you must go there.
It must be a good experience for you!!

The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

A rainy season has been finished

A rainy season of this year has been finished! Then we can go out without worrying about rain which continues in the whole of a day. But this beautiful flower has been finished too.

Yes, in the picture there are some hydrangea flowers. The pink and blue will come next year. It’s written in a book about hydrangea flowers that acidic substances of the soil are taken up and affect colors of those flowers. The pH is the most related to decide colors: pink, blue, red and purple.

If pH of the soil changes, you will find other colors of hydrangea flowers at the same place. It’s interesting!

The flowers died down for next year. See you for now! I’ll come back there next year!!

The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Our business card

We are staff of a hostel. So we have good knowledge about Kyoto, hospitality for every guest and our business cards in the following picture. What should that color be?

It's red!! In my opinion, Kyoto has some colors, and one of them is red. Because almost all shrine gateways are red or orange! You may find thousands of gateways of that colors.

In our business card, there are, of course, some information about us and a map around Gion, Kyoto. If you get lost, please show our business card, and ask where it is. People in Japan are, normally, so polite to show how to get to the place where you want to go.

No worries. No need to learn Japanese, because everybody can point something like a street on a map, and let you follow them!!

The backpackers hostel in Kyoto is located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access by buses and trains. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

The Minamiza Theater

Do you know Kabuki?

Kabuki is a popular traditional stage drama in Japan performed exclusively by men alnog with songs and music.

Here is the Minamiza theater which you can enjoy kabuki.

There were seven kabuki stages in the 17th century in Kyoto, but only the Minamiza theater remains to this day. so it's great historical value.

Please expose to traditional Japanese culuture in the Minamiza theater when you come to Kyoto.

The backpackers hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Monkeys in Arashiyama area again

We show monkeys in a monkey park in Arashiyama area. They are so cute. And during summer they look so lazy. We have the tendency not to like laziness rather than loving it. But looking at the following photo, I may love the laziness.

Well, they are So Cute!! Without doubt, they are lazy, but that kind of tendency is, sometimes, lovable.

O.K, I will go to that park again, and lay down besides them!
Hey, lovable monkeys, do NOT bite me!!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Moss in Sanzen-in temple

If you come to Kyoto, you have some options to begin your trip, feeling good, to visit a beautiful place. There's no need to visit to a building such as a main hall of a temple or shrine at first. How about this picture?

It looks unreal. Like coming out from a fantastic world, those trees and moss are being in a garden of Sanzen-in temple.

Cool, it's definitely Japanese! Enjoy everything, and don't miss small parts!

The backpackers hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Daruma　doll

Do you know this doll?

This is a Daruma doll which is a traditional Japanese wishing doll.
It helps us to achieve our dreams and aspirations.

Normally we buy it in the beginning of a new year.
And draw the left eye black while concentrating on your wish.
Then draw the another eye when the wish comes true.

It's interesting, isn't it?

Why don't you find Daruma doll for yourself or your family when you come to Japan?
They have several size and color.

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Arashiyama's monkey in a park

Hi, there. Is it so hot or too hot in your country? Well, the temperature today is a little bit low. 29 degrees centigrade at night now. Sometimes we want to take a rest to cool ourselves down because of that high temperature. Otherwise we may fall asleep like a monkey below.

It looks lazy. Yeah, we might be lazy. Summer is a kind of seasons which makes us lazy.

By the say, you can watch the monkeys at a monkey part in Arashiyama area of west Kyoto.
There are about 40 monkey in the park. Good for hiking, amazingly beautiful when you look down the scenery, and monkeys!!

Yeah, why not!?

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Imperial Palace

Kyoto is a old capital of Japan, and now Tokyo is the capital of this country. But there are so many things remained as a icon of a capital in the past of Kyoto.

One of them is that Imperial Palace located in a old center of Kyoto. Beside the palace there are a big river, and a old shrine which is a world heritage.

The imperial family of Japan is in Tokyo, and sometimes it returns to Kyoto for some events, such as a international meeting. They are so nice to everybody, when they go out by walking or a car. If somebody waves hand to them, they wave back!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Himeji Castel

I went to Himeji Castel last week.

Himeji Castel is one of the most famous castle and the UNESCO World Heritage site in Japan.

It is currently during restoration work.
But visitors can get in the castel and see the craftsmanship of Japanese castel out of the window.

I think it's worth going and seeing it for visitors.
It will be good experience.

Even if you have already seen it , try to go there after restoration work.
You will see new Hineji castel!!
I'll definetally go there again, too!!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Yasaka-jinja shrine

If you come to Gion area in Kyoto, the bus is a good way for the cheap fare from everywhere, for example, from JR Kyoto Station, a main station of Kyoto to access from another prefecture.

And when you get off a bus, you will find this orange shrine.

The name is Yasaka-jinja shrine (八坂神社, やさかじんじゃ), which is famous for a Gion Matsuri (祇園祭, ぎおんまつり), one of the Japanese traditional festivals.

It was built about 1400 years ago, but actually nobody knows. In old Japan imperials, generals and local people adored that shrine for a good harvest and sometimes protecting themselves from an epidemic.

Please just get off a bus at Gion bus stop.
Sure, it's a good start of your travel in Kyoto!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Ricksha in Kyoto

On a cobble stone street, a man in black and white clothes is standing in front of a ricksha(りきしゃ), which is a Japanese old way to transport for a travel or daily life.

Of course, if you ask and pay some money, you can ride on it. One ride with 2 people is alright.
Around our hostel, there are a lot of ricksha. Just watching them is also nice.

But I recommend you to ask them to let you ride on it.
Sometimes they go up a slope so powerfully, and go for a long way without getting tired.
They will do a great job, when you ride on!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Shinko Festival

Have you enjoyed Gion Festival?

After Gion Festival, there was another festival called Shinko Festival in the evening.

Shinko Festival is that the shrine deities are transported in three special portable shine from Yasaka Shrine to the Otabisyo(located on the Shijo Teramachi).

This Festival was filled with excitement same as Gion Festival.

Luckily, I and our guests could see it from the window of A-yado.

It was so nice!!!

Try to see it when you come to A-yado this season.

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Gion Festival

There are a lot of Japanese Matsuri taken place in summer. In Kyoto you can enjoy one of the biggest festival of Kyoto in this season, which called Gion Feistival.

In the festival traffic on streets will be stopped, and that big potable shrine will go along the streets. So many local people wearing yukata (Japanese traditional clothe) will drag them by ropes.

It's on 17th of July in every year!
Oh, oh, what's the date today?

It's on 16th!
Wow, this night, everybody enjoy a night part of Gion festival on streets nearby walking for 5 minutes from our hostel!

I want to go there!!X(
Hey our guests, Enjoy it! And please tell me about it later!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Teru-teru Bozu in a rainy season

We showed a kind of Japanese charm characters, whose name is Teru-teru Bozu(てるてるぼうず). In literal translation, it means "sunny sunny boy". Is it strange?

A rainy season in this year is almost finished. So that guy's finish the job for this season.

Then the sunny hot days will be for some months. And sometimes you will be suffered from a sudden shower in around sunset. That's a summer!!

I will go to a river or sea, or a pool! Surely, summer makes you heat up, but calming the heat, I am loving summer!!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Ponto-cho street, from Porutugese

This sing board is by Ponto-cho (先斗町, ぽんとちょう) street. It looks very old, and the wooden texture seems something artistic somehow. If you speak Portuguese, you understand the meaning of ponto. It means "point" in English. In old Japan, cultures of abroad, in this case, from Portugal came to Kyoto. And local people pleasantly accepted them, probably. That's why the street has Portuguese's name.

This city has a really old history. So in many cases we, people in Kyoto, don't understand that deepness. Living in Kyoto, we, sometimes, loss the feeling with which we live in a very old city.

Well, we have to learn!!
Let's go out, and enjoy Kyoto!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Ramen, one of popular noodles

I like sushi, tempura, sukiyaki, Japanese curry, and ramen in the following picture.

Yes, it looks really tasty!! The soup is oily, and the noodle has a good texture.
This ramen restaurant's name is "TENKA-IPPIN (天下一品, てんかいっぴん）".
Around our hostel there are 2 TENKA-IPPIN. Sometimes I go there for dinner. One of them is just nearby for 3 minutes by walking.

Japan has so many tasty foods. Try them!!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Saki is very tasty

Do you like drinking? And do you like saki, which is a sort of Japanese alcohol drinks.

The picture is a saki factory. Around the factory, there is so beautiful nature. It's located a country side. If you like saki, why don't you try to observe the inside of that factory. You can go inside and enjoy to know the mechanism to make saki.

And this is a can of saki. Wow, it looks so Japanese!
Enjoy saki, if you like it!!
And be careful about hangover.X(

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

JR pass for traveling in the whole of Japan

That picture is a Japan Rail Pass, as you see. It's called JR pass. You can use it for almost all bullet trains, which is shinkan-sen on the Japan Railways lines. With the pass, from Tokyo to Kyoto, it's free, for example.

It's published by Japan railways group. You can buy one in your country in the advance and get it when you arrived at Japan.

If you want to travel in the whole of Japan, it will save your money. Please check the information below!

http://www.japanrailpass.net/eng/en001.html
Japan Railways Group official web site

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Nara is also nice!

Our hostel is in Kyoto. That city has so many things worth seeing. Next to Kyoto, there is another old city. The name is Nara (奈良, なら). In also Nara, you will find so many nice things like the following picture.

Yeah, it's a NOTICE about deer in Nara. They may bite, kick, butt and know down, only if you behave too bad to it. They, normally, love people. And they are so cute and friendly!

Sometimes I go to Nara for one day trip. Of course, to meet deer!XD

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Water birds by Kamo River

Around our hostel, there is one big river, Kamo-River.

Kamo is one of the name of water bird's, it's a sort of ducks.

And, you can find kamo birds on the river side.

They look cute!! The gray one is she. The colorful one is he. Watching them for a while, taking some photos, I have come to love them:)

Then they flied away. Bye^^ Enjoy that beautiful sky!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

A temple in hydrangea season

Today it was raining, then hydrangea flowers were so beautiful.

Tomorrow it will be raining, then it's so lovely.

Rainy season is not so bad! I'm sure!!

If it's rainy, you can watch the rain drops on leaves. If it's sunny, you can go everywhere.

Yeah, the weather is fine. And this temple, Mimurodo-ji temple is so nice to visit.
Because of....

Those beautiful flowers!
O.K. Don't hate the rainy season. it's with a lot of nice things!

Oh, oh, but, it's finished within a few weeks.
That's also nice, because summer will have just come, then.

4 seasons in Japan, you will find this and that.
Enjoy them!!!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Present from France, the Eiffel tower

When you go to France and don't have enough time to explore for sight seeing everywhere, you have to choose a few great sight seeing spots, such as this tower everybody knows.

It has a so beautiful figure. I like that angle of pillars in the under part of the tower.

Well, I've never seen it. I've seen it just in a picture. I want to go to France to watch so many things! Until then, I must watch just this golden Eiffel tower with my longing.
Yes!! It's also so beautiful! Thank you for the good present!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Our guest gave us his college T-shirt

Our guest gave us a present.

It's nice T-shirt, isn't it?

This is a college T-shirt which the guest used to go.
He left it for the memorial of staying at A-yado.
Thank you!!
So now we put it on the wall at the reception.

Does anyone know where this college is?
People from USA might know this T-shirt.
Also if anyone graduated the same college, it might remind you your college life at A-yado.

If somebody would like to leave your college T-shirt at A-yado, please let us know.
We are collecting them!!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Our comment book

We have a comment book in our common room. Some of our guests write a comment in it. It makes up really happy!

Here is so nice one with colorful characters and also pictures.

You read the part in English. I'll translate the part in Japanese for you :)

"Thank you.
A-yado, the best!!
The smiles of staff are so nice and cute.
I'll come back here!!"

They said "Thank you very much".
No, No, that words are what we want to say!!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Present from Netherlands

Yes, it's a famous one from Netherlands.

When you go to that country, you will find the souvenir everywhere.
They, a girl and boy, look really happy and chummy. When I watched them, I hope that they will be grown up together, and will get along with each other together.

They make me nostalgic. Thank you for the good present!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Kyoto tower

This is Kyoto tower.
It's standing 131 meters tall just across Kyoto station.
Kyoto tower is the tallest building in Kyoto.

Do you know when the Kyoto tower was completed?
The answer is in 1964.
It's the same year as the opening of Shinkansen and the Tokyo olympics.
It's been the face of Kyoto station since then.

When you go to the top of the tower, you can enjoy the panorama view of the city.
Also, there is a public bath in the underground.

You should go there and see a beautiful Kyoto's view on the top of the tower.

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Beautiful rainy season

Here is a temple in Kyoto which is famous for hydrangea flowers.

The name is Mimurodo-ji temple(三室戸寺, みむろどじ）. I like the place, especially, in this rainy season in the first part of July, because of hydrangea flowers.

Right, they are so beautiful. I cannot express the whole of my feeling, when I watch them. Without needing to say anything, I'll be involved in a fascinating world, feeling that they are from a fantasia.

The photo is not enough for me!
O.K. I should go there!

The backpacker's hostel is in Kyoto, located in its historical district, Gion.
Good access with buses and train lines. The center of Kyoto.
Please contact us, if you want to book our hostel.

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