We are almost halfway through our Japanese trip. For our fourth day we decided to shift our headquarters from Tokyo to Kyoto. Again I am super happy about our accomodation through Airbnb, to have a discount click here, and to have a look at the Sakizo villa were we were staying at, click here. I can not even tell you how much I recommend this place: central, they offer free bicycles and free portable wifi.
Anyway, let's begin with our day four. You take a free train Shinkansen, if you have the JRPass (check Japan day 3), that brings you from Tokyo to Kyoto in a couple of hours. The Shinkansen trains are the most comfortable trains I have ever travelled with. You can turn the sits backwards if the train changes direction, you have a ton of space for your legs and you travel fast. On the way to Kyoto, check the windows on the right, cause you will spot mount Fuji!
Siamo quasi a metà del nostro viaggio giapponese. Per il nostro quarto giorno abbiamo deciso di spostare la nostra base da Tokyo a Kyoto. Di nuovo, sono rimasta super soddisfatta della nostra sistemazione tramite Airbnb, per avere uno sconto cliccate qui e per dare un'occhiata alla villa Sakizo dove alloggiavamo, cliccate qui; centrale, offrono biciclette gratuite e wifi portatile gratuito.
Ma cominciamo con il nostro quarto giorno. Avete la possibilità di prendere un treno gratuito Shinkansen con il JRPass (date un'occhiata al giorno 3 per maggiori informazioni) che porta da Tokyo a Kyoto in un paio d'ore. I treni Shinkansen sono i treni più comodi con cui io abbia mai viaggiato. Si possono girare le sedute al contrario se il treno cambia direzione, c'é un sacco di spazio per le gambe e si viaggia veloce. Durante il tragitto, date un'occhiata ai finestrini sulla destra, perché potete scorgere il monte Fuji!



When we arrived in Kyoto, the first thing that we visited has been the Heian Shrine. I suggest you to visit it only if your accomodation is nearby, like ours, otherwise spare your time for other temples, because in Kyoto there are so many, that you must be focused on the main ones.
Anyway, we really enjoyed this shrine as well. In Kyoto you will see a lot of tοurists dressed in traditional Japanese clothes and you will find in general a more relaxed atmosphere, in respect of Tokyo.
Giunti ​​a Kyoto, la prima cosa che abbiamo visitato è stato il Santuario di Heian. Consiglio di visitarlo solo se il vostro alloggio si trova vicino, come nel nostro caso, altrimenti risparmiate tempo per altri templi, perché a Kyoto ce ne sono così tanti, che bisogna concentrarsi su quelli principali.
Comunque, abbiamo apprezzato molto anche questo santuario. A Kyoto vedrete un sacco di turisti vestiti con abiti tradizionali giapponesi e troverete in generale un'atmosfera più rilassata, rispetto a quella di Tokyo.


















Kyoto is really incredible with all the rivers, especially during the evening the atmosphere is really magical. You can often find group of people that are gathered along the banks at night, chatting, singing or playing.
Our evening kept going on with the dinner at Asuka, it was next to our airbnb and I definitely suggest it!!!! You will try the experience of eating on the floor(tatami) barefooted!
After it, we headed to the quarter of Pontocho, that I looooooved! A SUPER narrow street with resturants on both sides, so I advise you, don't do our mistake! Don't go there by bike.
Pontocho has been, after seeing Mount Fuji from Mount Takao, my second exciting moment of the trip. Infact you can still spot some of the 300 Geisha (Maiko) of Kyoto, and at the end of the road we spotted two of them!!!!!
Kyoto è davvero incredibile con tutti i suoi fiumi, soprattutto di sera l'atmosfera è davvero magica. Spesso potete scorgere gruppi di persone che si radunano lungo le sponde dei fiumi, chiacchierando, cantando o suonando.
La nostra serata è continuata con la cena all'Asuka, accanto al nostro airbnb e lo consiglio vivamente!!!! Vivrete l'esperienza di mangiare scalzi seduti per terra (tatami)!
Dopo di ciò, ci siamo diretti al quartiere di Pontocho, che ho amato incredibilmente! Si tratta di una stradina stretta stretta, con ristoranti su entrambi i lati, quindi vi do un consiglio, non seguite il nostro esempio, non andateci in bici.
Pontocho è stato, dopo aver visto il Monte Fuji dal Monte Takao, il mio secondo momento più emozionante del viaggio. Infatti si possono ancora incontrare alcune delle 300 geishe (Maiko) di Kyoto, e alla fine della strada ne abbiamo scorte ben due!!!!!
Το Κιότο είναι πραγματικά απίστευτο με όλα τα ποτάμια, ειδικά το βράδυ η ατμόσφαιρα είναι μαγευτική. Μπορείτε συχνά να βρείτε ανθρώπους που συγκεντρώνονται κατά μήκος των όχθων των ποταμών, κουβεντιάζοντας, τραγουδώντας ή παίζοντας.
Η βραδιά μας συνεχίστηκε με το δείπνο στο Asuka, δίπλα στο airbnb, σίγουρα θα το πρότεινα !!!! Θα ζήσετε την εμπειρία να τρώτε ξυπόλητοι καθισμένοι στο παραδοσιακό tatami!
Μετά από αυτό, κατευθυνθήκαμε προς την περιοχή του Pontocho, που μου άρεσε τόσο πολύ! Ένας στενός στενός δρόμος με εστιατόρια και στις δύο πλευρές, γι 'αυτό σας συμβουλεύω, μην κάνετε το λάθος μας και πάτε εκεί με ποδήλατο!
Το Pontocho, μετά το Όρος Fuji που είδαμε από το όρος Takao, ήταν η δεύτερη πιο συναρπαστική στιγμή του ταξιδιού μου. Στην πραγματικότητα μπορείτε ακόμα να εντοπίσετε μερικές από τις 300 Γκέισες (Μάικο) του Κιότο, και στο τέλος του δρόμου και εμείς εντοπίσαμε δύο από αυτές !!!!!

After a few minutes of walking, you have three choices to reach the top of Mount Takao, that's why I think that it is the perfect trip for anyone. The first choice is to hike, the second is to get the cable train, that with the 31° is the steepest train of Japan, and the third choice is the chair lift. We decided to go up with the chair lift and get down with the cable train. The experience of the chair lift has been amazing, it was so quiet and you float just one meter above the ground through tall trees, it has been like flying.
Μετά από λίγο περπάτημα, έχετε τρεις επιλογές για να φτάσετε στην κορυφή του Mount Takao, γι 'αυτό πιστεύω ότι είναι το τέλειο ταξίδι για οποιονδήποτε. Η πρώτη επιλογή είναι η πεζοπορία, η δεύτερη είναι ο οδοντωτός, ο οποίο με τις 31 ° είναι το πιο απότομο τρένο της Ιαπωνίας, και η τρίτη επιλογή είναι οι καρέκλες τύπου τελεφερίκ. Αποφασίσαμε να ανεβούμε με τις καρέκλες και να κατεβούμε με τον οδοντωτό. Η εμπειρία τις καρέκλες ήταν εκπληκτική, ήταν τόσο ήσυχα και επιπλέβαμε μόvo ένα μέτρο από το έδαφος αναμέσα από ψηλά δέντρα, ήταν σαν να πετούσαμε.






From where the chair lift leaves you, till the top of Mount Takao you must walk around 2 km. In Mount Takao we understood why Pokemon exist. You will see a bunch of super strange animals, like this caterpillar of the picture, or the flying squirrels (unfortunately I didn't see those) or really big and beautiful black butterflies (I saw one, but I didn't have time to capture it) or even wild monkeys. Along the way you will find many panoramic spots where you can enjoy the incredible view from above.
Da dove vi lascia la seggiovia, fino alla cima del Monte Takao dovete camminare per circa 2 km. Qui al Monte Takao abbimo capito da dove vengono i Pokemon. Vedrete un sacco di animali stranissimi, come questo bruco in foto, o scoiattoli volanti (che purtroppo non ho visto) o bellissime farfalle nere giganti (ne ho vista una, ma non ho avuto il tempo di immortalarla) o persino scimmie selvatiche. Lungo la strada incontrerete molti punti panoramici da cui poter godere dell'incredibile vista dall'alto.
Από εκεί που σας αφήνουν οι καρέκλες, μέχρι την κορυφή του Mount Takao πρέπει να περπατήσετε περίπου 2 χλμ. Εδώ καταλάβαμε γιατί υπάρχουν τα Pokemon. Θα δείτε πολλά παράξενα ζώα, όπως αυτή τη κάμπια στην φωτογραφία, ή ιπτάμενους σκίουρους (δυστυχώς δεν τα είδα) ή τεράστιες όμορφες μαύρες πεταλούδες (είδα μία αλλά δεν είχα χρόνο να την τραβήξω) ή ακόμα και άγριους πιθήκους. Κατά μήκος του δρόμου θα απολαύσετε και πολλά σημεία με καταπληκτική θέα.




 
If you can't see wild monkeys, you can pay a cheap ticket to see a sort of super small monkey-zoo, if you don't have children I wouldn't suggest it, even if we were lucky enough to see a show kept by a zookeeper.
Se non riuscite a vedere le scimmie selvatiche, potete pagare un biglietto abbastanza economico per vedere una specie di piccolo zoo per scimmie, se non avete bambini a seguito, non lo consiglierei, anche se siamo stati abbastanza fortunati da vedere una spettacolo tenuto da un guardiano dello zoo.
Αν δεν μπορείτε να δείτε άγριους πιθήκους, μπορείτε να πληρώσετε ένα αρκετά οικονομικό εισιτήριο για να μπείτε σε ένα μικρό ζωολογικό κήπο με μαϊμούδες, αν και αν δεν έχετε παιδιά δεν θα το προτείνα, ακόμα κι αν ήμασταν αρκετά τυχεροί για να δούμε ένα show.







In the path that we chose, the Trail 1, there are a lot of really old cedars along the way and one of them is the most important one, the famous Octopus cedar (Takosugi), a 500years old cedar with a height of 37 meters (you can see it in the picture). It is called in this way, cause the roots at the base curve like the shape of an octupus. That's why you will find a lot of octopus statues in this area.
Nel percorso che abbiamo scelto, il numero uno, ci sono molti antichi cedri lungo la strada e il più importante di questi è il famoso cedro-polipo (Takosugi), un cedro di 500 anni con un'altezza di 37 metri (lo potete vedere in foto). Si chiama in questo modo, poiché le radici alla base si curvano come un polipo. Ecco perché ci sono molte statue di polpi in questa zona.
Στο μονοπάτι που επιλέξαμε, το νούμερο ένα, υπάρχουν πολλοί πραγματικά παλιοί κέδροι κατά μήκος του δρόμου και ένας από αυτούς είναι ο πιο σημαντικός, ο περίφημος κέδρος χταπόδι (Takosugi), ένας κέδρος 500 ετών με ύψος 37 μέτρα (μπορείτε να το δείτε στην εικόνα). Ονομάζεται με αυτόν τον τρόπο, γιατί οι ρίζες στη βάση κάνουν καμπύλη σαν να ήταν ένα χταπόδι. Γι 'αυτό θα βρείτε πολλά αγάλματα χταποδιού σε αυτή την περιοχή.




Trail 1 is really beautiful, you will spot a lot of red lanterns that follow the path, cause this Trail is used sometimes during the night as well. There are a lot of shrines and temples along the way that during their celebration day are open also in the evening.
In many corners you will see statues with a red hat and a red bib, this is a statue that protects wanderers and children (that's why it is associated with the bib).
Il Percorso 1 è davvero bello, noterete molte lanterne rosse lungo la via, perché a volte si cammina anche durante la notte. Questo persorso è ricco di molti santuari e templi che durante il loro giorno di celebrazione sono aperti anche di sera.
In molti angoli scoverete statue con un cappello rosso e un bavaglino rosso, sono sculture che proteggono i viaggianti ed i bambini (ecco perché è associato il bavaglino).

 




























When we reached the top of Mount Takao we stopped for a good dish of Ramen. You can have cold Ramen or hot Ramen, so it is perfect for every season. We were really hungry, so we ate there, but remember that above the cable train station, there is an all you can eat restaurant where you can have beer tasting as well. And next to the cable car station don't miss to try the Takao-cheese-tarte, I wish I was in Takao to get one right now, delicious.
Anyway, the most incredible feeling has been reaching the top of Mount Takao from where you have a nice view of Mount Fuji. That day was quite rainy, so I hiked with no hope to see it, but then, here it was, Fuji-san in front of me. This has been by far the most excited moment of my Japanese trip.
After it, we made Trail 1 backwards and we used the cable train to go downhill.
Dopo aver raggiunto la cima del Monte Takao ci siamo fermati per un buon piatto di Ramen. Ci sono Ramen freddi o caldi, quindi sono perfetti per ogni stagione. Avevamo molta fame, quindi abbiamo mangiato qui, ma tenete a mente che sopra la stazione della cremagliera c'è un ristorante all-you-can-eat, con degustazione di birra. Sempre vicino alla stazione non perdetevi le tarte di formaggio di Takao, vorrei essere lì in questo momento per mangiarmene una, deliziose.
Comunque, la sensazione più incredibile è stata raggiungere la cima del Monte Takao da dove si gode della vista del Monte Fuji. Quel giorno è stato abbastanza piovoso, quindi non avevo speranza di vederlo, e invece, mi sono ritrovata il Fuji-san proprio di fronte. Questo è stato di gran lunga il momento più emozionante del mio viaggio giapponese.
Dopo di che, abbiamo rifatto il percorso al contrario ed abbiamo scelto la cremagliera per scendere.
Όταν φτάσαμε στην κορυφή του Mount Takao σταματήσαμε για ένα καλό πιάτο με Ramen. Μπορείτε να πάρετε κρύο Ramen ή ζεστό, είναι ιδανικό γέυμα για κάθε εποχή. Ήμασταν πραγματικά πεινασμένοι, γι 'αυτό φάγαμε εκεί, αλλά να ξέρετε ότι πάνω από το σταθμό του οδοντωτού, υπάρχει ένα εστιατόριο all-you-can-eat, οπου μπορείτε να κάνετε γευσιγνωσία μπύρας. Και πάλι δίπλα στο σταθμό μην ξεχάσετε να πάρετε τα γλικά με τυρί του Takao, θα ήθελα να ήμουν εκεί για να φάω ένα τώρα, τόσο νόστιμα.
Εν πάση περιπτώσει, το πιο απίστευτο συναίσθημα το έζησα φτάνοντας στην κορυφή του Όρους Takao από όπου έχει απίστευτη θέα του Όρους Fuji. Εκείνη η μέρα ήταν πολύ βροχερή, γι 'αυτό δεν είχα καμιά ελπίδα να το δω, αλλά αντιθέτως, εκεί ήταν, το Fuji-san, μπροστά μου. Αυτή ήταν μακράν η πιο εντυπωσιαστική στιγμή του ιαπωνικού μου ταξιδιού.
Στη συνέχεια, κάναμε το μονοπάτι 1 προς τα πίσω και χρησιμοποιήσαμε τον οδοντωτό για να κατέβουμε.