Kyoto has an inexhaustible number of sights unless you are exhausted of temples and shrines. Their JR Passes, expired, tired of train travel, the other two wonder what we should do.
Do you want to walk tetsugaku-no-michi, the Path of Philosophy, I ask?
“Okay. That’s pretty.”
We board the subway to Karasuma Oike and emerge to street level. I have a destination to visit first. Hiding away in narrow streets, hiding in a basement, is the Kyoto Aqua Garden Cafe.
During our visit to Seoul’s Lotte World Tower shopping mall we passed a cafe where patrons are in front of beautiful aquariums. I wanted to go in, but the food was expensive and I didn’t get a chance.
There is another branch in Kyoto and this time I was determined to see it.
Smaller than the Korean version, Kyoto’s Aqua Garden still has about five large tanks with mostly fresh water fish, plus one marine tank.
We order a couple of breakfast sets and I have a tea cake and blue drink (every customer has to order at least one drink). The food is okay, if expensive, but the fish are mesmerising, the aquascaping is gorgeous.
I watch barbs and algae fish, plecos and shrimp go about their business in the plants and wood.
Nearby to the Aqua Garden is the Teramachi, shopping arcades that once served the temples, but are now usually for tourists.
We go inside a music store with pretty souvenirs and a Moflin, a Casio made artificial pet that B falls in love with. We don’t buy one.
B wants sushi, “just a few plates” and that becomes our lunch. Then we catch the Subway Tozai Line, ostensibly to Keage, but I get us out at Higashiyama, thinking we’ll visit the historic area.
Instead we basically walk to the Keage Incline. In the late 1800’s, the Kyoto Prefectural Government decided to revive the city’s economic fortunes by building a canal from Japan’s largest lake, Lake Biwa, to Kyoto to serve as a transportation route and a source of hydroelectric power and water. An engineering marvel, the canal powered Kyoto’s tram system, provided drinking water and provided water for fire prevention in the temple district.
The Keage Incline is a steep passage in the canal that would be impassable by boat traffic. The solution was to mount the boats on a pair of railway cars, one running down, the other up, bypassing the canal for that section.
Although goods are no longer transported by boat, the tracks remain and there are static recreations in place.
We walk to the bottom of the incline, where Japan’s first hydroelectric station sits, now a museum. Unfortunately, it is currently closed, so we divert in the direction of the Nanzen-ji temple complex.
On the way I see an entry for the Tenzuan temple garden and I cannot resist.
It is a small, serene garden, featuring a rock garden and ponds, islands and bridges, framing the temple buildings. I am glad that I entered.
I meet the other two at the Nanzen-ji Suirokaku, a brick aqueduct carrying the waters of Lake Biwa. We go to the top and discover that we can walk back to the source.
Along the way we see a power station under repair, waters flowing in multiple directions, a sculpture of Sakuro Tanabe, who lead the project, and end up at the Keage Boat Locks, the top of the incline.
It appears as if you can still do boat tours of the canal, though not right now. I should like to do that one day.
We have gone in the opposite direction to the Path of Philosophy, but I am glad. This is a route of the canal I hadn’t walked before.
We are now close to Keage Station.
“What do you want to do now?” I ask.
“Don’t we have to go to the Nintendo Museum?” B replies.
Oh shit! I had forgotten I bought tickets, which is a lottery. We have less than an hour to get there.
We hurry down to the platform at Keage, just miss a train. Google gives lots of options, I pick continuing on with its initial suggestion and heading to Rokujizo. From there we have to change to a JR line towards Nara, past Uji.
My phone says we can’t make it, Alex says we have time.
We jump off at JR Ogura Station, located in a quiet suburban area. Racing through narrow residential streets we reach the Museum.
We are within time, but nearing the end of our slot. I fumble retrieving my tickets through my phone, put my bag in the locker, have to take it out again to get my passport, in again. Oh the panic!
We’re in with our 40 year Mario anniversary ticket cards.
First we have to take some photos in the gardens, staff on hand to do the duties. Inside we post near the museum sign, behind the toadstools.
The we are in! No photos allowed inside the museum exhibition, only of the interactive games on the ground floor.
The top floor displays the history of Nintendo and their consoles. They began as a card manufacturer, then on board games and toys, including a Lego rip-off. Then they get into the electronic and handheld game console business. The rest is well known.
B reminisces about the Game and Watch. Alex has his 3DS and Switch. When I was growing up we couldn’t afford any electronic games, handheld or console. We were lucky enough to own a nearly unknown (Micro Professor, later known as Acer) BASIC computer, but that was it.
Still, it’s interesting! There’s even a few “ancient” Virtual Boy early VR consoles you can see in action.
The bottom floor has a variety of interactive and physical games. Your entry card has 10 coins on it and different games cost different amounts with no chance to replenish your supply.
We have a few goes at the baseball game, where you hit ping pong balls around with a foam baseball bat and try to strike various household objects with them. We also try the original and Super NES games. Alex gives the Zapper and Claw a go too.
Then there’s the merchandise, though nothing that actually plays games.
All in all, we spend two and a half hours in the Nintendo Museum. It’s night outside when we emerge and the courtyard is light up with lights and game projections.
We agree that it really was worth visiting the Nintendo Museum, even if you aren’t a Nintendo game fanatic.
It’s time to head back, so we retrace our steps to JR Ogura Station. The streets are attractive in the darkness, narrow houses, quiet roads, amber street lamps.
The Nara Line takes us back to Kyoto Station. It’s late and we are all hungry for dinner, but we order too much okonomiyaki and yakisoba at a restaurant in the Porta underground shopping area in front of the station building. It’s not great okonomiyaki either.
A last bath in the hotel onsen, soaking away the day’s long exertions. Tomorrow, the other two head home for Australia, leaving me to explore more of Japan.