As Kyoto seemed a bit too pricey for an overnight stay, I decided to stay in Kobe for a bit longer and instead have a day trip over there. I started my day at the Monkey Park in Arashiyama. After a lovely hike up that mountain for about 20 minutes I made it to the top, where the monkeys were playing around, and at that point there was also a nice view of the city. I stayed at the top for a few minutes to take some pictures and just enjoy the scenery, and then headed back the way I came.
Leaving the park behind me, I crossed over a bridge that was surprisingly packed, and for the first time in Japan I felt like I’m in a very crowded area. After getting past the bridge and walking for a little bit, I found myself at my next spot, Tenryu-ji temple. Curious to see what I can find inside, I bought the combined ticket that gave me access to both the main hall and the garden.
It might have been because I didn’t have a guide, but I didn’t find the main hall worth the extra cost. The doors were open and pretty much everything could be viewed from the garden. And for the most part, the rooms didn’t really have much in them. While you could view the garden from the main hall, it was better to actually walk around it, not to mention some parts of it were not visible when I was just walking around the main hall. It was great to walk around and start the day in this place, but there was more than I wanted to do, so I left the complex and got on a train once more.
The next spot was the Samurai & Ninja Museum which is located around Nishiki Market. The whole tour experience was divided into two parts. The first part was a history lecture, talking about both the samurais and the ninjas, and their respective roles in Feudal Japan. I found it all quite interesting and engaging (and it certainly helped that the guides spoke good English), but soon enough it was over, and it was time for the next part of the tour, which was the interactive experience.
We went up the stairs and into the shuriken throwing room. Each participant got a shuriken, and after practicing different throwing techniques, we had a little competition to see who could score the most points (as I failed to make the shuriken stick to the wall, I scored no points). When that was over, we went to yet another area, this time going down, where we could wear a samurai costume and take some photos. Although it wasn’t the whole armor suit (and the fit could’ve been better), it was still a good time and a chance to relive some of my childhood fantasies.
To finish the day, I headed over to Maruyama Park, which wasn’t as great as I thought it would be. I planned to go around the park and just enjoy the scenery, but it was spoiled by a bit too many vendors selling snacks and souvenirs. It felt too crowded, too loud, and overall not very pleasant, so after sitting around to rest for a few minutes I left the place and went back to Kobe.