Day 5 was my favourite day on the trip. We started off the day in Kyoto at the Iwatayama Monkey Park, explored the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, went to Nishiki Market in Kyoto and ate all of the sashimi, and then made our way to Nara for a relaxing retreat into the mountains of southern Japan.
Iwatayama Monkey Park is home to about 120 Japanese Macaques (also known as Snow Monkeys). Researchers at the park study the families and social structures of monkeys in order to better understand their complex lives. We learned that in this particular group of Japanese Macaques, there are 110 females and only 10 males. Males typically move around from group to group, while females stay with their families for life.
You can see a list of a few of the monkeys here. We got a chance to meet another monkey, Gurako, with the assistance of one of the researchers. He explained that Gurako is a very special monkey, and that although the monkeys see crouching as a sign of aggression, Gurako is so kind and gentle she is fine with people crouching around her. A couple of the rules to live by in the monkey park are not to feed the monkeys outside of the appropriate spot at the rest house, and do not look the monkeys in the eye. Any sustained eye contact is viewed as an aggressive sign and monkeys may attack you. It was also important to secure our belongings before entering the park, as monkeys are very intelligent and curious creatures and they are known to take people's personal belongings, like wallets or passports.
After the monkey park we took a short walk to the bamboo forest and took some photographs. There were a couple of wedding photo shoots happening in the forest, as it is quite a photograph-friendly spot.
Nishiki Market is full of crazy, crowded, winding streets with endless shops and vendors. We explored the winding streets, pushing our way past locals and fellow tourists, purchasing a few souvenirs along the way. We also tried some odd foods, like grilled squid with a quail egg stuffed into its head. Shopkeepers spoke very little English, but were all armed with translation cards and would point to what they wanted to say to try and convince you to buy their items. Translations were sometimes inaccurate and hilarious.
Before we left, we found a vendor for sashimi (fresh fish) and bought about $40 worth for the train ride to Nara. We enjoyed delicious fresh tuna, salmon, tuna belly, amberjack, and fluke. The train ride was about an hour and was relatively painless once we figured out Kyoto station. The station is outrageously huge and complicated, with 7 or more levels and the largest staircase I've ever seen. Navigating trains has been very easy, navigating the stations has been something else!
We arrived at Nara in time to check into our hotel, the Koto-no-yado Musashino, before dinner. This was easily the highlight of our trip. The Musashino is Nara's oldest inn. Our hosts had prepared Matcha for us when we arrived, we took a short walk to visit some of the deer around the hotel, and then enjoyed a traditional kaiseki dinner. Kaiseki is a traditional, multi-course dinner which can consist of anywhere from 6 to 15 different courses and typically appear in the following order. The kinds of food served changes according to the months, seasons, and what is fresh in the area.
1. Shiizakana (appetizers served with Japanese sake) 2. Mukouzuke (sashimi - sliced raw fish) 3. Kuchitori (a small side dish) 4. Suimono (soup) 5. Nimono (simmered vegetables) 6. Aemono (food dressed with sauce) 7. Kounomono (Japanese pickles) 8. Hassun (food from the mountains and the sea) 9. Sunomono (food marinated in vinegar) 10. Yakimono (grilled fish) 11. Mushimono (steamed food) 12. Nabemono (Japanese hot pot) 13. Rice 14. Miso Soup 15. Dessert
It is said that a kaiseki is a meal at one with nature. You'll often find things from nature, such as flowers and leaves, within your food.