Craven Asia 2023 TR

[craven morehead]

So, after exiting Kyoto Station we caught a taxi to the hotel. Accommodation in Kyoto is still using the Accor group, but a new brand for me. One I'd never even heard of before. I was originally looking at the Mercure which was $500 for 3 nights but decided to run with Dhawa Yura at $1250. The location looked fantastic for us to be able to walk just about everywhere and it had a more traditional look perhaps.





Funnily enough, it wasn't originally obvious that the wooden panel was the front door. I was expecting one of the glass panels to slide open.



First sightings of the interior.





Reception and Bar on this level. Restaurant down amongst the Bamboo.



Bar 1867



May as well whack our complimentary drinks into us straight up

Grabbed a seat and staff bought out the premium welcome drinks list.



Fancy a DRNK anyone?



A Kirin Heartland Beer for me and a Mimosa for the bride.

 

[craven morehead]

No upgrade on this occasion as an Accor Diamond. The reason was quite odd, we can only give you an upgrade for 2/3 nights, so we didn't.
I guess it saves moving rooms and I certainly wasn't bent out of shape over it. To the room which was very decent and spacious by all means.



Amenities were plentiful and of a high standard.



Huge shower.



Plenty of storage available as you walk in the room.



The Super King bed was bloody comfy!



Some of the nice features. A little desk for me to work from.







An air purifier was standard here.

 

[craven morehead]

Few more pics.



Welcome treat.



The pastries weren't huge but were very heavy. It was something I'd never had before, and I could take it or leave being more of a savoury type myself.
It was almost a purple filling, certainly not bad, just not my thing and of course it was gratis.



The view out the back.



Not surrounded by skyscrapers which was good.



I thought I'd duck back downstairs so I didn't get in the road while Mrs. CM unpacked what a bloke!



Cheers

 

[craven morehead]

We decided to go for a walk and get our bearings even though the weather was looking poorly. With a map and 2 umbrellas supplied by the hotel, we hit the road .

Out the front door and turned right.







Groovy looking public toilet.



This appeared to be an entrance into a temple precinct. We headed on through and walked up the gentle rise.



At the end of the laneway, we came across the actual entrance or one of the entrances to Chion-in Jōdo-shū Head Temple.



Sanmon (main gate)



The weather wasn't improving



Lots of steps involved.



Finally, the bride made it up. My beer powered motor had enabled me to scoot up way quicker than her



She suggested this could be my Headstone if I gave any more cheek!

 

[craven morehead]

There were way more buildings in the complex than we expected. Then again, we didn't have a clue.

We soldiered on in the rain. No time to waste. Let's make the most of it.

Shūedō (assembly hall)​

We had no issues with crowds















Seriously impressive in size. I can only imagine the craftmanship required to build these places so long ago.

 

[TheRealTMA]

There were way more buildings in the complex than we expected. Then again, we didn't have a clue.

We soldiered on in the rain. No time to waste. Let's make the most of it.

Shūedō (assembly hall)​

View attachment 344065

View attachment 344066

View attachment 344067

We had no issues with crowds

View attachment 344068

View attachment 344069

View attachment 344070

View attachment 344072

View attachment 344073

View attachment 344074

View attachment 344075

Seriously impressive in size. I can only imagine the craftmanship required to build these places so long ago.

Where’s all the people?

 

[craven morehead]

Where’s all the people?

They mustn't like the rain

 

[craven morehead]

Some of the beautiful surrounds. Such a peaceful place. Well, it is on this wet afternoon.







A German couple obliged and took our photo and naturally we took some for them.













The holiest corner of the complex. The vendor wall. There were the same number of machines wrapping around the corner just out of shot.



The place was everything you would expect. There's something about the way Japanese do things that strikes a chord with most people IMO

 

[JohnM]

A German couple obliged and took our photo and naturally we took some for them.

View attachment 344094

That pic of you sheltering under the 'brella while The Bride soaks up the rain may come to haunt you, mate.

 

[craven morehead]

Tonight, we're heading to the narrow lane offering atmospheric dining & drinking type area of Ponto-cho.

This time we go out the front door and turn right.

A leisurely stroll over to this district on the on the Kamo River.

Managed to avoid this joint much to the protestations of Mrs. CM.















Frence Fries anyone



Originally, we were hoping for Yakatori tonight but by the time we had a good walk around it was getting on and most places were chockers!



One place, not this one, the doorman for want of a better name actually stepped in and told me it was for Japanese only to which I replied, welcome to Kyoto, if you don't want my money, you can go and get ... local clientele! There was an upside, however. Next post the Steak Revolution

 

[craven morehead]

It was possibly 8.30-9.00pm by the time we found this place and it was all worth it



There were only a about 4 others in here at this time, so no problem getting a seat.



My first use of cutlery since leaving home.

Having a bit of a sticky at what the chef was doing.



Where our meal started from.



The apprentice.



The table is served.



Get this into ya



The end result



For anyone interested. Details below.



Verdict: Very bloody good!

 

[RooFlyer]

Just catching up. Boy, you go to some good places!!

 

[craven morehead]

Just catching up. Boy, you go to some good places!!

Cheers @RooFlyer we try our best

 

[craven morehead]

Headed down for breakfast the next morning.

A very nice setting indeed.









We were taken to be seated into this room. Not sure if it's an Accor Status thing or not





The Chefs hard at work.



A decent array of tucker for all comers.







A great spread available and an excellent way to start the day. Especially when it's free. The satisfaction of maxing out the benefits of a loyalty program on your terms

 

[craven morehead]

Reception was just across from where breakfast was served and next to that, was this room where tea, coffee, water, sweets etc. was available 24/7 should you need it. Keeping in mind we had all this stuff covered in our room. I think we may have grabbed some sugar sachets from here and that was about it. Breakfast pic below







Breakfast was spot on

 

[VPS]

Headed down for breakfast the next morning.

A very nice setting indeed.

View attachment 344789

View attachment 344790

View attachment 344791

View attachment 344792

We were taken to be seated into this room. Not sure if it's an Accor Status thing or not

View attachment 344793

View attachment 344794

The Chefs hard at work.

View attachment 344799

A decent array of tucker for all comers.

View attachment 344797

View attachment 344796

View attachment 344798

A great spread available and an excellent way to start the day. Especially when it's free. The satisfaction of maxing out the benefits of a loyalty program on your terms

Love those blue and white tiles

 

[cosi]

Reception was just across from where breakfast was served and next to that, was this room where tea, coffee, water, sweets etc. was available 24/7 should you need it. Keeping in mind we had all this stuff covered in our room. I think we may have grabbed some sugar sachets from here and that was about it. Breakfast pic below

View attachment 344800

View attachment 344801

View attachment 344802

Breakfast was spot on

View attachment 344803

Hope you get to try the Japanese sausages with look like a frankfurt but are very tasty and hard to stop eating them.

 

[craven morehead]

Today we were catching up with some friends who used to live in our small country town in CQ but have now resided in Kobe for the last 7 years where they both work at an international school.

They arrived in their car mid-morning and after hugs, kisses and handshakes were dispensed, we jumped in the car and headed for Uji a city located to the south of Kyoto and is famed for its role in the cultivation and production on green tea. You can get green tea ice-cream and all sorts of stuff here.

First up we were going to: from the interweb - Byōdō-in "Temple of Equality") which is a Buddhist temple in the city of Uji in the Kyoto Prefecture, built in the late Heian period. It is jointly a temple of the Jōdo-shū (Pure Land) and Tendai-shū sects. The Byodo-in Temple adorns the reverse of the Japanese 10-yen coin and is best known for its distinctive “phoenix hall”. I've read conflicting reports saying it was started in 998 and another that says 1052. Regardless, it's bloody old. Entry fee from memory was Y600.

Entry fee from memory was Y600.










An enormous amount of detail in everything they have crafted.







Nice hot and humid day. I should not have worn jeans







IMO, this was the best photo I got of the place.





Tommy popped out for some sun



Lovely grounds to walk around and enjoy the scenery.

 

[craven morehead]

There was a museum attached/within the Temple grounds but as you can see, I wasn't allowed to sketch anything







It was worth a look for sure, and miraculously there was a gift shop at the conclusion.

 

[craven morehead]

After the temple we went for a walk around the Uji River and checked out the surrounds and the Fishing Cormorants.









A very decent flow coming down from the mountains.







The workers accommodation.




Pinched these 2 pictures and some info from the net.

Cormorant Fishing "Ukai" is a traditional fishing method which uses trained cormorants to catch river fish such as sweetfish (ayu). This type of fishing has been around for over 1300 years and normally takes place in the summer months.



Ukai is practiced by master fishermen from long wooden boats. Each fisherman leads about a dozen cormorants on leashes who swim alongside the boat and dive under the water to catch fish by swallowing them whole. The fish are kept in a special pouch in the cormorant's throat to be retrieved later and are prevented from being swallowed by a snare around the bird's neck. Each boat carries a large fire to provide light for the boatmen to steer and the birds to fish by.




These days, Ukai is held mainly as a tourist attraction. Special sightseeing cruises are offered that shadow the ukai boats and allow tourists to get an up-close look at the action.