Trip Report: Japan - Oct 2019 (Part 2)

Day 4 - Kyoto Arrival

I finally had a decent sleep at my friend's house. I left early to catch the Shinkansen at Shinagawa. It turned out to be a good idea since I had free time and wasn't stressed. I did have to deal with rush hour traffic on the Yamanote line and had the experience of being pushed on the train by fellow passengers. Honestly though, it wasn't as bad as I'd imagined it to be - probably because I was warned about the traffic beforehand. I also finally learned to take my time and seek out elevators in the train stations.

The shinkansen ride was nice - I think I saw Fuji but not completely sure as it was cloudy. Although the window seat was booked by someone else, no one showed up so I had 2 seats to myself. It was interesting to see the train culture too - for example, the train staff bow when they enter and exit each train car.

I got to my Hostel (Piece Hostel) early so I dropped off my luggage and explored the nearby mall. I was really happy as I was able to get some shopping done at Gu and Daiso. For dinner, I went to another mall and had Ikinari steak!

Ikinari steak - yum!

I walked to Toji temple afterwards. My feet really hurt at the time so I abandoned my plans of going to Gion and went back to the hostel. Unfortunately, didn't have a great sleep again due to another snorer.

Toji temple at night

Day 5 - Typhoon day

Today was the day that Typhoon Hagibis was projected to touch down. Luckily, Kyoto wasn't really affected by it. There was heavy rain and some wind throughout the day but nothing more crazy. 

First day having breakfast provided by the hostel and it was amazing! They undersold their breakfast - I thought it would only be pieces of bread, but they also had a specialty dish, soup, and rice! I never eat rice for breakfast because of the cooking time but it was wonderful to eat it at the hostel.

I left the hostel around 10AM to go to Tofukuji. Unfortunately, it was closed due to the typhoon but I still got some shots of surrounding temples. I explored Teramachi street for lunch.

Within Teramachi street

I had 小笼包 (xiao long bao) and really delicious matcha bubble tea. I don't think the creation of the bubble tea was special but it tasted so good to me for some reason. In the afternoon, I went to a language exchange Meetup at different hotel which also looked pretty fancy. It was fun to meet some locals and other travelers although I did feel bad that I could only speak in English. After, I bought dinner at a grocery store to eat at my hostel. I got lost in Kyoto station trying to cross from one side to the other. - originally wanted to go out again after dinner/shower, but was already 8pm and decided to sleep early to wake up early tomorrow.

Day 6: Zen day ft. lots of walking

I went to Fushimi Inari around 8AM and luckily it wasn't that crowded. I went all the way to the summit using an umbrella as a walking stick. (Since my actual walking pole got confiscated at the airport..)  Halfway up, I saw a cute shirt that was 2000 yen but didn't get it. I regret not getting it as I wasn't able to find a shirt I liked as much for that price.

Summit of Fushimi Inari

My original plan was to go back down to see the market but somehow I ended up on the side road to Tofukuji. I even walked backwards on a steep hill since it was hard to control my balance when going down. I eventually found Tofukuji and decided to go inside. This was one of my better decisions because it was amazingly zen there. I enjoyed both gardens inside. Tofukuji resembles what I think Ryoanji would look like.

Tofukuji

In Tofukuji

I had lunch at Fujito - a small restaurant owned by an elderly couple by Tofukuji station. Being able to read some Japanese was really helpful since I could make out "tonkatsu". I went to Uji afterwards and had my first tax free purchase at a Itokyemon. I still had my umbrella with me and two people giving out samples teased me for it. They were pretty funny - one of them gave me a sample and it turned out to have ginger in it. I made a face when I tasted it and he laughed at my expression. They also made a joke along the lines of Mario and Luigi at one point (I don't know what the context was though).

The first official site I went to in Uji was Byodoin. Again, it was very zen like and I definitely recommend everyone to check it out as its beautiful.

Byodoin

I then walked to Koshoji temple. It was on a hill which made for a beautiful backdrop but it killed my feet.

Koshoji temple

I decided not to go to the Tale of Genji museum because I was really tired and it might not be that interesting to me. Instead, I stopped by Tsuen tea and had a shaved ice dessert which was delicious.

Uji

I picked up dinner from 7/11 although I didn't eat much because I was still full from snacks. At night, I went to see the Awata Shrine festival which was really cool. I only saw the start and didn't watch the whole parade.

Floats

Along the way there and back, I also passed by Maruyama park and Yasaka shrine. Yasaka shrine was beautiful at night because of the lanterns and has a similar vibe as Sensoji. 

Day 7: More walking 

My first stop for the day was Kinkakuji. Unfortunately, I had a rough time getting there as I lost my bus pass while walking to the bus stop and had to purchase another one from my hostel.

I went to Nara afterwards. I wasn't expecting the park to be so big and should've took the bus than try to walk everywhere. Nara was lots of fun though because of the deer and temples.

I was pretty impressed by this pond in front of Nara Park

Deer everywhere!

After returning to Kyoto at night, I went to Pontocho. The alley itself is much smaller than I expected and I only walked through it for 10 minutes to get some pictures. I didn't go into Gion at night because I was tired from walking but I did see a geisha in a taxi on Day 5.
There was a takoyaki party in the hostel at 9pm. I thought it would be a little more social but it was an event where you could cook your own takoyaki tray and eat it afterwards. I had fun making it although I wasn't good at turning it around.

Day 8: Arashiyama

I almost fell over on the train heading to Arashiyama. Fortunately or unfortunately, my instincts kicked in and I grabbed onto the closest thing - which happened to be someone's hoodie. I think I almost accidentally choked them but they were ok afterwards. I felt really bad for them and embarrassed and apologized to them/the car in general. Looking back though, it was a funny experience and I'm glad they were ok. 

I made a wise decision when I got to Arashiyama to rent a bike for the day. Unfortunately, I had another incident early on. I was riding my bike on the road and was trying to get onto the sidewalk. I must not have been pedalling hard enough but I was thrown off my bike when I hit the curb. Luckily, no cars were nearby and I only scraped my hands and knee. It did hurt to walk initially but I still got through the day. 

Lunch at Arashiyama Yoshimura

I really liked Arashiyama in general and went to all the major attractions there. I actually didn't go through the bamboo grove though - although I did see a short portion of it while going to Okochi Sanso. Be warned - the trek up to the monkey park is a serious hike and extremely steep. But take your time and once you get up there, it'll be worth it. 

Day 9: Himeji/Osaka

The walk from Himeji station to the castle is very picturesque. I loved that Himeji had a cute mascot too. (I think it's tied with Nara in terms of the cutest mascots) The castle was great although I hit my head on the ceiling while going up the stairs.

Himeji replica in the station

I finished touring the castle at lunchtime but was super hungry. Luckily, there was a restaurant near the entrance of Kokoen garden. I had to wait for a while but the meal was great and featured a wonderful view of the garden.

After Kokoen, I went to Osaka. I went to the Goryo Jinja festival which was at a smaller temple but still had a decent crowd. I also did some more shopping - found a bt21 shirt at Uniqlo, and went to the Gudetama cafe for dinner.

Finally, I went to Dotonbori and the surrounding area but didn't stay for long as my feet hurt (again).

Famous Glico running man!

Day 10: Last day in Kyoto 

Went to Kiyomizudera in the morning and walked through Ninnenzaka and sannenzenka afterwards. Really loved this area in Kyoto and I even saw 2 maiko on the street. I then quickly explored Heian shrine.

Within Kiyomizudera

After eating lunch at my hostel and resting temporarily, I went to Loft Kyoto to get a souvenir for my friend. I got back to my hostel at 3:30pm and thought I would miss my shinkansen at 3:59. I made it though and ended my day at my friend's house again.

Highlight of Kyoto: Uji and Arashiyama. Highly recommend going for anyone who likes nature and a small town feel.
Hostels/hotels are generally more expensive in Kyoto than Tokyo but they're worth the price. I saw some very fancy hotels and even my hostel was the best in my trip. I would definitely stay at Piece Hostel again the next time I visit Kyoto (not paid to say this!)

Outside seating area in Piece Hostel

Kyoto (& surrounding areas) was also the highlight of my Japan trip. I really enjoyed the slower paced nature of the cities there compared to Tokyo. I also loved the scenery and I was able to experience some healing moments during my time there.