Kyoto - Japan

All of our Japan itinerary, hotel and travel information can be downloaded here.

Day 8

After a basic but reasonable breakfast, we were on the road again, (or the rails) to make the two-and-a-bit hour journey for would be our final destination of Kyoto.  At least that was the plan.  The snow, however had other ideas.  Our ‘Thunderbird’ train had been cancelled due to the harsh weather, it was almost impossible to see due to the snow at times, and we, along with many other commuters we were kinda stuck in a busy station.  Our only option was to take the train back to Nagano and from there go to Nagoya and then on to Kyoto.  If we had to pinpoint the least fun day of the trip, this would have certainly been it, especially considering a main pull of the stop in Kanazawa was the break up the trip with a simple onward journey to Kyoto. 

Sorry lads, we're full

As there were many others in the same situation, we could only get the non-reserved standing options where we were huddled together with skiiers and snowboarders and regular commuters for the two hours or so to Nagano, followed by the three and a half hours to Nagoya.  We were finally able to get a seat for the last hour-long stretch from Nagoya to Kyoto.  A whole day standing on cramped trains was nothing to be excited about, yet our spirits picked up as we bought a few cans of Asahi from the shop and our carriage to Kyoto was packed full of lively businessmen who were laughing and joking, creating a warm vibe.

We had decided to splurge a little bit for our final three nights in Japan (which would also fall across Valentines day/ our thirteen anniversary), and our excitement was justified as we checked into the lovely hotel, Noku Kyoto.  It was the only 4-star hotel we stayed in during the trip.  After our frustrating day, we didn’t want to go far for dinner and we needn’t have too with many good dining options on our doorstep.  We opted to fill our faces with sushi and found the well-reviewed ‘Kikyo Sushi’ restaurant was within ten minute walking distance so there we headed!

I want to fly back to Japan just for the food

This appears to be a friendly, family run restaurant with the youngest being able to speak a good amount of English which really helps! The dishes are prepared behind the counter, and the sushi is presented to you by the chef on the wooden board just in front of the counter.   We also opted for some sake tasting and really got to experience the range of flavours available, which I find you never really get to full witness the contrast if you’re not comparing them side by side.  There was a local sake too which was a nice way to compliment it. 

Amazing tempura vegetables and prawns

Sake from around Japan

Highlights had to be the tuna and salmon nigari, the prawn and vegetable tempura as well as the prized ‘otoro’ or fatty tuna.  I think we could have easily gone back to eat here every night and even though we weren’t watching the pennies, the bill was very reasonable.  Whilst I appreciate we’re travelling in a foreign country, having English speaking staff really helps to make the situation comfortable and for you to really understand what’s available. 

Day 9

Today we visited Arashiyama (meaning storm mountain) with the main pull factor being the scenic bamboo forest there.  From Kyoto Station we took the JR Sagano Line to Saga-Arashiyama Station – the journey is only 15-20 minutes and the JR pass can be used.  It is quite a simple walk from there to get to the bamboo forest.  Unless you go early, it’s going to be busy.  Whilst there are quite a few tourists around snapping pictures, everyone seemed quite relaxed and peaceful and it is a very relaxing walk through the paths that take you amongst the bamboo groves.  The approach from the station is also quite well catered to tourists with some places to buy snacks and souvenirs dotted along the route.  Some of these places sold unique gifts that we hadn’t seen in other parts of Japan, so it might be worth factoring in some shopping time if you liked.

Bamboo forest in Arashiyama

There were also the human powered rickshaw service taking people around the town, fortunately they didn’t seem to be wheeling people through the bamboo forest or at least while we were there!  Apparently the word ‘rickshaw’ actually originates from the Japanese word “jinrikisha”, which means “human-powered vehicle”.

Near the bamboo grove is Ōkōchi Sansō, which is the former residence of Japanese silent screen legend, Ōkōchi Denjirō.  Whilst you have to pay 1000 yen to enter, there is a really nice route around the villa's beautiful gardens and excellent views of Kyoto from the top. You also get a free cup of matcha, green tea, and a snack in the tea room of the grounds.  There is also a small museum on the grounds dedicated to the former owner.

Shrine at Ōkōchi Sansō

Ōkōchi Denjirō

In the afternoon we visited the highly photogenic Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine.  Originally the shrine was dedicated to the god of rice and sake as early as the 8th century.  The shrine also features many examples of fox statues, the reason being that the fox is seen as the messenger of the god of grain foods called ‘inari’ and therefore the stone foxes are often known by this name. If you see keys in the mouths of the foxes, these are replicas of keys to granaries in the hope that they stay well stocked!

The iconic Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine

The shrine was also very busy but the grounds are quite extensive so it never felt too crowded, although it was hard to find a moment to take a picture without other tourists in the background!  The hundreds of bright orange torii (gates) are like nothing I’d ever seen before.  There are routes all around the hillside with small shrines with miniature torii, it looked like it may have been possible to purchase your own! You could spend as much or little time as you liked here, taking in the beautiful city scenery and roaming through pathways under the vibrant torii. If you’re on a budget this is also a great option as it is free to enter.

Japan seems to have an affinity for Italian food, and as we live in China we don’t have too many options when it comes to international cuisine.  Therefore that evening we visited another restaurant close to our hotel called Trattoria Casa Verde.  Run by a solo Japanese front of house/ chef/ wine waiter, the food was excellent and the fact it took a little time to come out wasn’t a bad thing as it gave Kate and I time to reminisce about our full and interesting day.   We had a margarita and a mushroom and ham pizza.  Both were great and we washed it down with a carafe of the house red.

Yummy Japtalian food

Day 10

Alas, it was our last full day in Kyoto and Japan.  We enjoyed the Japanese style breakfast in the hotel (a lot lighter than the western) and decided to take the short trip to the nearby Kyoto Imperial Palace, just a stone’s throw from our hotel Koku Kyoto.  Formerly the ruling palace of the Emperor of Japan, the grounds are large and contain many halls and structures, but predominantly consists of nice and spacious open territory. 

Kyoto Imperial Palace

There is a small shrine in the Oike-niwa (garden and pond area) which seemed to be occupied by a cat.  Intelligently so as this area specifically doesn’t allow dogs.   This guy seemed right at home and rolled over for us to dutifully rub his belly.  There were also mallards and herons perching nearby which the fluffy fella had been stalking when we came by.   Some locals would drop a few coins in a collection box and ring the bell for good fortune.

Happy temple cat

Early evening we booked ourselves in to watch a show at ‘Ran Theatre Kyoto’.  Billed as ‘a fun filled night with traditional music and local sake and beer.’ It wasn’t very busy although we were watching the earlier of two showings.  The hosts was attentive and kind and the performance both fun and educational! They introduced the instruments one by one and gave a brief description in Japanese and English prior to each performance.  There were also performances as a band as well as the offer to try.

Ran Theatre Kyoto

Kate and I obviously put our hands up and it was great fun to play the Japanese drum and the rest of the band joined in!  It was obviously aimed at tourists, but with my interest in music I found it very engaging and the performers were very sweet & smiley.  

Stars of the show

We had decided to treat ourselves as it was both Valentine’s day and the 13^th year anniversary since our first date, so we opted for a Japanese steak house called ‘Pound’!  

Pound Steakhouse in Kyoto

The cuts of beef are visible from the outside window and the menu shows the prices and weights of meat and which part of the cow they are from.  Of course, you could spend as much as you like as there were also specials of the finest Kobe beef costing well over 100 pounds!  However, we went for two cheaper cuts of moderately fatty ‘shoulder clod’ and ‘chuckeye roll’ cooked rare.  

Even thought they weren’t the most soughtafter cuts, the meat wasn’t too lean and was cooked perfectly.  The house mushroom and garlic sauces as well as the sides we ordered we also superb.  We left feeling very, very full.  Luckily it wasn’t far to walk back to the hotel!

We finished both huge steaks at Pound Kyoto

The following day we took the train to Osaka (Kansai) airport from Kyoto station.  We had time as our flight wasn’t leaving until 2pm.  We had loved every minute of Japan (aside from perhaps the day standing on the busy train!) including the people, who are accommodating & courteous, the scenery, the food and the general atmosphere.  10 days was enough for this trip, but I’m sure we will try to head back one day.  Ultimately, we found it wasn’t as expensive as everyone had said and can easily done on a mid-range budget and even a low budget at a stretch.  If you want to travel around whilst really enjoying the dining and experiences Japan has to offer, you have to pay a little bit more.  However, the majority of natural beauty on offer is either free or very cheap and the seven-eleven options aren’t too shabby either.  Either way, I hope you enjoy what you make of your Japan trip as much as we did.