Travel Diary to Japan - Food and Places (Part I Kyoto)

I promised to share my Japan itinerary so here it is! (:

Travel Date: 4th - 17th April 2016 (13D12N)
(Yup, two days right after my CASNCC/ACIC Cheerleading Comps 2015/16. But we really, really wanted to be in time for the Spring Cherry Blossoms season in Japan, hence the rush! Yep, I'm insane like that eheh :D )
Travel Destinations: Landed at Nagoya, took a train and began our trip at Kyoto > Osaka > Kanazawa (day trip at Takayama)> Nagoya
Expenditure: Approx SGD$1800 (Inclusive of transportation fees, daily food and souvenirs) Approx SGD$1200 (Inclusive of AirBnB accoms and SIA flight) 
WI-FI: One-time fee rental of Wi-Fi Egg SGD$43 (Really convenient since you are travelling to many different places in one country! (+) Never fails to supply you with good Wi-fi connection! (-) Friends have to stick together in order to use it. Needs to be charged; daily if you often use it. (*) Not too sure if this is the right rental service we used; can't remember but I shall drop one here just in case you are considering whether to get one (:) 
Weather: SPRING! Gorgeous weather throughout! Air-conditioning weather, though at night, the wind tends to blow a little stronger. Kanazawa was the coolest amongst the 4 cities we visited. 
Navigation: Trains/Buses/Google Maps and one of my BFFs, Chris is pretty well versed in Japanese so he was our translator when we got lost and needed to ask for directions. REALLY useful to have a friend who knows the local language! ^^

I have divided my Travel Diary of Japan into three parts to prevent over-clutter of information. Part I - Kyoto; Part II - Osaka; Part III - Kanazawa, Takayama and Nagoya. Without much further ado, let's start! 

*Disclaimer: This is not an official travel guide so opinions, reviews and instructions are subjected to biases, memory lapses and the occasional side-track rambling.*

KYOTO (京都)

Took a Meitetsu Railway train from Nagoya Airport to Nagoya Station. After which, switch to a Shinkansen to Kyoto.

 Yummy and cute birdie treat we shared on the train! Got it at one of those underground cake shops. As it was the Sakura season, the flavour was Sakura~ It was not too sweet and very light :P

I think I understand why people can fall in love with trains. The sound of their arrival oddly, is reassuring and calming. My fascination with Japan trains are real. Hahahaa.. Japan really has A LOT of train railway lines :O

We reached Kyoto in about 3 hours and took another train to Takeda Station where we checked into our AirBnB apartment. After depositing our luggages, we headed straight out for our first activity! This is us on one of the local trains! (:

PLACES WE WENT:

1. Kiyomizu-Dera Temple (清水寺)
Spring Special Night Opening time Illumination, Kodai-ji Temple Night Illumination and Higashiyama District

The Cherry Blossom are soooooooooooo gorgeous! We were just in time for the Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto! 

Some people were here for Kimono couple photoshoots! 

We were just in time for the Spring Special Night Illumination!

 The skies that greeted us as we waited for the show. It was so serene and peaceful, and the air so fresh. I still couldn't believe two days ago, I was mourning over the humiliating defeat of my cheer team and three days later, I was here in this magical place. Everything else seemed so inconsequential. 

 People there for their Kimono photoshoots! 

While waiting for the show to start, we took selfie pics ;)

Nightfall began! The weather started to become cooler as well! For those of you wishing to attend such Night Illumination shows in Kyoto, bring an extra jacket/shirt/scarf as it can be pretty cold!

 

 Japanese love stairs A LOT! Everywhere you go, there will be flights of steps. It's like them telling you you gotta work hard in order to appreciate the beauty they have in store for you hahahaa...

 En route to Kodai-ji Temple!

Make a prayer, clap two times (I think?) and ring the bell! 

Touch these wind chimes (I made that name up, not too sure what it's called actually hahahaa)

 Cherry Blossom Night time Illumination - Kodai-ji Temple  

The show was basically just this natural set--up as a stage and there was some Japanese folklore being presented (Not too sure as I couldn't understand it but that was what Chris told me haha). At the same time, illumination lights lit up at strategic timings throughout the story. 

FOOD WE ATE HERE:

Ice-cream on a cool day? WHY NOT! Hahahaa :) I believe this was black sugar or something. I can't remember but apparently, Ade's friend recommended this to her!

I, on the other hand, prefer Matcha green tea hahahaa >.<

 Dinner at the Night Market within the compound area of the Illumination show!

Fishcake and tofu deep fried~

 This is mine! I think it was hotdog with deep fried batter. Couldn't really remember but it was really delicious! (:

Sugar-coated cherry apples, anyone? Hahahaha 

While waiting to enter the Night Illumination show, we wandered around the streets of Higashiyama District between Yasaka Shrine and Kiyomizudera.

Hotcakes baked using traditional methods. HOT flavours for the season - Sakura! Hahaha we tried the Sakura flavour and Matcha (because that's my favourite!)

Other traditional sweets and pastries sold at the streets of Higashiyama District

I bought the Matcha and the Milk tea flavours! The cookies were really sweet and fragile! The expiry date was not till a month later, which was perfect for me to take back to Singapore. Gotta be careful though, refrigerate immediately when back in Singapore as the cookies are really fragile to pick up properly and eat!

Getting here:

From Kyoto Station Walk about 2min (130m) to 京都駅前. Take bus number 100 (14min, 5 stops) or 206 (17min, 230 yen, 8 stops). Get off at Gojo-zaka or Kiyomizu-michi bus stop, from where it is a 10 minute (850m) uphill walk to the temple. Cost: JPY490 Time: 38min OR Kiyomizudera is about a 20 minute walk from Kiyomizu-Gojo Station along the Keihan Railway Line. From Takeda Station (where we stayed) Take Karasuma Line to Kujo Station (5min, 3 stops). Walk about 2 min to 大石橋［地下鉄九条駅］<Oishibashi Kujo subway station> and take bus 202 (14min, 8 stops). Get off at 清水道 <Michi Shimizu> bus stop, from where it is a 10 minute (850m) uphill walk to the temple. Cost: JPY440 Time: 37min OR Take Kintetsu-Kyoto Line to Toji Station (7min, 3 stops). Walk about 6min to 九条車庫前 and take bus 207 (15min, 9 stops). Get off at 清水道 bus stop, from where it is a 10 minute (850m) uphill walk to the temple. Cost: JPY380 Time: 44min

Opening hours:

9am-9:30pm

1-30 April 2016

*Please note that the dates are referring to the Night time Illumination show. There are certain websites, see here, that provide relevant details. The dates are susceptible to changes on an annual basis and depending on the Spring season in that city.

Advice:

As we arrived pretty late in the evening, we only managed to catch this Night time Illumination show. There are other Night shows at other areas that are just as marvelous which you can visit as well. Possible nearby areas to visit are Otowa Waterfall, Okunoin Hall and Koyasu Pagoda.

2. Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

 Crowded streets en route to the Bamboo forest

Cute! 

 Yummy Ichigo (Strawberry!)

 The Cherry Blossoms are O.O

Traditional shop huts which sell handcrafted items. These shops are usually owned by elderly shopkeepers. According to Chris, he overheard one of the old ladies exclaimed at the influx of tourists that day, saying that she is very shy and doesn't know how to approach these foreigners to get them to buy her items. So adorbs >.<

Good luck charms for different purposes. I bought one for good health. Although I'm not too sure if these charms will really help to protect oneself/get a spouse or a partner/get one pregnant, but the charms are handmade and exquisite. Even though you may or may not believe in them, it is really pretty to have one and/or give as souvenirs!

My obsession with train tracks and trains are real. I'm not too sure, but this reminds me of those Japanese movies where a lonely man/woman stands waiting for the train to pass by and there will be one of those nostalgic soundtracks playing in the background and the character will say some really wise or sentimental quote about life etc etc... Okay, I'm rambling. But, ya know what I mean eheh :D

 Us fooling around! >.<

As you can see, the Bamboo forest really isn't that green as compared to those pictures you found on the Internet. It was pretty disappointing for us and we all agreed that this was actually the most disappointing sights we visited throughout our entire Japan trip. 

 Still enjoyed the company with these 2 precious BFFs of mine :D

 We were not to be disappointed by the amazing Cherry Blossoms though <3

 Really, there's something whimsical and calming about trains. Heheh

Entrance to Tenryu-ji Temple. When we reached, it was nearly closing time and there was an entrance fee to be paid. We decided to give it a miss as we were pretty tired from the long periods of walk and since it was approaching closing time, we decided that it may not be worth it after all. (The pragmatism in us eheh)

FOOD WE ATE HERE:

 WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE-CREAM! Yep, soft serve again! (:

We didn't get any food from this stall but it seemed pretty crowded and there were a lot of people. Good to give it a try if you happen to pass by this stall! It's really just by the main street along the way to the Bamboo Forest!

Getting here:

From Kyoto Station Take the JR Sagano/San-in Line to Saga-Arashiyama Station (16min, 6stops) and walk for about 10 minutes. Cost: JPY240, Time: 40min OR Take Kyoto City Bus 28 (43min, 27 stops) and alight at Arashiyama-Tenryuji-mae Cost: JPY230, Time: about 30min OR Take Karasuma Line to Shijo Station (4min, 2stops). Walk about 2 min to Shijo Karasuma. Take Kankyu-Kyoto Line (5min) to Katsura Station. Switch to Hankyu-Arashiyama Line (7min, 3 stops) and alight at Arashiyama Station. Cost: JPY430, Time: 46min

Opening hours:

24hrs daily

Bamboo path opens from 9am-5pm (4pm from Nov to March)

Advice:

Give it a miss if you feel like you have other tons of better sights to visit. The Bamboo forest isn't that green and amazing as in pictures.

Possible nearby areas to visit Nonomiya Shrine and Tenryu-ji Temple (which we heard is a Zen temple with a wonderful mountainous view; 9am-5pm daily (Closes at 4pm during Winter period between October to March))

3. Ponto-cho Alley (先斗町)

Kamo-gawa River between Sanjo and Shijo

We bought some Ichigo back to our AirBnB as well. It was super juicy and yummy~~ Really worth it for the price! ^^

As evidenced from my saved Snaps!

 Chris bought Starbucks and we sat down by the River to chill~

 Ponto-cho Alley. The restaurants' meal prices are pretty pricey in general. 

 Madly in love with discreet alleys ;)

We didn't really want to eat expensive food so early on in our trip. Hence, due to budget constraints, we opted to get takeaway Takoyaki from this stall, some fish/meat from a roadside stall and wonton from a nearby convenience store and brought them home for dinner. That was our simple fare for the day~ 

Food was pretty good! Cheap as well! We went back to our AirBnB and had dinner together whilst watching our all-time favourite White Chicks movie on Ade's laptop. Aaaah, the best kinds of dinner (;

Getting here:
Nearest train station
3min walk from Kawaramachi Station, Hankyu line.

From Nishiki Market 10 min walk (850m) From Nijo Castle Walk about 8min (550m) to Nijojo-Mae Station. Take Tozai Line to Sanjokeihan Station. (6min, 3 stops) Walk about 7 min (600m). Cost: JPY210, Time: 21min From Shoren-in 20 min walk (1.7 km)

* As we arranged our itinerary in such a way that Ponto-cho Alley was our final destination for dinner, we planned our direction from these attractions. Though we didn't go to any of these places in the end as we weren't the type of tourists who want to squeeze everything into one day, we decided to head straight to Ponto-cho from the Bamboo Forest. We got to Ponto-cho from Bamboo Forest using Google Maps, so I believe it isn't too difficult to find your way around (: *

Opening hours:
Depends on the restaurant

Advice:
Many travelogues mention that Ponto-cho Alley is a place where you can spot Geishas. Indeed, we did spot one or two geishas, but they pass by us so quickly I didn't manage to get pictures of them in time ): A wonderful place to go to for a good dinner meal and where you can walk by the River to digest thereafter.

4. Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社)

We got this for buses. Apparently, there are a few transport passes. One for local trains (There are a number of trains from different railways and they go to different places), one for buses and I believe there's also a mixture where you take both train and buses, but only certain railways/companies. Therefore, be sure to check your transport route and opt for the pass which is the most worthy!

When we reached the Temple in the morning, it was raining heavily and boy, was it cold! We were shivering underneath our clothing, especially when the wind blows! Snapping pics in the rain was really quite a chore and even my camera lens got wet! You can also see my dear friend, Ade bending her knees due to the coldness hahaha...

Typical of any Shrines, the cleansing process takes place before we enter the place.

Well, the only good thing about the rain was that there weren't many people around!

Gorgeous paper cranes and fans earrings! I was so temped to get one, but it was rather impractical as I wouldn't know which occasion to wear them to and hence, gave them a miss as well.

Japanese wonton for you, perhaps? This snack was seen almost everywhere. Not too sure how it tasted but, I was never a fan of wontons. Therefore, I gave buying this snack a miss. 

Write your wish and tie it to this structure over here!

We had so much fun taking awesome pictures like this! We even took our time because there weren't many people around. The Shrine hill was really long (approx 2-hours hike) and we only walked about one-quarter of it as the place was cold. You literally can breathe out hot air! We took pictures, and left quickly thereafter.

Getting here:

From Kyoto Station Take Nara Line to Inari Station (5min, 2 stops). Walk about 2min (190m). Cost: JPY140, Time: 7min [Frequency every 20min]

Opening hours:

24hrs daily

Advice:
Go early to avoid crowds. Some travelogues recommend reaching there at 8:30am. We reached at about 9:30am and it wasn't crowded (probably because it was raining heavily). When we left around lunchtime, we saw that the crowds started to pick up then.

FOOD WE ATE HERE:

After visiting the Shrine, there were shops nearby selling these rice crackers with different flavours and baked on the spot. We ate one each and it was delish! There were also charcoal peanuts which I bought from the store. 

Charcoal peanuts handpacked into these paper wrappers/bags~

We spotted a Yoshinoya nearby and decided to give it a go to see if the food sold is different from the Yoshinoya restaurants in Singapore!

Verdict's out. Food was pretty good. I would say that the Yoshinoya in Japan has much more varieties than the ones in Singapore. Also, the meals are more substantial, as compared to the measly bento/rice bowls we often see in Singapore. The prices are affordable, as well. For similar prices, Yoshinoya in Japan wins outright in terms of the meals being more substantial and filling. They also serve free hot tea! 

5. Gion Street (祇園)

We rented kimonos and yukata from Yumeyakata after our Yoshinoya lunch!

The umbrella is my own! Bought it at a 7-11 store! These umbrellas are pretty common and cheap! Although honestly, it isn't very durable. My umbrella lasted until Nagoya and 'died' on our last day due to heavy rain and strong winds. :(

We got passers-by to help us take pictures and spent a superbly long time at this rather obscure place just off the main Gion Street. We took pictures there because there weren't a lot of people, so we could take our time. Also, there was this really gorgeous Sakura tree! 

I believe we are really blessed during this trip. It is almost incredible! We managed to take so many pretty photos and often, these photo locations aren't planned at all! It was like "Oh look, there's a nice secluded corner with a picturesque Sakura blossom tree. Let's go there to snap pictures!" or "Ooohh, this alley looks so quaint. Let's stop here for a moment!" Hahhaa

Did you ever wonder how people in the past take pictures looking all stern, prim and proper? Well, yeah. That was pretty much the idea we were trying to go for. Hahahaa... 

 Okay, back to the act-cute and fun pics! 

 Gloomy and wet streets of Gion as it was raining the entire day throughout.

Stopped by for some Green tea snacks and yummy biscuits! Couldn't remember the store name though...

 We got the waiter to help us snap a cute picture of us! Hahaha(:

 Nightfall and we went to return our kimonos and yutaka before the shop closes at 730pm

FOOD WE ATE HERE:

After returning our Kimonos and Yukata, we took a bus and headed back to Gion street for a Kaiseki dinner. Since it was our last night in Kyoto, we decided its alright to splurge! Kaiseki meals are analogous to Western haute cuisine. It typically consists of a set menu of select food served to each individual diner.  We simply chose the one that seemed the simplest and most affordable. I believe the meal consists simply of toufu, fresh fish meat and tempura.

We had the Yu-Doufu set each! Doufu is the same as Toufu in Chinese (Just different spelling). It basically means beancurd. It was pretty simple but filling! The tempura was good and we had the whole room to ourselves, which made us feel very exclusive hahaha...

 Our server/waitress serving our toufu~

Was still wearing the same hairstyle despite taking off the kimonos. 

For those curious, this was how the Simple hairstyle from Yumeyakata looked like from the back! (:

Getting here:

From Sannenzaka 19min walk (1.6km) OR Walk to 清水道 and take bus 100/202/206/207/80 (4min) to Gion Street 祇園. Cost: JPY230, Time: 10min [Frequency every 3min] From Kyoto Imperial Palace Walk about 6 min to 烏丸今出川 and take bus 201 to Gion Street 祇園 Cost: JPY230, Time 28min [Frequency every 12min]

Opening hours:
24hrs daily
Not too sure about the Kaiseki resturant which we dine in but I believe it should be open during dinner hours

Advice:
You can rent Kimonos and Yutakas from Yumeyakata (Opening hours: 10am-7:30pm) which is a popular Kimono rental shop commonly used by tourists. As there were 3 of us, we took the couple set (as you are able to save about JPY500 as compared to individual order) and 1 female set. Bag,shawl and slippers is included in the package. Both Ade and I chose the simple hairstyle and we bought the cheapest hair accessory at JPY500 (hair accessory prices range depending on your choices and it is not included in the package). You will need to make a reservation online on their website prior to renting their kimonos to prevent disappointment on the day itself. Also, there are other popular kimono rental service such as Okamoto and I know that there are certain reviews which compares both. I'm not going to do this comparison because firstly, I only tried Yumeyakata and frankly, you only going to dress up once. There really isn't a need to compare. In my opinion, just pick one that is most convenient to access from wherever sightseeing attraction you are coming from. We chose Yumeyakata as it was just 3 bus stops away from Gion Street. You will need to return it before the shop closes at 7:30pm on the day itself. Alternatively, you can choose to rent it overnight - though I'm not too sure how individuals are able to undress themselves and dress themselves up again the next day as you will need help wearing the kimonos. At this point, the pragmatic Singaporean may ask why not rent for an entire day to make the rental cost more worth it. As much as we did consider that, our reservation slot was 3pm in the evening as there were no other slots available (They need to dress you up and help you do your hair for the females. Hence, the need for time slots) and honestly, we didn't want to take small,careful steps the entire day. However, one good thing about these Kimonos is that they kept us warm throughout the rest of the day due to the multiple layers! :P Regardless, it was a really great experience! To think we almost didn't follow through with this plan as we thought it would be a troublesome affair due to the rain. Instead, it was our life-saver as we got an excuse to remove our wet clothes and stay warm under the multiple dry layers! ^^

My loots so far from Kyoto. As you can clearly see, the love for Matcha is real hahaha~

6. Shinkyogoku & Teramachi Shopping District & Kawaramachi
Sanrio Gallery @ Kyoto and Kyoto Pokemon Centre (Takashimaya)

 

 Streets en route

 Shinkyogoku Shopping District! 

 My favourite My Melody! *heart melts and bursts into a million pieces*

I didn't manage to get this really cute one though, because I was thinking if I were to get it then where in the world would I store it. My room is already bursting with My Melody toys, so I decided to give buying these lovely soft toys a miss. *sobs* Instead, I only bought practical items like files, key rings, lunchbox and socks LOL

 Apart from the awesome Sanrio Gallery for all Sanrio fans, there were also other stores to shop!

 The Shinkyogoku and Teramachi Districts are linked.

 Last, final stop before heading to Osaka! 

Wonderful selection of traditional Pokemons! ^^

FOOD WE ATE HERE:

 St Marc's Cafe in Japan for brunch! As usual, we wanted to see if the food in Japan tasted different as compared to St Marc's in Singapore. However, as we weren't feeling really hungry, we only managed to eat the croissants. It was pretty decent and comparable to the one in Singapore. The cafe is located along the streets en route to Shinkyogoku District.

Yummy crepe that Chris bought to enjoy after long hours of shopping!

Getting here:

Kyoto Pokemon Centre
Take Kyoto City Subway Karasuma Line for KOKUSAIKAIKAN (260 yen) alight at SHIJO (11min) and walk to KARASUMA (4min) Take Hankyu Kyoto Line Ltd. Exp. for KAWARAMACHI to KAWARAMACHI KYOTO (150 yen, 2min) Walk from underpass to Takashimaya (Located within the department store)

Shinkyogoku & Teramachi Shopping District
Located along Shijo street which crosses to Kawaramachi street, you can easily get there by walking and using Google Maps.

Opening hours:

Kyoto Pokemon Centre
@10am-8pm daily

Shinkyogoku & Termachi Shopping District 
@12-8pm daily

Advice:
There are many things to shop around this area! I suggest to reserve one day, or an entire solid afternoon dedicated to just walking around this area. The Shopping District has plenty of other things to shop, such as traditional Japanese sweets, treats and souvenirs. Also, apart from Takashimaya Department store, Daimaru Department store is pretty awesome too, especially their basement floor where a marvelous spread of food is available! Beware though, they close stores at 8pm promptly. Hence, manage your shopping time wisely! (:
We strategically left shopping to the last day as we can immediately take the train to Osaka after we were done shopping. If you are wondering where to put your luggages, certain train stations have plenty of huge lockers/holding rooms (if you are lucky) for you to store your luggages for a small fee. 

That's it for Kyoto! Next stop, Osaka!
View here for Part II - Osaka

Look out for my post Part III - Kanazawa, Takayama and Nagoya (:

xx

Loves,

Nices