Hi everyone! After my very unenthusiastic end to Europe’s posts, I’m making a comeback with a country I’m pretty much in love with. The BF and I spent a week in Japan recently while I was on my two-week break before starting my new job, and he took leave to accompany me at it. Yay!
Now I’ve been to Japan more times than I’m proud of, mostly because I can’t quite recall where I’ve been to previously when I was younger. Now that I’m sticking to the habit of taking photos and journaling when I can, it’s much easier for me to remember where I’ve been and pen it down for good.
That being said, a fair disclaimer that this is not a formal guide, I’m writing wholly from my own experiences and my recommendations are based on the same. Along the way, if I can recall accurately, I’ll also share the monetary damage to your pockets.
These were the main cities/towns we visited in a week: Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Nara. And of course, we kick off with Kyoto!
Kyoto in essence is like the heart of Japan traditional culture. It’s not surprising to see Japanese women walking around in traditional kimonos despite the hot weather, and you see splashes of temples and traditional houses throughout the city. This is the BF’s favorite place.
Without further ado, here’s my wonderful experience of Kyoto!
Accommodation
When choosing a place to stay at Kyoto, I would encourage a Ryokan if that’s your thing. It’s the perfect place to really experience traditional Japan in all of its glory, but again it’s up to preference because Ryokans are much more expensive, harder to book (for the more obscure ones) and occasionally may only have public baths and no personal toilets. Still, it’s worth researching. For us, we booked a little late so the good ones were booked out and the rest weren’t worth the money in our opinion.
If you do go ahead with hotel/airbnb/hostel, I would recommend finding one near Kyoto station. Reason being, I’d guess most people don’t just stay at Kyoto but eventually go onwards to Osaka and other cities, so being near the main station helps a lot. Our choice wasn’t the greatest I’d admit, the hotel was nice but not close enough to the station (it was closer to Gojo). Nevertheless here’s the details to where we stayed:
Vessel Hotel Campana
Nearest station: Gojo (also around 10-15 min walk to Kyoto Station)
Price: $100+ per night
Sightseeing in Kyoto
Arashiyama
Well-known for its bamboo groves, temples, monkey park and more.
Address: Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Anyone visiting Kyoto would have heard about the famous bamboo groves at Arashiyama, and for us this was no-less a must visit spot. I’m not sure how I feel about this, I think we rushed Arashiyama too much because we wanted to cover more than one spot in a day.
One thing to note about getting to Arashiyama, there’s more than one train service that can get you there. The JR line tends to be more pricey unless you have the day pass, a quick search on Google maps should find you more than one way to get there. Japan train lines are very confusing because similar stations but different service lines are side by side, so it does take some time to get familiar with the types of service lines and buying the right tickets for them.
We rented bikes which turned out to be a mistake actually, because I think Arashiyama is better appreciated if you walk through its parks and temples etc. We grabbed the bikes with the intention of going straight to the bamboo grove, but along the way there were many beautiful sights as well.
Take it slow at Arashiyama because there are many sights prettier than the bamboo grove in my opinion.
Fushimi Inari-taisha
Famous for its torii gates.
Address: 68 Fukakusa Yabunouchicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 612-0882, Japan
Another one of those cannot miss spots in Kyoto. We covered this on the same day as Arashiyama.
The best part was that we saw many office people who look like they literally decided after they knock off work, that they want to visit the shrine. It’s quite a walk so it’s pretty interesting. Maybe it’s a good rest place for them?
Sanjo area
This is not a sightseeing area but rather, my personal recommendation as it’s a beautiful spot in the city. I am leaving Sanjo Starbucks branch as a placeholder if you’re keen to find the Sanjo bridge. The Starbucks rest exactly over the river.
Address: Kyoto Nakagyo-ku Sanjo-Kawaramachi-Higashiiru, 113 Nakajimacho
We really enjoyed walking around the Sanjo area on the way to finding Gion, the famous geisha district. The bridge overlooking the river is very pretty especially towards dusk time, and if you have time, you can sit by one of the cafes/bars that overlook the river.
Gion
Famous Geisha area.
Address: Kyoto Nakagyo-ku Sanjo-Kawaramachi-Higashiiru, 113 Nakajimacho
Unfortunately, we didn’t quite make it to Gion until night time as we were busy exploring Sanjo. Nevertheless, I’d say it’s an interesting place to visit, just try to visit when it’s brighter otherwise you can’t see much.
It’s a bit wasted we didn’t get to see Gion in all its glory, because I personally have immense respect for geishas and gisaengs.
Food in Kyoto
Japan has SO many good stuff to eat, we were spoiled for choice! Kyoto has some very interesting restaurants with histories dating back to the world war. The food didn’t let us down (on most occasions!) There are one or two places in this list that I wouldn’t personally recommend but am still leaving it here in case you find it interesting.
Traditional Soba (Cold Noodles) – Honke Owariya
A traditional soba restaurant that started out as a confectionary store, Owariya has been serving customers for over 500 years. They have several branches but the one I’m sharing is the original branch.
Address: 322, Niomontsukinukecho, Nakagyo-ku Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, 604-0841, Japan
This was one of my best meals in Kyoto and generally Kansai area. Definitely recommend.
Both sobas were nice but I would highly recommend getting the cold soba which is their recommendation as well, and although the set Calvin ordered was a bit pricey (2100 yen, about $30), it was very satisfying and I helped myself to his meal as well because it was so tasty!!
Overall, quite a pricey place if you order the full soba set, but for those a bit on budget you can still enjoy their hot/cold soba at about 1000 yen ($14 ish) which in my opinion is really decent and comparable to Singapore prices, especially since this is a restaurant with a long history.
I would highly recommend this place, do drop by if you’re in Kyoto area!
Saba-zushi (Mackarel Sushi) – izuu
A restaurant that is famed for being the first shop to sell the now-famous Kyoto style Saba-zushi.
Address: Shijo Kiritoshi Hitosujihan-agaru Higashi-gawa, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
I wouldn’t recommend this. It’s an interesting sushi and worth a try, but there are many other more affordable places to try Saba-zushi, and if you absolutely must try this ‘best’ one in Kyoto, have it to-go. And buy only one portion to share if possible, because the portion’s huge and they don’t allow you to share if you eat in.
The mackerel up close
It was delicious for the first couple of bites, after that it got overwhelming and we couldn’t finish the rice. The portion would have been just nice for two of us to share, but like I mentioned, that wasn’t allowed. So i’d say takeout if you can, there’s plenty of other good food to eat in Kyoto. The mackerel is worth a try but not worth stuffing yourself over.
Traditional temple meal – Yudofu Sagano (at Arashiyama)
For tofu lovers, this place sells an Arashiyama Buddhist specialty dish: yudo, which is chunks of tofu simmered in broth.
Address: 45 Sagatenryuji Susukinobabacho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 616-8385, Japan
My conclusion for this place is that I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT. Help. It’s a nice restaurant tucked away at famous Arashiyama, but for the price we paid I’m not sure I understood the value of this meal. I didn’t enjoy it as I thought i would, the broth wasn’t what I expected at all, and I came away feeling unsatisfied. Really don’t understand, but maybe you guys would????
Store front looks very pretty.
Store interior looks very pretty too.
There was only three main dishes to choose from, the yudofu, cold tofu and the last one I can’t quite remember. All of them come as a full course meal – mainly with side dishes, other varieties of tofu, tempura and dessert. I went with the yudofu since that’s what they’re famous for, whereas Calvin chose the cold tofu. They cost 3,800 yen each, which is around $55. Not cheap at all for tofu, but think of it more of a traditional Buddhist meal and it’ll seem more reasonable.
This is the yudofu dish, I’m sorry I didn’t make it more appetizing looking but it really is just tofu in clear broth, the catch is to dip it in the soy sauce and eat with spring onions + other side dishes.
Calvin’s dish
It was a very interesting experience that I can certainly talk about as a memorable experience in Kyoto, but I have to say that I would never go again. Haha. It’s just not my sort of thing I suppose. But if you’re into tofu and traditional experiences, go for it. But also prepare to fork out that 3800 yen.
Unagi Eel – Kyogoku Kaneyo
Famous unagi joint with over 100 years of history.
Address: 456 Matsugaemachi, Rokkakucho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8212 , Kyoto Prefecture
I’m not a huge fan of unagi so I’m not sure how to review this. The general feeling from Calvin who ate the unagi don was that it’s nice, but not quite worth its price tag. There could be more value-for-money places.
The unagi don
I thought I took a picture of the menu but apparently not. This one’s from Sharing Kyoto.
We ordered one Unagi don and a 900-yen Umaki which is egg roll + eel. Since we weren’t too hungry and didn’t want to spend too much either haha.
It was a nice rest stop to fill up our bellies.
Conveyor belt sushi – Musashi Sushi
Affordable conveyor belt style sushi located in the central area of Kyoto. As of July 2016, standard plate cost 146 yen each.
Address: 440 Ebisucho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8005, Kyoto Prefecture
The BF was very insistent on trying this place, so we went not long after our unagi meal! We popped in pretty late so we could get a seat easily – when we visited earlier in the day there was a queue waiting. Definitely recommend this for a quick bite or for sushi lovers who’d love to try a huge variety. For the price it’s going at it’s a good meal indeed.
Burnt miso ramen – Gogyo
Its burnt miso ramen contains miso or soy based broth that’s been cooked at 300°C.
Address: 456 Matsugaemachi, Rokkakucho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8212 , Kyoto Prefecture
This is a definite recommend for me, hands down! I love miso ramen and this was a definite stop-by for me. It didn’t disappoint.
This was a very good lunch for me. A bit heaty due to the burnt miso, but with lots of water you’d be fine and very satisfied! Worth a try for sure.
With that, I’m wrapping up Kyoto! It was certainly a good two days in this traditional part of Japan and definitely worth a visit for any culture fan.
Next up: Osaka!
darmawanders 