Take Me to Kyoto: Fushimi Inari Shrine, Arashimaya, Philosopher's Path, Toji Temple, Gion & FOOD
Hey people!
My long anticipated trip to Japan with my husband has finally arrived!
We were there in late October, largely to celebrate our 4th year wedding anniversary overseas. I've always wanted to visit Japan with YX because he's a foodie and Japanese cuisine is his default choice whenever we're celebrating special occasions.
I've been to Tokyo 7 years ago and I loved the sights and culture! My only gripe was that it felt very expensive to be travelling in Japan back then and I remembered barely buying anything for myself because things were exorbitant in Tokyo (especially in Shibuya!). With the weak Japanese yen and the strong Singapore dollar, it was an opportune time for us to visit Japan without feeling the pinch in our pockets.
This time, we were there to explore Kyoto, Osaka and Nara in a free and easy trip for 10 days. We almost went to Kobe, but decided against it because we wanted to spend more time exploring Osaka. I guess the lure of Kobe beef wasn't very strong!
Honestly, I was glad to be exploring Japan at my current age (and not when I'm an elderly) because we walked A LOT. I swear my legs became so toned after all the walking I've done in Japan. But no regrets. The weather was cooling and awesome; there were so many interesting sights along the way and I really don't mind burning some calories.
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Our journey started in Kyoto, and one of the key tourist attractions was the Fushimi Inari Shrine. It's famous for its rows of orange torii gates which line the walking path. In fact, KOMA in Marina Bay Sands actually modeled their entrance walkway after these torii gates.
It gets insanely crowded from 8.30am onwards, so we were there at 7am to avoid the crowds. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to take the photos above without mega loads of photobombers ruining my pictures. The walking path was relatively easy, except some parts where you would need to climb stairs, just like climbing Bukit Timah Hill.
Arashimaya Bamboo Grove
Another must-visit attraction is the Arashimaya Bamboo Grove, which enchanted me so much. I was intentionally take deep breaths while walking along the Bamboo Grove because the air smelled so fresh. It may be a short path but every area of this path was photo-worthy.
We spotted a couple of gymnasts taking photos of their stunts in their sports bras + leggings and I cannot believe that they were not cold!
Arashimaya Park (Kameyama Area & Nakanoshima Area)
Once we've exited the Bamboo Grove, we found ourselves in the beautiful Arashimaya Park (Kameyama Area).
There were lots of trees in this park and I noticed that the leaves were starting to change colour, from green to yellow, orange and brown. We also walked towards the bottom of the park where we found ourselves looking at a tranquil Katsura River. It was so gorgeous and I felt a moment of peace witnessing such a wonderful sight.
After crossing the Togetsukyo Bridge, we spotted another Arashimaya Park (Nakanoshima Area). There were less trees lining the path, and even then, the few trees we saw had already shed their leaves.
I normally detest open-air places with no shade because I have intense hatred for the sun but this park was different. The weather was cool and cloudy, and strolling along this path was incredibly calming.
Private Bath experience at Hanaikada Kyoto
YX made reservations at Hanaikada Kyoto, a Japanese style ryokan hotel for us to experience their private bath. This hotel was right in front of the Togetsukyo Bridge and within a short walk from Arashimaya Park (Nakanoshima Area).
The bath uses 100% natural spring water from Arashimaya Onsen. It was damn shiok to immerse my body in such a warm and comforting bath, especially when it had been so chilly. We had a good view of the Katsura River and we could see tourists taking photos there, although I was a bit paranoid that they would look up to see me stark naked.
After the bath, we had a yummilicious yuodofu lunch set which came with so much food that I obviously could not finish. Thankfully, YX always has a large appetite for good food.
The highlight of our lunch was the Arashimaya tofu which was warmed up in soy milk. I loved how silky soft, healthy and tasty it was!
Philosopher's Path
On another day, we visited Philosopher's Path and walked along this quiet canal beside a couple of private residences.
I was expecting it to look prettier, but I guessed we can't expect much if we're visiting in autumn. The Philosopher's Path looks like a dream in photos when it's surrounded by cherry blossoms, so the best time to visit is actually in winter!
Kyoto University
We walked a further 20 minutes to check out Kyoto University, which is characterised by the huge camphor tree and the clock tower. In fact, the camphor tree is so iconic that it appears in the university's logo.
I love visiting universities whenever I'm overseas. I've been to UC San Diego, UC Los Angeles and University of Michigan in the States; National Taiwan University in Taiwan; Hong Kong University in Hong Kong; Ewha Womans University in Korea and University of Technology Sydney in Australia. Unsurprisingly, I have to check out Kyoto University in Japan!
I'm very appreciative of the architecture and culture I see on campus. When I was in Kyoto University, I spent some time sitting under the camphor tree to admire a group of dudes doing jump rope in hip hop style. I never knew that you could do jump rope like that. It was real fascinating to watch.
Toji Temple
We also checked out Toji Temple because it was a 15 min walk from our hotel.
We didn't buy entrance tickets to enter the temple because I was more interested in its exterior. It happened that there was a setup for a music festival that day, and I thought it was brilliant (as part of marketing) that they utilise a temple space for this event.
Nishiki Market
We're going into the topic of food now, which is YX's favourite thing in the world.
YX wanted to check out Nishiki Market after we visited the Fushimi Inari Shrine, but he found it disappointing in the end because the prices were a tourist trap.
We thought we could even have our lunch there, but we ended up trying only 3 items: Sea eel pike conger tempura, Soy milk croquette and Japanese scallops. We had to queue a bit for the tempura because it was very popular and was raved about on social media.
Gion District
On one night, we visited Gion, which is Kyoto's famous Geisha district.
I was telling YX that it would make my night if I get to see geishas while I was there. Lo and behold, God must have heard my wishes and he made a geisha walked towards me!
Of course, we were at Gion not solely to check out geishas, but to try their Gion Duck Rice. This eatery was located in the basement in an ulu corner of a building and we almost couldn't find it. The building was full of bars and looked quite shady. We nearly walked into a bar with a picture of a duck pasted on its door. When we found the eatery, there was a queue and we had to wait a while for our turn, but OH GOD, the food was worth the wait. The staff were hospitable as well. They would approach us to ask how we found the food and even offered to take photos for us.
The menu was pretty easy to understand because the ingredients were represented by emojis. We ordered duck rice with sea urchin and it came in an elaborate set. It turned out that we could eat our food in different ways, i.e. either by adding any of their 3 varieties of pepper or by adding broth. The duck meat was tender and succulent, while the sea urchin was sweet and melted in my mouth. Such a phenomenal experience!
Shirakawa Lane
After dinner, we strolled along Shirakawa Lane, an off the beaten track with traditional buildings lining the Shirakawa Canal. Ambience was chill, quiet and pretty romantic actually.
I personally think that if we were at Shirakawa Lane in the day, it would be very picturesque.
Soba Lunch
On the day that we were visiting Kyoto University, we were hunting for food at a street near the University which was frequented by students.
We found an eatery selling zaru soba and you can choose cold noodles to be served in a bamboo basket. We were also given sobayu, which was the hot water that the soba was boiled in. It was apparently packed with nutrients and vitamins from the soba.
Once we have finished eating the soba, we could pour the sobayu into the dipping sauce so that it turns into a creamy broth and drink it directly. Very interesting.
Kushikatsu 'Omakase' Experience
On our wedding anniversary, we wanted to try something new together, so we went for our first Kushikatsu 'Omakase' experience.
Kushikatsu refers to fried skewers, so yes, it was sinful to be eating largely brown food. They were delicious though, and I like that the course was balanced with other non-fried food, such as veggies, soba, rice with soup stock and desserts.
YX went for a Miyako Course (18-course meal) while I went for a Kyo Course (13-course meal). Our courses had largely similar items, except that YX had 5 items that were only exclusive to his Miyako course. Doesn't matter - we shared our food with each other anyway. I've made a collage of all the food we've tried from both courses.
I'm not sure whether it's considered an 'Omakase' experience if we already know what we will be eating. Nonetheless, we were treated to a private and exclusive dining experience where the chef was only cooking for us, watching our pace before he prepared the next food, and also teaching us how to enjoy each item. In the middle of our course, he also surprised us by telling us that we could each choose two more items of our choice and it will be on the house. Needless to say, I was damn full that day and needed to go on a breakfast detox of eating only fruits and veggies the next day. So memorable though - I will never forget this experience.
We left Kyoto on our 5th day in Japan to head to Osaka. Read all about our Osaka journey in the next blog entry!
Disclaimer: This is a personal, non-sponsored post. Reviews are based on personal experiences.
My long anticipated trip to Japan with my husband has finally arrived!
We were there in late October, largely to celebrate our 4th year wedding anniversary overseas. I've always wanted to visit Japan with YX because he's a foodie and Japanese cuisine is his default choice whenever we're celebrating special occasions.
I've been to Tokyo 7 years ago and I loved the sights and culture! My only gripe was that it felt very expensive to be travelling in Japan back then and I remembered barely buying anything for myself because things were exorbitant in Tokyo (especially in Shibuya!). With the weak Japanese yen and the strong Singapore dollar, it was an opportune time for us to visit Japan without feeling the pinch in our pockets.
This time, we were there to explore Kyoto, Osaka and Nara in a free and easy trip for 10 days. We almost went to Kobe, but decided against it because we wanted to spend more time exploring Osaka. I guess the lure of Kobe beef wasn't very strong!
Honestly, I was glad to be exploring Japan at my current age (and not when I'm an elderly) because we walked A LOT. I swear my legs became so toned after all the walking I've done in Japan. But no regrets. The weather was cooling and awesome; there were so many interesting sights along the way and I really don't mind burning some calories.
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Our journey started in Kyoto, and one of the key tourist attractions was the Fushimi Inari Shrine. It's famous for its rows of orange torii gates which line the walking path. In fact, KOMA in Marina Bay Sands actually modeled their entrance walkway after these torii gates.
It gets insanely crowded from 8.30am onwards, so we were there at 7am to avoid the crowds. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to take the photos above without mega loads of photobombers ruining my pictures. The walking path was relatively easy, except some parts where you would need to climb stairs, just like climbing Bukit Timah Hill.
Arashimaya Bamboo Grove
Another must-visit attraction is the Arashimaya Bamboo Grove, which enchanted me so much. I was intentionally take deep breaths while walking along the Bamboo Grove because the air smelled so fresh. It may be a short path but every area of this path was photo-worthy.
We spotted a couple of gymnasts taking photos of their stunts in their sports bras + leggings and I cannot believe that they were not cold!
Arashimaya Park (Kameyama Area & Nakanoshima Area)
Once we've exited the Bamboo Grove, we found ourselves in the beautiful Arashimaya Park (Kameyama Area).
There were lots of trees in this park and I noticed that the leaves were starting to change colour, from green to yellow, orange and brown. We also walked towards the bottom of the park where we found ourselves looking at a tranquil Katsura River. It was so gorgeous and I felt a moment of peace witnessing such a wonderful sight.
After crossing the Togetsukyo Bridge, we spotted another Arashimaya Park (Nakanoshima Area). There were less trees lining the path, and even then, the few trees we saw had already shed their leaves.
I normally detest open-air places with no shade because I have intense hatred for the sun but this park was different. The weather was cool and cloudy, and strolling along this path was incredibly calming.
Private Bath experience at Hanaikada Kyoto
YX made reservations at Hanaikada Kyoto, a Japanese style ryokan hotel for us to experience their private bath. This hotel was right in front of the Togetsukyo Bridge and within a short walk from Arashimaya Park (Nakanoshima Area).
The bath uses 100% natural spring water from Arashimaya Onsen. It was damn shiok to immerse my body in such a warm and comforting bath, especially when it had been so chilly. We had a good view of the Katsura River and we could see tourists taking photos there, although I was a bit paranoid that they would look up to see me stark naked.
After the bath, we had a yummilicious yuodofu lunch set which came with so much food that I obviously could not finish. Thankfully, YX always has a large appetite for good food.
The highlight of our lunch was the Arashimaya tofu which was warmed up in soy milk. I loved how silky soft, healthy and tasty it was!
Philosopher's Path
On another day, we visited Philosopher's Path and walked along this quiet canal beside a couple of private residences.
I was expecting it to look prettier, but I guessed we can't expect much if we're visiting in autumn. The Philosopher's Path looks like a dream in photos when it's surrounded by cherry blossoms, so the best time to visit is actually in winter!
Kyoto University
We walked a further 20 minutes to check out Kyoto University, which is characterised by the huge camphor tree and the clock tower. In fact, the camphor tree is so iconic that it appears in the university's logo.
I love visiting universities whenever I'm overseas. I've been to UC San Diego, UC Los Angeles and University of Michigan in the States; National Taiwan University in Taiwan; Hong Kong University in Hong Kong; Ewha Womans University in Korea and University of Technology Sydney in Australia. Unsurprisingly, I have to check out Kyoto University in Japan!
I'm very appreciative of the architecture and culture I see on campus. When I was in Kyoto University, I spent some time sitting under the camphor tree to admire a group of dudes doing jump rope in hip hop style. I never knew that you could do jump rope like that. It was real fascinating to watch.
Toji Temple
We also checked out Toji Temple because it was a 15 min walk from our hotel.
We didn't buy entrance tickets to enter the temple because I was more interested in its exterior. It happened that there was a setup for a music festival that day, and I thought it was brilliant (as part of marketing) that they utilise a temple space for this event.
Nishiki Market
We're going into the topic of food now, which is YX's favourite thing in the world.
YX wanted to check out Nishiki Market after we visited the Fushimi Inari Shrine, but he found it disappointing in the end because the prices were a tourist trap.
We thought we could even have our lunch there, but we ended up trying only 3 items: Sea eel pike conger tempura, Soy milk croquette and Japanese scallops. We had to queue a bit for the tempura because it was very popular and was raved about on social media.
Gion District
On one night, we visited Gion, which is Kyoto's famous Geisha district.
I was telling YX that it would make my night if I get to see geishas while I was there. Lo and behold, God must have heard my wishes and he made a geisha walked towards me!
Of course, we were at Gion not solely to check out geishas, but to try their Gion Duck Rice. This eatery was located in the basement in an ulu corner of a building and we almost couldn't find it. The building was full of bars and looked quite shady. We nearly walked into a bar with a picture of a duck pasted on its door. When we found the eatery, there was a queue and we had to wait a while for our turn, but OH GOD, the food was worth the wait. The staff were hospitable as well. They would approach us to ask how we found the food and even offered to take photos for us.
The menu was pretty easy to understand because the ingredients were represented by emojis. We ordered duck rice with sea urchin and it came in an elaborate set. It turned out that we could eat our food in different ways, i.e. either by adding any of their 3 varieties of pepper or by adding broth. The duck meat was tender and succulent, while the sea urchin was sweet and melted in my mouth. Such a phenomenal experience!
Shirakawa Lane
After dinner, we strolled along Shirakawa Lane, an off the beaten track with traditional buildings lining the Shirakawa Canal. Ambience was chill, quiet and pretty romantic actually.
I personally think that if we were at Shirakawa Lane in the day, it would be very picturesque.
Soba Lunch
On the day that we were visiting Kyoto University, we were hunting for food at a street near the University which was frequented by students.
We found an eatery selling zaru soba and you can choose cold noodles to be served in a bamboo basket. We were also given sobayu, which was the hot water that the soba was boiled in. It was apparently packed with nutrients and vitamins from the soba.
Once we have finished eating the soba, we could pour the sobayu into the dipping sauce so that it turns into a creamy broth and drink it directly. Very interesting.
Kushikatsu 'Omakase' Experience
On our wedding anniversary, we wanted to try something new together, so we went for our first Kushikatsu 'Omakase' experience.
Kushikatsu refers to fried skewers, so yes, it was sinful to be eating largely brown food. They were delicious though, and I like that the course was balanced with other non-fried food, such as veggies, soba, rice with soup stock and desserts.
YX went for a Miyako Course (18-course meal) while I went for a Kyo Course (13-course meal). Our courses had largely similar items, except that YX had 5 items that were only exclusive to his Miyako course. Doesn't matter - we shared our food with each other anyway. I've made a collage of all the food we've tried from both courses.
I'm not sure whether it's considered an 'Omakase' experience if we already know what we will be eating. Nonetheless, we were treated to a private and exclusive dining experience where the chef was only cooking for us, watching our pace before he prepared the next food, and also teaching us how to enjoy each item. In the middle of our course, he also surprised us by telling us that we could each choose two more items of our choice and it will be on the house. Needless to say, I was damn full that day and needed to go on a breakfast detox of eating only fruits and veggies the next day. So memorable though - I will never forget this experience.
We left Kyoto on our 5th day in Japan to head to Osaka. Read all about our Osaka journey in the next blog entry!
Disclaimer: This is a personal, non-sponsored post. Reviews are based on personal experiences.