Kyoto

Day 10

We got up early, packed up our cases and headed back to Takayama station. There are only four Hida Limited express trains out of Takayama each day and the first is shortly after half 9. It was a busy train, but we still managed to get seats quite easily. We took the hida train to Nagoya. Although I had enjoyed all of the journeys to this point, this journey did make me feel a little sick as the train moved so much. Once at Nagoya, we changed trains and were at Kyoto in just over half an hour.

Once in Kyoto, we headed out of the station and just started to wander vaguely in the direction of our hotel. It was a good 30 minute walk, but I certainly enjoyed the fresh air after being on the train. Our hotel looked great, we put our luggage in the storage room and went to find some food. The hotel is right in the middle of Nishiki, full of high street shops and very busy! We found a great ramen place just at the end of the street, with individual booths for eating. It was quite spicy and it’s difficult not to blow your nose! We then checked in to our hotel. The hotel itself was actually really cool - each guest has a lanyard which gives access to all of the areas required. There are female and male showers and restrooms so the card only gives you access to yours. We used the showers as soon as we checked in. The shared bathroom facility is the best I’ve seen - really modern, fresh and clean. You can also pick up a set of ‘room clothes’, shorts and a baggy t shirt - it’s actually ideal for lounging around in. We then headed out to explore Gion district, in the hope of seeing a geisha! Unfortunately, we didn’t spot a geisha, but we did walk through some beautiful old streets, and through the Yasaka-Jinja Shrine. It was nice to explore Gion during the evening, the place was bustling! We then grabbed some snacks from ⁷⁄₁₁ to take back to our hotel.

Steps: 14,500

Day 11:

We had a full day planned in Kyoto, so we got up early and headed off to the Fushimi Inari Taisha, the famous vermilion torii red shrine gates that seem to extend endlessly up the mountain behind. We got up early and reached the gates at around 8am, we took a train on the Keihan Main Line to Fushimi-Inari Station. We spent around an hour wandering around, but decided not to climb the full length of the gates as we had quite an action packed day! We managed to get some photos with no-one else in them at this time. However, as we headed back towards the station, visitors were streaming in - must go early!

Next, we jumped on two JR line trains, covered by our JR passes to Saga-Arashiyama Station and headed towards the bamboo forest. It really was stunning to see this with the light filtering through. It was busy, but felt more manageably busy than the red torri gates and still space to walk, breathe and get some photos. We have noticed throughout our trip that many Japanese visitors and others, dress in traditional dress to visit some of the shrines.

After the bamboo forest, we jumped back on the JR line to Emmachi Station and then onto a JR bus that took us up to the University area, just before Kinkaku-ji (golden pavillion). When we jumped off the bus, we saw a couple of places to eat and decided on one place that served a mixture of traditional food. We went in and used the ordering system, paid and got our ticket to wait for our food. We both had a Japanese beef curry with rice and a pork cutlet. It was a lot like a katsu curry and delicious - incredibly filling. We then walked on the extra 10 minutes to the site of the Kinkaku-ji. It is 400 yen per adult to get in, and is absolutely worth the money to see this golden pavillion in all its glory. We also had some sunshine, it was stunning to see the light reflect off the building - completely unreal. The gardens surround the pavillion are also stunning and it’s pleasant to walk round and take it all in. It was very busy, but you manage to take photos without people in them due to the way the path and pavillion are set up. I’d definitely recommend prioritising the red gates for an early morning visit instead.

Once we left the golden temple behind, we jumped on a bus that brought us back towards our hotel. The buses have a flat fare of 230 yen which is great as it was a good 25 minutes back. With this bus and the train to the gates first thing, which was 210 per person, we spent 440 per person on travel as the other lines were all JR, around £3.15 - amazing.

We were flagging a bit so headed back to our hotel for a bit in preparation for a later afternoon excursion. Around 4, we walked down to Nigishi market, right by our hotel. The market is incredibly busy and lively. The street is very narrow and specialises in all things food! It’s great to walk up and down and just take a look at the food and wares on offer. I thought it was amazing how the old nishiki market also meets the new shopping arcades seamlessly.

We also continued on towards Gion in the hope of spotting a Geisha. This time, we had done some research and headed towards Pontocho Alley. The alley is very narrow, but houses a number of bars, restaurants and exclusive venues. Walking up and down, we spotted two Geishas on their way presumably to appointments. The ideal time is around 1715 - 1800. We also managed to find a happy hour at one of the bars and grabbed a drink. On our way back to our hotel, we visited one of the big department stores and picked up some bakery goods from the food hall to have as our lunchtime curry had filled us up.

A busy day, with lots of steps but we managed to see everything we had wanted to and catch a glimpse of a Geisha.

Kyoto is by far the busiest place we have visited. Some people have told us it’s quieter at the moment due to the world cup but it certainly doesn’t feel it in Kyoto. Be prepared to be surrounded by tourists, it can be quite frustrating. I can barely imagine what it’s like during the blossom season… We enjoyed our time, but it was much more intense than previous places because of the sheer volume of tourists.

Tip Tip: To enjoy Fushimi Inari Taisha (red torii gates) in some peace, get there as early as possible. It seems to be the number one place for visitors.

Steps: 12,000