Kyoto is just one hour away from Osaka by train. JR trains would cover the distance in shorter period of time, but since I was using the Kansai Thru Pass, I was limited to the metro and the Keihan Mainline trains. It was fine by me.
I left after having a really good breakfast at the hotel for ¥1000. I got to know from friends who had studied in Japan before that the Japanese people consume rice or udon/soba servings in the morning. I also relied on them to translate the signs and advise me if other items in the breakfast spread were okay to be consumed :). They all tasted really good.. except for natto - the gooey, stinky fermented soybeans. I guess it's an acquired taste. Just like 'em durians, right? :)
From Namba, I took the Midosuji Line train to Yodoyabashi and switched to the Keihan Mainline. The limited express train got us to Gion-Shijo quickly by skipping lots of stations in between.
Kiyomizu-dera Buddhist temple was roughly 2 kilometers away on foot, following the route that passes by Gion Shirakawa, Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka.
Gion Shirakawa...
Starbucks in a 100-year old machiya townhouse...
Arrived at Kiyomizu-dera...
I returned to Gion Shijo because I wanted to check out Kyoto's Hard Rock Cafe which is at Gion Shirakawa. Well, they were still in the process of renovating the space for the cafe. In the mean time, they had set up a small space for the Rock shop. Too bad they didn't have any pins for sale.
Passing by Yasaka Shrine on the way...
Back in Gion Shirakawa...
I then took the Keihan Mainline local train to the south bound for Fushimi-Inari station. Fushimi Inari Taisha was just a short walk away, but I had to be content with the massive crowd. Well, I was part of it :D.
Before my trip started, there was a sponsored article by Nikkei Asian Review that popped up in Facebook once in a while, which zeroes in on the impacts of the soaring number of tourists flocking to Japan. And the picture is of tourists taking wefies at the Fushimi Inari Taisha ':).
It was like what the article pictured. There wasn't much breathing room when we started walking up the hiking trail that is covered by the torii gates. As we went farther up, the crowd did get lesser and lesser. You could find gaps in the crowd to take photos - selfies, wefies or what not.
No, I didn't hike all the way up to Mount Inari. No sir :D. I stopped at, was it at the Yotsutsuji intersection? I'm not too sure. Probably it wasn't, but there was a clearing where you could view parts of Kyoto from a far.
After reaching the bottom and next, the train station, I decided to return to Osaka as I wanted to go perform my prayers before dusk (~6:30pm); I arrived back to the hotel with 15 minutes or so to spare :). I'm sure there is a mosque or Islamic prayer room in Kyoto, but I didn't bother to look. hehe.
There are many other places in Kyoto that I haven't gone to - The Imperial Palace, the Philosopher's Path, Nishiki Market, Arashiyama (monkey and bamboo forest) and several others. But I've seen what I've set in my itinerary, so I'm pretty satisfied with that.
In the evening, I had briyani chicken and palak paneer dish for dinner at Ali's Kitchen. I wanted some meat and spices in my diet today :D. Seeing that it was the last day I could use my OAP, I decided to try out a second onsen at Suminoe. Hahaha. A friend made fun of me afterwards saying that people go to onsens once a week, and I did that twice in two days :D. Well, my excuse was I needed to get my money's worth and my body rejuvenated :D.
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| Osaka (Namba) to Kyoto (Gion Shijo) by train |
I left after having a really good breakfast at the hotel for ¥1000. I got to know from friends who had studied in Japan before that the Japanese people consume rice or udon/soba servings in the morning. I also relied on them to translate the signs and advise me if other items in the breakfast spread were okay to be consumed :). They all tasted really good.. except for natto - the gooey, stinky fermented soybeans. I guess it's an acquired taste. Just like 'em durians, right? :)
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| some of the breakfast spread in the Japanese section |
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| First course :) |
From Namba, I took the Midosuji Line train to Yodoyabashi and switched to the Keihan Mainline. The limited express train got us to Gion-Shijo quickly by skipping lots of stations in between.
 |
| Kicking off the Golden Week... perhaps I should've brought this many bags :D |
Kiyomizu-dera Buddhist temple was roughly 2 kilometers away on foot, following the route that passes by Gion Shirakawa, Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka.
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| Gion Shijo - Gion Shirakawa - Ninenzaka - Sannenzaka - Kiyomizu-dera |
Gion Shirakawa...
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| Still very quiet |
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| Seems like it is a great place for wedding pictures |
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| Malaysia Truly Asia ad :) |
Starbucks in a 100-year old machiya townhouse...
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| I wouldn't have noticed it if it wasn't for Google mp |
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| Yasaka Pagoda |
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| Everyone took out their phones for this. Too cute! |
Arrived at Kiyomizu-dera...
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| Too bad it was all covered up |
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| This is how it would have looked (courtesy of Japan Travel Guide - JW Web Magazine) |
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| This is sooooo goood |
Passing by Yasaka Shrine on the way...
Back in Gion Shirakawa...
I then took the Keihan Mainline local train to the south bound for Fushimi-Inari station. Fushimi Inari Taisha was just a short walk away, but I had to be content with the massive crowd. Well, I was part of it :D.
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| Taking the train from Gion Shijo to Fushimi-Inari |
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| The Keihan Mainline local train |
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| The street was filled up to the brim |
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| Macam pasar malam... the lane was lined up with street food vendors |
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| One of many fox statues one can find here. Each with different item in their mouth |
Before my trip started, there was a sponsored article by Nikkei Asian Review that popped up in Facebook once in a while, which zeroes in on the impacts of the soaring number of tourists flocking to Japan. And the picture is of tourists taking wefies at the Fushimi Inari Taisha ':).
It was like what the article pictured. There wasn't much breathing room when we started walking up the hiking trail that is covered by the torii gates. As we went farther up, the crowd did get lesser and lesser. You could find gaps in the crowd to take photos - selfies, wefies or what not.
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| Couldn't even get out if we wanted to because the torii gates were stacked close to one another |
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| The back of each torii gate has the names of the contributors |
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| You would need some mad skills to stop traffic and take pictures :D |
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| Wait, there's no one at all in this pic! |
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| Seems never ending |
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| Wait, we are only that far?? |
No, I didn't hike all the way up to Mount Inari. No sir :D. I stopped at, was it at the Yotsutsuji intersection? I'm not too sure. Probably it wasn't, but there was a clearing where you could view parts of Kyoto from a far.
After reaching the bottom and next, the train station, I decided to return to Osaka as I wanted to go perform my prayers before dusk (~6:30pm); I arrived back to the hotel with 15 minutes or so to spare :). I'm sure there is a mosque or Islamic prayer room in Kyoto, but I didn't bother to look. hehe.
There are many other places in Kyoto that I haven't gone to - The Imperial Palace, the Philosopher's Path, Nishiki Market, Arashiyama (monkey and bamboo forest) and several others. But I've seen what I've set in my itinerary, so I'm pretty satisfied with that.
In the evening, I had briyani chicken and palak paneer dish for dinner at Ali's Kitchen. I wanted some meat and spices in my diet today :D. Seeing that it was the last day I could use my OAP, I decided to try out a second onsen at Suminoe. Hahaha. A friend made fun of me afterwards saying that people go to onsens once a week, and I did that twice in two days :D. Well, my excuse was I needed to get my money's worth and my body rejuvenated :D.
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| Spa Suminoe |
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