Kyoto and beyond - 9 days trip in April 2014
Oct 22nd, 2014, 01:50 PM
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Kyoto and beyond - 9 days trip in April 2014
This is a belated trip report. We were hoping to catch the peak of cherry blossom in Kyoto area in this trip. We were in Kyoto in 2010 (March 29 to April 2) and was a little early for the peak blossom (about 40%-60% blossom, still beautiful). Below is the itinerary and description of the trip.
4/5: flying out of NYC in the afternoon
4/6: arriving at Osaka KIX at 6:20 pm, and checking into our hotel around 8 pm. We picked Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka because of its proximity to Namba station. After dropping off our luggage and freshened up, we walked to Dotonbori to check out the lively street and the Glica Man. We got the Octopus balls from a supposedly good stall. There was a line but it moved fast. Maybe because of the line, the octopus balls were not cooked completely. They tasted like BBQ sauced dough with bonito flakes.
4/7: We walked around the Namaba area checking out the cityscape in the morning, withdrew cash, and took the train to Koyasan around 11 am. We arrived at our temple lodging (Fudoin) about 2.5 hours later. We spent the afternoon checking Garan, walking through the cemetery and visited the Okunoin Temple. Went back to the temple for 6 pm multi-course dinner. Walked around a little bit after dinner and had an early night.
4/8: We attended the morning ceremony. It was a very interesting experience. After the ceremony and breakfast, we explored the rest of Koyasan. We left Koyasan around noon for Nara.
We arrived at Nara around mid afternoon and checked into our lodging for the night (Asukasou). It is a hotel with onsen and provides some Ryokan experience (tatami room, multi-course meal served in room). It may not be the fanciest Ryokan but we enjoyed it very much.
We actually liked Nara more than we thought we would. In addition to Todaji Temple, Kofukuji Temple, Kasuga Shrine is also lovely to visit. While walking down from Kasuga Shrine, we encountered the most beautiful cherry blossoms sight in this trip - a forest of cherry trees with full white blossoms. Maybe it was late in the day, or maybe most day visitors did not go to this part, we only saw a few other visitors and a couple photographers. The last hour of light before dark combined with the forest of blossoming trees made it seem almost dream-like.
We went back to our hotel and had dinner (very good). I spent some time soaking in the outdoor onsen and we called it a day.
4/9: We spent the morning walking around the Naramachi and visited the Isuien Garden. Both were really lovely and I would recommend them. Seeing locals walking around the Sarusawa pond and feeding cats in the morning was delightful. Around early afternoon, we took the train for Kyoto. We stopped at Uji and spent about 5 hours there. We really liked Uji. Out favorites include walking along the river and Byodoin. A visit to Mampukuji is also interesting if one has some extra time.
After Uji, we continued on to Kyoto and arrived at our lodging for the next three nights around 8:00 pm. We stayed in Westin Hotel near Keage station in 2010. This time we decided to stay in a traditional townhouse (Machiya). The machiya experience was great. It is in a residential area close to Shijo/Karasuma. We had dinner at a Japanese cafeteria style place (good and inexpensive), picked up some water from the supermarket and finished the day.
To be continued ......
4/5: flying out of NYC in the afternoon
4/6: arriving at Osaka KIX at 6:20 pm, and checking into our hotel around 8 pm. We picked Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka because of its proximity to Namba station. After dropping off our luggage and freshened up, we walked to Dotonbori to check out the lively street and the Glica Man. We got the Octopus balls from a supposedly good stall. There was a line but it moved fast. Maybe because of the line, the octopus balls were not cooked completely. They tasted like BBQ sauced dough with bonito flakes.
4/7: We walked around the Namaba area checking out the cityscape in the morning, withdrew cash, and took the train to Koyasan around 11 am. We arrived at our temple lodging (Fudoin) about 2.5 hours later. We spent the afternoon checking Garan, walking through the cemetery and visited the Okunoin Temple. Went back to the temple for 6 pm multi-course dinner. Walked around a little bit after dinner and had an early night.
4/8: We attended the morning ceremony. It was a very interesting experience. After the ceremony and breakfast, we explored the rest of Koyasan. We left Koyasan around noon for Nara.
We arrived at Nara around mid afternoon and checked into our lodging for the night (Asukasou). It is a hotel with onsen and provides some Ryokan experience (tatami room, multi-course meal served in room). It may not be the fanciest Ryokan but we enjoyed it very much.
We actually liked Nara more than we thought we would. In addition to Todaji Temple, Kofukuji Temple, Kasuga Shrine is also lovely to visit. While walking down from Kasuga Shrine, we encountered the most beautiful cherry blossoms sight in this trip - a forest of cherry trees with full white blossoms. Maybe it was late in the day, or maybe most day visitors did not go to this part, we only saw a few other visitors and a couple photographers. The last hour of light before dark combined with the forest of blossoming trees made it seem almost dream-like.
We went back to our hotel and had dinner (very good). I spent some time soaking in the outdoor onsen and we called it a day.
4/9: We spent the morning walking around the Naramachi and visited the Isuien Garden. Both were really lovely and I would recommend them. Seeing locals walking around the Sarusawa pond and feeding cats in the morning was delightful. Around early afternoon, we took the train for Kyoto. We stopped at Uji and spent about 5 hours there. We really liked Uji. Out favorites include walking along the river and Byodoin. A visit to Mampukuji is also interesting if one has some extra time.
After Uji, we continued on to Kyoto and arrived at our lodging for the next three nights around 8:00 pm. We stayed in Westin Hotel near Keage station in 2010. This time we decided to stay in a traditional townhouse (Machiya). The machiya experience was great. It is in a residential area close to Shijo/Karasuma. We had dinner at a Japanese cafeteria style place (good and inexpensive), picked up some water from the supermarket and finished the day.
To be continued ......
Oct 24th, 2014, 11:03 AM
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4/10 and 4/11: Since we visited Kyoto before and hit many of the must see sites that time, we did a half-day trip out of the city (Kurama-Kibune), visited places we did not get to last time, and wandered around. I am listing the highlights for us from both trips:
- Walking the philosopher's path: we did it in both directions and liked the walk from Keage incline to Ginkaku-ji better. We started early (around 8ish) and had peace and quiet to enjoy the walk.
- Nanzen-ji: Probably our favorite temple in Kyoto that we have visited. It has beautiful garden and wooden walkway and interesting old aqueduct. The copper rain chain hanging off the roof by the wooden path really added the atmosphere. When we visited in the morning, it was not crowded and felt serene.
- Kinkaku-ji: It was crowded but we still liked it quite a bit. The best part was seeing the golden pavilion and its reflection in the pond in a clear day. We got some nice pictures, including one of a crane looking at its reflection in the pond and one of a monk taking a photo of the golden pavilion, reminding me of the novel of the same name by Yukio Mishima (based on true event).
- Kurama-Kibune: Nice temple and shrine. The hike between the towns was pleasant. However, the hike up to Kurama can be pretty steep (rewarding view at the top though). We had soba noodle with Ayu in Kibune for lunch, simple and tasty. We were too early in the season for the river dining but that looked very enjoyable for the warm weather.
- Miyako-odori: Very enjoyable and I will recommend that to anyone visiting during the cherry blossom season. Beautiful stage sets, fantastic group maiko dances, different short geisha performances of traditional folk stories. The program was about 1 hour long. We bought the special class tickets which included the tea ceremony before the performance (4,500 yen per person). The tea ceremony was okay. It was pretty rushed. However, I would still recommend buying the special class tickets because you get the premium seats. We were seating in the middle of the the first row in the balcony which has the full view of the stage and both sides.
- Sagano-Arashiyama: We only reached the beginning of Saga-Torimoto preserved street the first time. We started with Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple in our second visit and made our way back to Arashiyama station. We liked the Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple. It was quirky and interesting. We loved seeing the different expressions of the stone statues. Adashino-Nembutsuji Temple was very interesting as well. The walk in Saga area was beautiful and tranquil, very different from the busiest part in Arashiyama. We also enjoyed Arashiyama, especially the park and walking by the river. The bamboo forest is best either early morning or late afternoon when the crowd is small.
- Sanjusangendo and Heian Shrine: Both are very interesting places to visit with nice gardens.
- Nijo Castle: Really enjoyed it.
- Fushimi Inari: The shrine was nice. We hiked to the summit. The bottom of the torii gates were full of visitors and the crowd started disappearing the higher we went. On the way to the summit, we saw shrine cemeteries with small torii on the tombstones and stone fox sculptures. It was a nice hike and we enjoyed it.
Old Kyoto is beautiful and we enjoyed pretty much all the places we visited. Above are just the few things that come to my mind first.
A few things we liked and would like to share with fellow Kyoto travelers:
- Try taking Ishibe Koji on the way to Kiyomizu temple (or just walk through it if you are close by). A beautiful traditional street with very few tourists.
- Listen for the traditional Japanese tunes on the Kyoto subway going east-west (Tozai line) when the doors close. One melody for each direction. We thought it was pretty neat.
- Stop by the silkworm cocoon craft store. The main store is on the preserved street close to Adashino-Nembutsuji Temple in Arashiyama-Sagano. Adorable animals and Japanese dolls all hand made of cocoon by the store owner. Probably the only such shop in the world (I read there is an affiliate store close to Tenryu-ji run by the owner's brother). I think they make very unique souvenirs/gifts and are reasonably priced (staring from around 1,200 yen).
- Visit the Kyoto Imperial Palace during the Spring or Fall public days. No need for advanced reservation and much easier to fit into schedule.
Restaurants we liked:
- Okutan, Nanzenji branch: we had lunch there. Interesting set of tofu dishes.
- Hiro Yakiniku, Pontocho branch: Great Wagyu beef. The diners grill the beef themselves with different accompanying seasoning/dip.
- Asuhenotobira: close to Nishiki market. We had shabu shabu and tried a side dish of grilled horse meat. Good food and friendly staff.
- Japanese cafeteria-style restaurant: a la carte Japanese home-cooking style food. Inexpensive and casual. We thought it was a fun and tasty experience.
- Walking the philosopher's path: we did it in both directions and liked the walk from Keage incline to Ginkaku-ji better. We started early (around 8ish) and had peace and quiet to enjoy the walk.
- Nanzen-ji: Probably our favorite temple in Kyoto that we have visited. It has beautiful garden and wooden walkway and interesting old aqueduct. The copper rain chain hanging off the roof by the wooden path really added the atmosphere. When we visited in the morning, it was not crowded and felt serene.
- Kinkaku-ji: It was crowded but we still liked it quite a bit. The best part was seeing the golden pavilion and its reflection in the pond in a clear day. We got some nice pictures, including one of a crane looking at its reflection in the pond and one of a monk taking a photo of the golden pavilion, reminding me of the novel of the same name by Yukio Mishima (based on true event).
- Kurama-Kibune: Nice temple and shrine. The hike between the towns was pleasant. However, the hike up to Kurama can be pretty steep (rewarding view at the top though). We had soba noodle with Ayu in Kibune for lunch, simple and tasty. We were too early in the season for the river dining but that looked very enjoyable for the warm weather.
- Miyako-odori: Very enjoyable and I will recommend that to anyone visiting during the cherry blossom season. Beautiful stage sets, fantastic group maiko dances, different short geisha performances of traditional folk stories. The program was about 1 hour long. We bought the special class tickets which included the tea ceremony before the performance (4,500 yen per person). The tea ceremony was okay. It was pretty rushed. However, I would still recommend buying the special class tickets because you get the premium seats. We were seating in the middle of the the first row in the balcony which has the full view of the stage and both sides.
- Sagano-Arashiyama: We only reached the beginning of Saga-Torimoto preserved street the first time. We started with Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple in our second visit and made our way back to Arashiyama station. We liked the Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple. It was quirky and interesting. We loved seeing the different expressions of the stone statues. Adashino-Nembutsuji Temple was very interesting as well. The walk in Saga area was beautiful and tranquil, very different from the busiest part in Arashiyama. We also enjoyed Arashiyama, especially the park and walking by the river. The bamboo forest is best either early morning or late afternoon when the crowd is small.
- Sanjusangendo and Heian Shrine: Both are very interesting places to visit with nice gardens.
- Nijo Castle: Really enjoyed it.
- Fushimi Inari: The shrine was nice. We hiked to the summit. The bottom of the torii gates were full of visitors and the crowd started disappearing the higher we went. On the way to the summit, we saw shrine cemeteries with small torii on the tombstones and stone fox sculptures. It was a nice hike and we enjoyed it.
Old Kyoto is beautiful and we enjoyed pretty much all the places we visited. Above are just the few things that come to my mind first.
A few things we liked and would like to share with fellow Kyoto travelers:
- Try taking Ishibe Koji on the way to Kiyomizu temple (or just walk through it if you are close by). A beautiful traditional street with very few tourists.
- Listen for the traditional Japanese tunes on the Kyoto subway going east-west (Tozai line) when the doors close. One melody for each direction. We thought it was pretty neat.
- Stop by the silkworm cocoon craft store. The main store is on the preserved street close to Adashino-Nembutsuji Temple in Arashiyama-Sagano. Adorable animals and Japanese dolls all hand made of cocoon by the store owner. Probably the only such shop in the world (I read there is an affiliate store close to Tenryu-ji run by the owner's brother). I think they make very unique souvenirs/gifts and are reasonably priced (staring from around 1,200 yen).
- Visit the Kyoto Imperial Palace during the Spring or Fall public days. No need for advanced reservation and much easier to fit into schedule.
Restaurants we liked:
- Okutan, Nanzenji branch: we had lunch there. Interesting set of tofu dishes.
- Hiro Yakiniku, Pontocho branch: Great Wagyu beef. The diners grill the beef themselves with different accompanying seasoning/dip.
- Asuhenotobira: close to Nishiki market. We had shabu shabu and tried a side dish of grilled horse meat. Good food and friendly staff.
- Japanese cafeteria-style restaurant: a la carte Japanese home-cooking style food. Inexpensive and casual. We thought it was a fun and tasty experience.
Oct 27th, 2014, 07:12 AM
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4/12: We left Kyoto for Takayama around 11 am and arrived at Takayama around 2 pm. We stayed at Hotel Associa. After checking in and quickly freshening up, we took the shuttle bus back to town.
We visited Takayama Jinya and found it very interesting and informative. We then walked around the old town, checked out some stores and bought a Hida-Ema drawing and some paper crafts. We also checked out a couple sake breweries and did a tasting. We had dinner at Le Midi and tried Hida beef. Very tasty.
We went back to the hotel, checked out the onsen facilities (two separate floors for men and women rotating every day), and finished the day.
4/13: We took the 8:50 am bus for Shirakawago and got there around 9:40 am. We walked around the village, toured a couple thatched roof houses and went up to the observation deck for the view. One thing in particular we thought was fun was the visit to the Hachiman Shrine Festival Hall. The exhibit was pretty small but interesting. In addition, they gave you home made unfiltered sake on your way out.
We took the 1:15 pm bus back to Takayama and arrived around 2 pm. We then took the bus to Hida Folk Village. It was a pretty neat place to visit. The village shows different styles of traditional local houses and it is nice to just walk around. Definitely worth a visit. We dropped in a quirky place for a quick visit while waiting for our return bus - the Seven Gods of Good Fortune Museum. It is a sculpture shop at the end the parking lot. The shop owner was inspired to create the tallest wood carving and applied to the Guiness World Records. Unfortunately, the World Records informed him that a totem pole was taller than his carving. The seven gods sculptures are in the backyard behind the shop and are pretty impressive. Worth the 500 yen admission fee and it was a nice add-on to the visit to Hida Folk Village.
We went back to town, had Ramen for dinner, and went back to the hotel for the outdoor onsen.
After using the Associa Hotel onsen on two days at different time, my favorite was using it about 6:30 am in the morning. There was no one around for 20-30 minutes. Seeing the steam from the onsen in the crisp morning air was great.
4/14: After checking out of the hotel, we went to the train station and put our luggage in the lockers. We walked through the old town, seeing the carriers maneuvering to get floats out of the narrow storehouses. It was not crowded yet and we were able to see the intricate carvings and decorations of those floats up close. We thought that was really neat.
We then waited for the mechanical puppets performance. Since we did not want to stand in one spot for more than an hour for the best view, we were pretty far away from those floats. We were able to see the performance in the distance, but not close enough to see the details. We did not stay for the procession and the evening parade, but we had fun seeing the floats.
We caught the train to Nagiso around noon and arrived around 4. We shared a taxi with another couple arriving on the same train to Tsumago. After checking in at our accommodation for the night (Fujioto), we walked around the town until dinner time. Dinner at Fujioto was delicious. One unusual dish was the marinated baby wasps. We thought they tasted just like sweet beans
4/15: We were planning to use the luggage forwarding service and hiked to Magome, but the owner of Fujioto recommended hiking back from Magome because it would be easier. We took his advice, took a bus to Magome, and hiked back to Tsumago. The hike took about 3 hours and was pleasant. Both Magome and Tsumago were charming towns. Magome has more shops while Tsumago feels more quaint. We visited the wakihonjin in Tsumago. The guide was very friendly and we enjoyed the visit greatly.
We took the bus to Nagiso station and then onto the train for Nagoya. We arrived in Nagoya late in the afternoon. After checking in at the hotel, we walked around the area close to the station, spent some time browsing at Takashiyama and had dinner. We then went back to the hotel for the night.
4/16: We took the train to the airport and concluded our lovely visit.
We visited Takayama Jinya and found it very interesting and informative. We then walked around the old town, checked out some stores and bought a Hida-Ema drawing and some paper crafts. We also checked out a couple sake breweries and did a tasting. We had dinner at Le Midi and tried Hida beef. Very tasty.
We went back to the hotel, checked out the onsen facilities (two separate floors for men and women rotating every day), and finished the day.
4/13: We took the 8:50 am bus for Shirakawago and got there around 9:40 am. We walked around the village, toured a couple thatched roof houses and went up to the observation deck for the view. One thing in particular we thought was fun was the visit to the Hachiman Shrine Festival Hall. The exhibit was pretty small but interesting. In addition, they gave you home made unfiltered sake on your way out.
We took the 1:15 pm bus back to Takayama and arrived around 2 pm. We then took the bus to Hida Folk Village. It was a pretty neat place to visit. The village shows different styles of traditional local houses and it is nice to just walk around. Definitely worth a visit. We dropped in a quirky place for a quick visit while waiting for our return bus - the Seven Gods of Good Fortune Museum. It is a sculpture shop at the end the parking lot. The shop owner was inspired to create the tallest wood carving and applied to the Guiness World Records. Unfortunately, the World Records informed him that a totem pole was taller than his carving. The seven gods sculptures are in the backyard behind the shop and are pretty impressive. Worth the 500 yen admission fee and it was a nice add-on to the visit to Hida Folk Village.
We went back to town, had Ramen for dinner, and went back to the hotel for the outdoor onsen.
After using the Associa Hotel onsen on two days at different time, my favorite was using it about 6:30 am in the morning. There was no one around for 20-30 minutes. Seeing the steam from the onsen in the crisp morning air was great.
4/14: After checking out of the hotel, we went to the train station and put our luggage in the lockers. We walked through the old town, seeing the carriers maneuvering to get floats out of the narrow storehouses. It was not crowded yet and we were able to see the intricate carvings and decorations of those floats up close. We thought that was really neat.
We then waited for the mechanical puppets performance. Since we did not want to stand in one spot for more than an hour for the best view, we were pretty far away from those floats. We were able to see the performance in the distance, but not close enough to see the details. We did not stay for the procession and the evening parade, but we had fun seeing the floats.
We caught the train to Nagiso around noon and arrived around 4. We shared a taxi with another couple arriving on the same train to Tsumago. After checking in at our accommodation for the night (Fujioto), we walked around the town until dinner time. Dinner at Fujioto was delicious. One unusual dish was the marinated baby wasps. We thought they tasted just like sweet beans
4/15: We were planning to use the luggage forwarding service and hiked to Magome, but the owner of Fujioto recommended hiking back from Magome because it would be easier. We took his advice, took a bus to Magome, and hiked back to Tsumago. The hike took about 3 hours and was pleasant. Both Magome and Tsumago were charming towns. Magome has more shops while Tsumago feels more quaint. We visited the wakihonjin in Tsumago. The guide was very friendly and we enjoyed the visit greatly.
We took the bus to Nagiso station and then onto the train for Nagoya. We arrived in Nagoya late in the afternoon. After checking in at the hotel, we walked around the area close to the station, spent some time browsing at Takashiyama and had dinner. We then went back to the hotel for the night.
4/16: We took the train to the airport and concluded our lovely visit.
Jan 16th, 2015, 10:07 PM
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Fantastic trip report, especially Kyoto. Based on your report I just made reservations for the Imperial Palace in April.
We're also staying at Fujioto in Tsumago. Did the ryokan keep your luggage for you while you were hiking from Magome back to Tsumago? We are trying to figure out the logistics of how to do this. We need to check out of the inn in the morning and do the hike that same day and are wondering what to do with our luggage. Our next stop is Karuizawa...maybe send our luggage on to the next stop while we hike?
thanks!
We're also staying at Fujioto in Tsumago. Did the ryokan keep your luggage for you while you were hiking from Magome back to Tsumago? We are trying to figure out the logistics of how to do this. We need to check out of the inn in the morning and do the hike that same day and are wondering what to do with our luggage. Our next stop is Karuizawa...maybe send our luggage on to the next stop while we hike?
thanks!
Feb 3rd, 2015, 12:57 PM
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Hello, leslieq:
Sorry about the late response. Yes, we left our luggage at Fujioto. We originally planned to use the luggage forwarding service. However, the owner of Fujioto recommended to go from Magome to Tsumago. We took the bus to Magome and worked our way back. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Sorry about the late response. Yes, we left our luggage at Fujioto. We originally planned to use the luggage forwarding service. However, the owner of Fujioto recommended to go from Magome to Tsumago. We took the bus to Magome and worked our way back. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Feb 5th, 2015, 09:45 PM
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Hi lovetoroam,
We're still pondering which day to do the hike. We're coming from Kyoto and I had originally thought that we should get to Tsumago early and do the hike the afternoon before we check into Fujioto. However, I bet the ryokan has dinner early (maybe 6?) so we'll be hurrying to get back for dinner. Then the next day we have to get to our next stop Karuzaiwa. More pressure...! I had hoped to have a relaxed hike without having a deadline but guess we just have to pick one. It sounds like you did this easily after checking out of Fujioto, so that's what we will probably do. Just checked the ryokan and check-out is by 10 so hope that will give us plenty of time. Thanks for the help! Leslie
We're still pondering which day to do the hike. We're coming from Kyoto and I had originally thought that we should get to Tsumago early and do the hike the afternoon before we check into Fujioto. However, I bet the ryokan has dinner early (maybe 6?) so we'll be hurrying to get back for dinner. Then the next day we have to get to our next stop Karuzaiwa. More pressure...! I had hoped to have a relaxed hike without having a deadline but guess we just have to pick one. It sounds like you did this easily after checking out of Fujioto, so that's what we will probably do. Just checked the ryokan and check-out is by 10 so hope that will give us plenty of time. Thanks for the help! Leslie
Feb 6th, 2015, 12:53 PM
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Hi leslieq:
I think what Mara suggested makes a lot of sense. You may be able to drop off your luggage at the Magome tourist office, use the forwarding service, and pick them up when you get to Tsumago if you leave Kyoto early in the morning. I believe the cut off time for the drop off in Magome is 11:30 am.
I think what Mara suggested makes a lot of sense. You may be able to drop off your luggage at the Magome tourist office, use the forwarding service, and pick them up when you get to Tsumago if you leave Kyoto early in the morning. I believe the cut off time for the drop off in Magome is 11:30 am.
Feb 6th, 2015, 01:30 PM
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Exactly, lovetoroam....you finished reading my mind...lol...and sorry to hijack your original TR which I enjoyed reading...
fyi, here is the Magome website - it's in Japanese but you can probably translate it with a translation tool that works with your browser. I use rikaichan with Firefox:
http://www.kiso-magome.com/migarunatabi.html
The luggage forwarding service info is toward the bottom....
The day I did the hike I started from Nagoya - but Kyoto is only under an hour away by train....
fyi, here is the Magome website - it's in Japanese but you can probably translate it with a translation tool that works with your browser. I use rikaichan with Firefox:
http://www.kiso-magome.com/migarunatabi.html
The luggage forwarding service info is toward the bottom....
The day I did the hike I started from Nagoya - but Kyoto is only under an hour away by train....
