What a great report, I am following with interest as we have a trip in the works for November. We also like to walk, see museums, gardens, and eat well. Night life, not so much.

I have our name in for Hotel Mume (thank you progol ) and hope to hear back at some point from them with a confirmation for our 6 nights in Kyoto. As a back-up I will book The Cross Hotel which sounds from your report very nice indeed.

After Kyoto we are going to Hiroshima and Miyajima, but for just 1 night. I saw your description of Auberge Watanabe and reserved there in the Momiji room. Hopefully we will not have a terrible, no good, very bad day getting there. I am forewarned!

Thank you, francebound. I'm sure you will be happy with either option in Kyoto, although they will be different experiences. It will be more of a straight shot from Kyoto to Miyajima than we had going from Takamatsu. I'm sure all will be well.

November 12 – Day 21 – Kyoto

We wanted to revisit some of the temples to the north that we toured in 2019. At that time my husband found an article on temple walks that incorporated the Philosopher’s Path, and it had made for a full and fulfilling day. After another good breakfast at Shinshindo we were set. (There was a branch of Shinshindo just around the corner from the hotel where we ate breakfast every day. They have lovely baked goods and western style breakfasts. I usually had yogurt. DH enjoyed the soup and quiche special. We usually took pastries to go.)

We caught the subway to the zoo, crossed the street, walked through a tunnel, and we were at the beginning of a series of temples while walking north. We began our visits with Konchi-in with its walking path and famous Crane and Turtle dry garden. This temple is a great first visit as it doesn’t attract the crowds of some of the larger complexes, and yet there is a lot to take in. The mountain backdrop is an excellent demonstration of “borrowed scenery”. I recommend that you don’t pass this one by. It’s also a great place to visit at the end of a day on your feet, as you can sit on the balcony and contemplate the garden to your heart’s and feet’s content.

Our next stop along the road was the Nazenji Temple complex where we made the climb to the observation balcony of the sanmon gate. It provided a great overlook of the trees just beginning to color, and also of a procession of some kind that, unfortunately, meant that some of the sub-temples in the complex were closed. I especially wanted to revisit Tenju-en, but it was not to be. The series of dry gardens at the Hojo are worth seeing.

Eikan-do Temple was next, and the crowds were beginning to form. The tea house was open across from the pond, and people were enjoying the scenery and the sunny day. After Eikan-do, the walk north on the street becomes somewhat boring for a while. We stopped for a curry lunch that shone in DH’s memory from our previous trip. It was a disappointment, but fine. The difference may have been that previously we were the only customers, and we watched the curry being made from scratch. This time around, the little cafe was swamped, and we saw the curry poured from large gallon jugs.

Somewhat restored we made our way on to Honen-in with its glass sculpture in the garden and twin sand mountains. There was a little crafts sale going on in a small exhibition hall of felted scarves and clothing which were popular several years ago. Lovely, but I took a pass. Both times we’ve been to this small, woodsy temple we’ve had it almost to ourselves. It’s definitely worth a stop.

Finally Ginkaku-ji -the Silver Pavilion – with its gorgeous dry garden and wooded overlook. We definitely hit it at a bad time, and it felt like we were in a conga line with no way to step out. Despite the crowd, we were able to find a space near the top of the hill to take it all in. Lovely.

While there wasn’t much yet in the way of fall color, a day of temple hopping is a good day. We found ourselves wanting to revisit a few favorites from 2019, but our points of reference weren’t helpful as they are “The one with the beautiful bride”, or “The one with the tuffets in the open-air pavilion”. Now that we’re home I’ve found that these were Tenju-en (closed) and the worship hall in front of the mausoleum at Chion-in.

Done for the day we made the walk downhill to the bus stop and the now familiar ride down Kawaramachi to our hotel. We had dinner at Tousuiro Kiyamachi specializing in tofu. I found out about this restaurant through the Fodor’s trip reports (note to self: In the future, attach Fodorite’s name to the recommendation). We thought it would be an interesting experience, and our hotel was able to get us a same day reservation. The restaurant is pretty, with tatami mat booths and a counter. We were offered our choice of two set menus. We opted for the vegetarian was the regular had a few items we don’t care for – cuttlefish and fish ovaries. In retrospect, we should have gone with the regular as there was a bit too much turnip this and turnip that. The menu changes with the season, so don’t let that dissuade you. The tofu, served in its boiling bath with broth on the side was excellent. Overall we were glad we went, although we’ve had less expensive Kaiseki meals. Make your own decision. As usual, there was too much food.

I've been composing this trip report in LibreOffice and then pasting here. I've just noticed that some punctuation isn't transferring. I really do know how to punctuate, and promise to do a better proof read of the transferred copy in the future!

November 13 – Day 22 – Kyoto

What to do? The Netsuke Museum and the Nishiki Market were still on my list of possible things to do as our time in Japan drew to a close. We threw a dart in the direction of a temple we had not visited, and headed to the Daitoku-ji Monastery with all its sub-temples. With over twenty sub-temples, only four are open to the public. We took the bus, which took us down a major street we had not yet seen that was filled with all the big name fashion stores.

Daitoku-ji Monastery has over twenty sub-temples, but only four are open to the public. We were perfectly fine with that, although there was one off-limits building that enticed us with a peek of a beautiful bamboo-lined walk. Our visit here turned out to be a very low-key, enjoyable day. The various dry gardens are beautiful, and walking along part of one pathway lined with conifers felt like being in the forest. Highly recommend if you have already made it to the major temples, and want to see more gardens with fewer crowds.

On the way back to the bus we stopped in a little cafe for a bowl of soba which hit the spot as a chilly wind had picked up. The botanical garden was along the route, so that filled the last part of the late afternoon. It was near closing time so we didn’t purchase the extra ticket for the green house. Once inside the park, and seeing the enormity of the green house, we felt we had made a huge mistake. It may have been more frustrating, though, not to have had enough time to take it all in. The garden is impressive enough that DH purchased a tee shirt commemorating its 100th anniversary.

We left as the park closed, and waited for our bus in a cold wind off the river. At our stop, my husband, with his pocket full of coins, got off first. It was at this point that my Suica card ran dry, buzzers sounded, and I had to chase him down to come back to ransom me while a bus full of commuters looked on.

Dinner was at Kappo Saraku, a repeat from our previous trip when we dined there twice. If you search the restaurant name you can download a page in English with all the restaurant details. This is not a drop-in restaurant. Reservations must be made in advance, and it is best to do that by email at info at kyotosaraku dot com. We were thrilled that Sansuke-san was able to keep his restaurant alive during Covid. He was interested to learn about our trip, and how it compared to our first visit to Japan. The taste, beauty, and creativity of his creations were dining highlights of both our trips.

November 14 – Day 23 – Kyoto to San Francico International Airport

Our last day with a 6:30 p.m. flight out of Kansai in Osaka. We had one last breakfast at Shinshindo, even passing up the cinnamon donuts. We checked out, put our bags in the hold, reserved our space on the “luxury” bus to Kansai, and headed out.

We had one last beautiful sunny clear-sky day. We took the bus to the Seishu Netsuke Art Museum. Based in a former samurai residence, the collection rotates monthly selected from over 5,000 items. On display were mostly contemporary works which were much larger than what we have seen before, and some were painted. It’s a tribute to the culture that this complex art form lives on.

After the museum we mostly did the type of aimless wandering around one tends to do when trying to fill a bit of time before heading to the airport. The concierge at the hotel recommended the bus over the train. She mentioned stairs and multiple levels, and it may be that she thought it would be difficult to manage our luggage. We use carry on, and we probably would have been fine. It was slightly confusing to find the luxury bus, even following signs, so either take a taxi to the Avanti building, or the following may be of some help. Arriving at Kyoto Station, follow the signs for Bus, then signs for Avanti Building. When you finally see a sign for “Bus to KIX”, follow it. Once above ground outside, face the Avanti Building, and on the far left will be a ticket office inside for the bus. Use the machine inside to get your ticket. There was a helpful English- speaking agent to tell us how to manage getting our reserved tickets. Get on the bus.

We had a smooth, traffic-free ride to KIX with enough time in the lounge to hydrate and have a snack. We had aisle seats, bulkhead, and both of us had an empty seat next to us. It’s good to be lucky! The purser wished me “Happy Birthday”, and treated me to a cheese plate and an ice cream sundae. (Lactaid was not included.)

Thanks for your patience in following along. I hope that this report helps. Do not be afraid to travel independently in Japan. Signs are in English, Google Translate works, people are helpful.

Thank you for sharing. You've allowed me to relive some of my own visits through you and provided food for thought for a future visit.

Thank you tripplanner001. I've begun to read your trip reports. You have had some incredible trips!

You're welcome. I definitely consider myself very fortunate to be able to do the amount of travel I've done.