Kyoto

Kyoto was everything I thought it would be and so much more. It is the home of many Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, palaces, and gardens. For a long time, Kyoto was the capital of Japan. In fact, Kyoto in itself means “capital.” You’ll find that Kyoto is a beautiful city that holds on to the customs of its past, with the culture of the present.

Is it possible to see Kyoto in one day? No. Not at all. But, we didn’t want to go to Japan without the opportunity to have a day trip and see a bit of it.

The fastest way to get to Kyoto is by taking the shinkansen or a bullet train. These tickets are not cheap. But you’ll get from Tokyo Station to Kyoto Station in approximately two and a half hours. You have the option to buy the tickets through a ticket machine, or through the ticket counters. We opted the counter because we preferred communicating with someone and not risking getting the wrong tickets. We splurged on these tickets as we got the equivalent of first class tickets, but the comfort was worth it.

The shinkansen are equipped to handle your luggages, and have trays for you to have your laptop out or eat food. If you sit on the right side, you get to enjoy the view of Mt. Fuji on a clear sunny day.

Our first stop was at the stunning Fushimi Inari. This Shinto shrine is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates.

As it is a very popular touristic spot, I recommend getting there before 8 AM if possible to avoid the tourist groups that come thereafter.

The temples are splendid. Very ornate and the attention to detail is exquisite. From what I’ve read, hiking all the way to the top of the summit can take up to 2-3 hours. We obviously didn’t go that far as we were short on time. The hike is a very peaceful one though. The higher you climb, the more quiet it gets. Along the way, if you get hungry, you can stop by for amazing treats. We had some delicious pork buns.

Also note that there are sightings of monkeys at times. You’ll see many signs that say you shouldn’t interact with them because they can be hostile. We didn’t see any along the way.

Thereafter, we returned to Kyoto Station to have some lunch. Kyoto Station is huge!! You can easily get lost in that maze. But it is so fun because they have many treats to take as souvenirs as well as a variety of foods to try.

From there, we took the train to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Honestly, I didn’t have  high expectations for this place simply because of its notoriety. I imagined huge crowds; which for me is a turn off. And yes, there were lots of people. Don’t get me wrong, the bamboo forest is beautiful. But I wish I would have been able to experience it in silence.

Thereon, we walked back to the train to visit Gion. Gion was such a delight! Here, we saw the traditional styled houses I envisioned in my mind. You’d see girls dressed in traditional kimonos. Geisha houses. Tea ceremony spots. It was beautiful. Just beautiful. There is so much to see and simply not enough time to do it all.

We visited Kyoto at what is considered “low season.” Despite the cold, we had so much fun! If I ever come back to Japan, Kyoto is where I’ll be.