Kyoto and Nara 2-Day Itinerary: Day One

Read Day 1 here - Kyoto: Kiyomizudera Temple, Nishiki Market, Ginkakuji
Read Day 2 here - Nara: Nara Park, Todaiji Temple, Kofuji Temple

We started off the day heading to Kyoto Station (??). It was a Sunday and there were many tourists by 10am at the station. The first time I went to Kyoto I didn't see these booths but this time there were people dressed in the tourism board's vests giving information and selling the bus day pass. The day pass is 500 yen and allows unlimited bus rides in the city that pretty much go to all the popular landmarks except for Fushimi Inari Shrine (??????).

Kiyomizudera

After getting our day pass, we took the bus to Kiyomizudera (???). It is a very popular temple and there were crowds of tourists and high school student groups. Unfortunately one of the halls were under construction so we didn't get to see that.

School group at Kiyamizudera

Most people crowd at the platform to see the temple but if you continue walking a bit further (in a downhill direction) there is a much quieter and great spot to see the temple in full view. If you continue walking down the stairs, you will reach the spot where you hiked up the stairs to buy the entrance tickets in the first place.

Alternative view of Kiyamizudera

We took the bus to Gion (??) to eat okonomiyaki lunch at Issen Yoshoku (????). There is only one item on the food menu, their okonomiyaki. Life size female mannequins in yukata sit at your table and "dine" with you which could be funny or creepy depending on your humour.

Next we walked to the Nishiki Market (???) which is boasted online as being a great place to buy souvenirs. We didn't buy souvenirs but we tried some snacks such as a baby octopus stuffed with a quail egg inside to hold up its round, plump shape.

Snacks at Nishiki Market

We took the bus to Ginkakuji (???) which I expected to be silver in colour due to the kanji name since Kinkakuji (???) is actually gold in colour. The temple turned out to be just wood but there was a pleasant garden surrounding it. I enjoyed walking around this garden more than the Kinkakuji one due to the smaller crowd but the latter's temple is definitely much more impressive looking.

Ramen dinner

After a simple dinner at a ramen shop we went shopping at Teramachi Shopping Arcade (???) and called it a day. Continue reading Day 2 when we go to Nara and Rinkutown Outlet in Osaka!

Read Day 1 here - Kyoto: Kiyomizudera Temple, Nishiki Market, Ginkakuji
Read Day 2 here - Nara: Nara Park, Todaiji Temple, Kofuji Temple

Otsu, Uji, Osaka: 1-Day Itinerary

I wanted to make the most of my Seishun 18 pass (??18???) and I was able to pack three prefectures and three cities into one day. Of course this only allowed me to see one or two sights in each city but I didn't mind because I had specific targets for each anyways.

Lake Biwa seen from Otsu, Shiga

Starting from Himeji (??) I took the JR Rapid Service to Otsu (??) which took 100 minutes because I could not ride the Shinkansen with the Seishun 18 pass. Otsu is the capital of Shiga Prefecture (???) and is one of the cities that you can see Lake Biwa (???), the largest freshwater lake in Japan.

From the JR Otsu Station, I took a city bus (200 yen) to Otsu Port to see Lake Biwa. The weather was gorgeous, albeit a bit hot and the gentle breeze made it a pleasant visit. You can rent bikes and ride along the water in the park next to the port. I ate lunch here overlooking the lake and went back to the JR station for the next destination.

Tourist street in Uji

Matcha drink in Uji

The train ride to Uji (??) in Kyoto Prefecture (???) was between 30 to 40 minutes and required one transfer in Kyoto city. From JR Uji Station, there were clear signs and photocopies of instructions for tourists to get the directions to Byodo-In Temple (???). The Byodo-In Temple has a home on one side of the 10 yen coin. The walk to the temple was about 15 minutes and on the way you pass through a souvenir street selling matcha products in every shop since that is what Uji is famous for. The admission to Byodo-In Temple cost 600 yen.

Byodo-in Temple

Comparing the temple on the back of the 10 yen

Inside is the Phoenix Hall

There were a decent number of people inside when I was there in the late afternoon but incomparable to the crowdedness of Kinkakuji (???) in Kyoto. Therefore it was more pleasant to just stand and observe the temple while comparing it to the 10 yen coin in my hand. There were some women in yukata taking photos with their friends which matched the environment very well.

Famous matcha store

After having some matcha dessert at a nearby store, I hopped on the next train to the last city and the last prefecture of the day: Osaka (??) in Osaka Prefecture. The train ride was between 50-60 minutes and required a transfer in Kyoto again.

Shinsaibashi area

Dotonbori

In Osaka, I met my friend at Shinsaibashi (???) to look around the shops and ate some takoyaki around Dotonbori (???). Osaka was very crowded and lively on this Saturday evening. We had a tabehoudai (????) dinner which means all-you-can-eat but the one we went to wasn't that great so I won't mention it.

All in all, my trip covered a decent area and I was able to go about leisurely. If I had more time, I would probably eat more matcha goodies in Uji!

Osaka