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| I was contemplating whether I should get myself a full Bento-like lunch meal, but my tummy wasn't cooperating that time; hence, I ended up with an Onigiri. |
We left our apartment around 10 am, took a train to Osaka station, and boarded the Kyo-Train Garaku to Kyoto.
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| Inside the Kyo-Train Garaku. |
Wait, what is this Kyo-Train Garaku, you ask? It's a designer train running between Osaka and Kyoto, available only on weekends. Unlike the usual trains you can ride in Japan, each train car feels like you are inside a beautiful Ryokan, with wooded interiors, ambient lighting, and plush seats that face the window, perfect for sightseeing. There are even some train cars that have a mini-Zen garden complete with rocks and gravel! What's great about this is the train fare is the same as you would have paid for an ordinary train, but the caveat is you have to take note of the specific schedule to catch this train- Oh, and you can't reserve for a seat, so you have to be quick to get your desired spot because chances are other passengers also want to have that window facing seat 🤷
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| Everyone's thoughts while waiting for the doors to open at the platform hahaha! |
I remember, during this particular part of the trip, I was trying to score tickets to Olivia Rodrigo's concert in The Philippines. That concert is pretty iconic considering she sold all her tickets for Php 1,500 each only, and basically it's a lottery on what seats you are going to get. Unfortunately, I didn't score any tickets. My consuelo de bobo for this is that I don't really like attending concerts in the Philippine Arena in Bulacan because of traffic, poor cell reception, lack of toilets, and the stress of going there 🤷
For our first night in Kyoto, I took my friends to the Pontocho Alley branch of Gyukatsu Kyoto. As per usual, there's a long line waiting outside where we were able to get seated after 15 minutes. I remember prior to being seated, we decided to hang out at the small playground nearby where we tested my friend, Zai's uber powerful zoom-in camera by pointing it to the moon Hahaha!
Anyway, back to Gyukatsu Kyoto, my friends love it! I mean, who wouldn't??? I paired my order with a cold tall glass of Highball (and a Coke Zero hahaha!)
ON TO THE ACTUAL FULL DAY IN KYOTO...
Before heading to Arashiyama, I asked them which famous Kyoto landmark they would like to see, and fortunately we all voted for Arashiyama. It is in Arashiyama that you'll see the famous Bamboo Forest as seen in popular media like Memoirs of a Geisha. But before going to the actual Bamboo Forest, we decided to pay the admission fee to Tenryuji-temple and its surrounding gardens.
Is it worth it, though? Yes! There are a lot of breathtaking sights to see, and it really feels calming to see so much greenery. Although it's highly important to wear comfy and sensible shoes due to how many steps you'll have to take to check out the different areas... oh, and a lot of stairs too!
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| Quintessential Photo hahaha! |
We cannot go to Arashiyama without going to the spot where Ken proposed, of course! So, I showed them how to go there, and they were surprised at how steep the steps are going to the riverside!
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| It was so hot that time; the Mango slushie helped cool my insides! |
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| We checked out the Donguri/Studio Ghibli store near Kiyomizu-dera |
As much as we want to still go to Fushimi Inari to see the Tori Gates, we decided to opt for Kiyomizu-dera considering the proximity and the number of sites we can check out along the way. Unlike the usual way of riding trains, we took a bus after riding the Randen Tram line from Arashiyama, which took as longer due to the traffic BUT it's a more comfortable choice vs. taking another train.
On the way to Kiyomizu-dera, we had to walk to this narrow alley with such high incline that by the time we arrived at the Donguri, I was gasping for air I am soooo out of shape it's embarrasing. While at Donguri I was on a hunt to buy any When Marnie Was There merch, but lo an behold, they don't so I ended up buying a Porco Rosso post card instead.
Just a head's up, there's an admission to go to Kiyomizu-dera, but don't worry it's less than ¥1,000 per person. I remember at that time, there were SOOOOO many people! There was a part where if you wanna go inside the temple, you have to remove your shoes and leave it, which is a big no-no for me! I mean, sure my Adidas Ultraboosts are probably cheaper than other people's footwear, but imagine if someone out there accidentally kicked it to oblivion and leaving me with no choice but to trek the same path barefoot???? Que Horror!
You know, despite the huge crowd, I still think it's worth it to see it. I don't really have a heavy justification why so, simply because it feels amazing to see it in person vs. just seeing it in photos or videos
On our way down back to Gion, we had a quick Matcha break at the Matcha house. When in Rome, I got myself a Matcha drink + the Matcha Tiramisu. If my memory serves me right, I paid around ¥1,500 for the set- not bad.
After having our break at The Matcha House, we decided to go our on ways and just meet up at the hotel afterwards. My friends decided to visit the Pokemon Center in Kyoto, while I opted to go to B-Side Label and Lashingbang-since they are just in front of each other hahaha!
What's B-Side Label? Simple explanation is it's a sticker shop that offers cool designs from local artists. They have everything! From Anime to Kyoto-themed ones. Ken is a huge sticker collector, so I decided to get him a couple of stickers as pasalubong.
Across B-Side Label is Lashinbang, a store that sells 2nd-hand toys. For snobs who only buys brand new, don't worry they sell almost perfect, never-been-opened toys that can rival a brand new one. I was able to spot a failry priced Urusei Yatsura figure and 2 SpyxFamily Q-Posket figures under ¥1,000 each! Imagine, here in the Philippines they sell Q-Poskets for ₱800 or around $15.00, but in Japan it goes for around $6-7.00! What a steal, right?
When I arrived at the hotel, my friends are not yet there, so I decided to just grab some food at the nearby 7Eleven and eat it at the hotel room while I tried my best to film an unboxing video-it was horrible, I'll make sure it won't see the light of day hahaha!
THE NEXT DAY...
We checked out of our hotel and headed for Kyoto station to take the bullet train to our last destination: NAGOYA.
If given a chance, I would have loved spending a week in Kyoto, because I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of that amazing city. I haven't seen the seaside nor that place where you ride a chair lift an have an awesome view of the sea. Hopefully someday we can do that *fingers crossed*
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| Somedayyyyy! |
Aaaaand that's it for the Kyoto "Interlude" 💓 Until next time!
Love Always,
Nicole
