Ivy Rose Travels: Japan & Vietnam Part 2, Kyoto

So when I last left you, we just arrived at our hotel in Kyoto. We quickly dropped our bags off and headed out to explore as we only had two days in Kyoto,  and my parents had quite a schedule planned for us. I'll briefly run through the six major stops we made throughout the two days along with pictures and my general thoughts. Each name of a stop is linked to a site that provides much more detailed information, including specific locations, nearby restaurants and shopping opportunities, travel info, etc. As I am setting out to present a much more personal account of my experiences, I went ahead and found some wonderful resources for the previously mentioned vital information. Please make sure you click on the links and visit these other sites. We used blogs and sites similar to these throughout the trip and they were life (and time) savers!



Day 1
Stop 1: Kinkaku-ji Temple (a.ka. The Golden Pavillion/Temple)
We decided to take the city bus to this location since our hotel sold one-day unlimited passes and it was more cost-effective than taking the train or a taxi. The 40-minute bus ride gave us a nice opportunity to rest a bit after our morning of travel and we were REALLY energetic and ready to take in our first sight in Kyoto. Kinkaku-ji is accurately nicknamed the Golden Pavillion/Temple and although I took a million pictures it really is much more impressive in person (either that or my camera skills need a little work). I definitely thought this was a great first stop for the trip although I could tell that there was potential for the crowds to get really overwhelming so I would stick to a visit closer to opening or closing time. We were a bit hungry around this time but didn't want to stop for a full meal so we decided to have our very first taste of green tea ice cream. Check out the video at the end of the post for our reactions!



Stop 2: Gion & Higashiyama Districts

Entrance to the Yasaka Jinja shrine

Yasaka Pagoda

In order to get our money's worth from our unlimited passes we had to take at least three bus trips (each trip was 230 yen/person and an unlimited pass was 500 yen/person at the hotel).  We spent some time figuring out the routes and hopped on a bus that took us to the Gion District of Kyoto. Before we even reached the bus stop I could tell that this spot was extremely popular with tourists, many of whom were dressed in traditional geisha-style clothing as this part of Kyoto boasts the title of "most famous geisha district" in the city. During our stop here we browsed around the Yasaka Jinja Shrine, and meandered through the surrounding side streets taking in the traditional architecture that remains preserved in much of this area. About a 10-15 minute walk later we found ourselves at the Yasaka Pagoda and the Yasaka Koshindo Shrine (located in the Higashiyama sightseeing district). Both were extremely breathtaking and I put my brand new Nikon D3300 to work once again. We set off exploring the various side streets attempting to locate an interesting area my mother remembered from a previous trip to Japan 10 years ago and wound up back at the Yasaka Jinja Shrine. This time we walked further back behind it and stumbled upon Maruyama Park. In need of a break we sat on some benches and enjoyed live music from a street performer (a piece of his performance is included in the video below!). Around this time we were STARVING and began the search for food. As Gion is known for its restaurants and theaters with geisha performances we found it difficult to locate a reasonably priced meal in the area. After over an hour of searching and our energy quickly fading we decided to walk away from the Gion area and luckily came across a cute little place that served delicious noodle dishes and even Japanese Pancakes (SO GOOD!). Unfortunately we were so hungry and tired we forgot to take a picture of the spot and none of us can remember the name but it is only about 4 or 5 blocks from the Yasaka Jinja Shrine and one of two places in the area that we saw offering the Japanese Pancakes. I have footage of it's interior in the video below, which might help identify it if any of you should find yourself in Kyoto in the future.

Day 2
Stop 3: Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (a.k.a. The Bamboo Forest)
We started day 2 bright and early with a delicious Japanese-style breakfast at our hotel. I much prefer this over traditional Western breakfasts that are often served in hotels (heavy on items such as bread, pancakes, bacon, etc.). I left completely full and yet not weighed down. I'm definitely incorporating some of the components of this approach to breakfast into my daily routine. We decided to take the train this time as we had A LOT of sights to fit into one day and couldn't afford another 40-minute bus ride so early in the day. Although my mother told me exactly what the bamboo forest was, I had no idea just how gigantic the bamboo would be and the landscaping of the forest was just perfect. I think for this portion of the post I'll let the video footage and photos do the talking for me.

Stop 4: Togetsukyo Bridge
The bridge is about a 10-15 minute walk away from the bamboo forest and boasts more stunning views of the area. As a Florida girl I am always so blown away by mountainous terrain and I honestly could have stood on that bridge all day taking in the view of the water and the lush mountains in the background. However, there were many more sights to see, so after taking a few selfie-stick pics we were off and running to stop 5.

My sashimi rice bowl

Stop 5: Nashiki Market
I'm not a huge shopper but Nashiki Market provided a wonderful opportunity to note the variety of food in Japan. It was an amazing cultural experience and as much of it was seafood I was definitely in my happy place! However, I must note that if crowded spaces are not your thing you might want to skip this stop. Nashiki Market is PACKED with tourists and locals attempting to buy everything from fish to "I heart Kyoto" t-shirts. Often times we were shoulder-to-shoulder with those around us, all attempting to make it through the market. Personally, this was a bit of a struggle for me as I don't do well in big crowds, but all my worries and anxiety were quickly forgotten once I took my first bite of the greatest rice bowl w/fresh sashimi from a sushi spot near the center of the market.


Stop 6: Kiyomizu-dera Temple

View from the upper balcony

We definitely saved the best for last, heading back near the Higashiyama district where we climbed up the steep, tourist-packed street to reach our final temple visit of this portion of our trip. At this point I was kind of templed-out and definitely feeling the effects of the jet lag due to the 13-hour time difference. However, this temple was like nothing I had ever seen and we spent the next 2 hours or so exploring the massive temple, taking in the views from the various landings and balconies, and exploring the preserved streets in the surrounding areas. I'm usually not a big fan of the super touristy stuff, but coming to Kyoto without stopping at this particular temple would be a huge mistake.



I know this seems like a lot to cram into two (well 1.5) days,  but it was an absolutely amazing experience. Check out the video below for another glimpse into our experiences in Kyoto:

 Although I could barely walk or keep my eyes open by the end of the day I really feel like we got the essence of the city. I definitely recommend taking public trans (city bus and/or subway) over taxis or guided tours as you get to feel the vibe of the city and get to know it on a much more personal level. We have since headed to Hakone, which provided a nice change of pace. I'll be uploading a post and video of our very special time there in the next day or so. Make sure you keep your eyes on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram to ensure you don't miss it! Please leave your comments/questions/feedback* below and pass this info on to anyone who might find it useful, and as always...

Enjoy the journey....

*I'm beyond exhausted and had a ton of technical difficulties attempting to get this post and corresponding video up by my self-imposed deadline. I'm sure there are a ton of tiny mistakes and there will probably be some edits to this post in the very near future. Bare with me folks :-)