If you’re visiting Osaka, taking a day trip to Kyoto almost feels like a given. I’ve actually been to Kyoto before, and I don’t mind going back because there’s something about the city that I really love. I’m not particularly a temple person, so for today, maybe one temple will do rather than trying to visit a bunch.
We left our Airbnb at Chidoribashi, Osaka at around 8:30AM. Our plan was to experience riding that trending flamboyant sightseeing train from Osaka to Kyoto. According to our research, the first departure from Osaka-Umeda Station is at 9:32 AM, so leaving a little earlier gave us plenty of time to get there without rushing and to give ourselves a buffer in case we got lost along the way.
Hankyu Kyo-Train Garaku
This is the flamboyant train I was talking about. Isn’t she pretty? 😍
Can you believe this is a train? Stunning design! 😍
This train runs between Osaka-Umeda Station and Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station.
The ride takes about 45 minutes from Osaka-Umeda to Kyoto-Kawaramachi.
A mini garden inside the train, just wow!
We have to purchase a 410 yen ticket in the ticket machine.
Just look at the details!
The train’s interior design reflects Kyoto’s seasonal motifs, traditional patterns, and art-inspired decor.
Each car features a unique interior design.
This train only operates mostly on weekends and holidays. Hi to my very filthy shoes! 😆
The wooden blinds inside the train add a traditional touch.
We enjoyed that train ride. Aside from taking pictures inside the train, we also loved the views on the way from Osaka to Kyoto.
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
Our first destination today is the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, which of course is one of the iconic landmarks in Kyoto. On my previous visits, we took a sightseeing bus from Kyoto Station to Arashiyama Station, but since this time we arrived at Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station, our commute will be a little different and I’m excited to see how it goes. We’ll be riding the Randen Railway, which is another interesting experience I’m really looking forward to.
Tofu for lunch. This is one of Kyoto’s most popular local dishes.
The name of the restaurant is Arashiyama Yoshimura.
One funny experience today was that we got totally “budol-ed” by a cute rickshaw sales-guy awppp 🤭🙈. We could see so many tourists riding them, and the cheapest option is 5000 yen for 12 minutes for 2 adults, which we thought was manageable. We arranged through the cute sales-guy to have a rickshaw take us to the Bamboo Forest. The rickshaw man (the one driving the rickshaw) took a lot of pictures of us along the way, he clearly knows what tourists like and wants to make us happy 😆.
One really funny moment was at the entrance to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. It was so crowded, but since we were riding the rickshaw, we were treated like VIPs. People stepped aside to let us through, and some were even taking pictures of us. We honestly felt like celebrities but for me at the same time I also felt embarrassed as an introvert person 🫣!
There’s also a special section of the bamboo forest that tourists aren’t allowed to enter, but only rickshaw customers. We were able to take photos with no photo bombers, and that alone made the 5000 yen really worth it. All in all, it was such a fun and unique experience!
Kinkakuji Temple
After exploring the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, our next destination was Kinkaku-ji Temple, also known as the Golden Pavilion. This iconic temple is famous for its top two floors completely covered in gold leaf, which beautifully reflects on the surrounding pond, creating a stunning mirror-like effect. The temple is also surrounded by carefully landscaped gardens and walking paths, making it one of Kyoto’s most photographed landmarks.
From the nearest train station, we had to walk about 1.5 kilometers, which took roughly 20 minutes. By the time we got there, we were so sweaty, the heat and humidity were intense, and it felt like our sweat was dripping all over our bodies.
We spent about an hour exploring the temple, taking pictures of the Golden Pavilion and enjoying the gardens. After that, we decided to head back to Kyoto Station to find a cafe, rest, and cool down with some air conditioning. We really needed a break after that scorching walk!
Fushimi Inari Taisha
We failed to get a cafe at Kyoto Station because it was super busy and all the seats were taken. So we decided to head to Fushimi Inari Taisha instead and hoped we could find a cafe that wasn’t crowded there. Luckily, we were right as we found a Komeda's Coffee, where we had our coffee energizers, charged our phones, and enjoyed a much-needed break.
Iced Café Au Lait.
By the time it was 5:30 PM and the sun was starting to set, we headed to Fushimi Inari Taisha to get those Instagrammable pictures. As expected, it was crowded, but we were able to snap photos without any photobombers probably because it was already late in the afternoon and most of the tour buses were already done for the day.
We stuck to the basic sightseeing and didn’t push ourselves to hike up the mountain to see more of the torii gates. After about 30 minutes, we were done and headed to our next destination.
Gion District
Our last destination for the day was the Gion District, hoping to spot a Geisha or a Maiko.
A Geisha is a traditional Japanese female entertainer who is highly skilled in performing classical music, dance, and traditional arts. They are known for their elegant kimono, distinctive hairstyles, and white makeup, and they entertain guests at teahouses and special events. A Maiko is an apprentice Geisha, usually younger, who is learning the arts and often wears more colorful and elaborate kimono with longer sleeves and distinctive hair ornaments.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to spot one, partly because we didn’t linger and wait around. We were already quite tired, and just walking through the historic streets of Gion was already a check on our Kyoto bucket list. By that point, we were also starving after a full day of walking, so we headed back to Kyoto Station to visit the famous Ramen Alley and enjoy a hot bowl of ramen to end the day perfectly.
No luck spotting Geisha or Maiko this time 😅
Gion District at night.
Golden hour by the Kamo River in Gion District.
Living the moment with this breathtaking view 🌅
Some people are hanging out along the riverbanks. I wanna do that too!
Productive day hunting Kyoto eki tags!
Kyoto Tower looking majestic as ever!
Dinner at Kyoto Station’s Ramen Alley 😋🍜
We reached 22,000 steps today, thanks to all the walking we did. And we didn’t even visit a lot of temples! Kyoto may be super touristy, but it is still one of the most beautiful Japanese cities for me, and it’s a place I’ll never get tired of going back to.
We were also able to hit all of our target itineraries today, so kudos to us @chillquill for being palaban, even though by the end of the day we looked like a "mandirigma" from all the sweat, heat, and humidity LOL 😆. Our laagan hearts are happy and full today. ❤️
*All content is mine unless otherwise noted. All photos taken with my iPhone 14 Pro Max.
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