Kyoto: The Old Charms

There were two things that driven me to visit Japan: Hogwarts in USJ Osaka and the thousands of Torii gates of Fushimi Inari in Kyoto. I never expected that Kyoto itself was way more than just the charming Fushimi Inari. When I was there, I had the chance to visit the Arashiyama Bamboo Groove (which kinda confused me as people able to take good picture there, while I was stuck with hundreds of tourists..), riding the Sagano Scenic Railway, admiring the golden temple of Kinkakuji and enjoying the calm night life of Gion.

I spent whole day in Kyoto. Took the JR Kyoto Line from Shin-Osaka station directly to Kyoto. I had to admit that the train system in Japan was a bit confusing. Japan offers various kind of train: the regular one (which stops at every station spanning between the two cities), the rapid service (only stops in major stations) and the Special Rapid Service (directly take you from Osaka to Kyoto in 24min for JPY560). Should you have limited time, do make sure that you take the fastest one otherwise your train will stop every 10 min or so on each station (which happened to me.. I rarely have luck in taking public transportation).

Frankly, the easiest fastest and most comfortable way to get to Kyoto from Osaka is by taking the bullet train Shinkansen. But God helps.. it costs you JPY 1,400. If you had JR Pass on your hand, this would be the most logical train to take.

Check this site for more information on the various rail services.

Once arrived in Kyoto, it was quite easy to access various shrines, temples and other touristy places. Compare to Tokyo, Kyoto is rather small and their transportation system is easy to comprehend.

FUSHIMI INARI TAISHA

The infamous shrine was my first destination and it was easy to get there. It’s located just outside the Inari Station on the Nara Line, a five min ride from Kyoto Station. Once you’re out of the station, you can easily spot the banners and vermilion colors of the Torii.

Tips: visit this charming shrine early in the morning to witness the calm of the mountain and empty alley of the Torii.

ARASHIYAMA: Sagano Scenic Railways and Bamboo Groove

Scenic railways in Arashiyama was next on my list. From the Inari Station, I took Nara Line transit in Kyoto Station then changed to San-in Line for Saga-Arashiyama Station. Ticket counter for Scenic Railway is located inside the Torokko Saga Station, a building next to the Saga-Arashiyama Station, you can easily spot the ticket counter. During Peak Season (Autumn or Spring), the train is quite pack. So it’s wise to book the ticket early. They sell both seated and standing ticket.

Scenic Railway is a 25 min train ride across mountain, bridges and rivers along Hozugawa River into rural Kameoka. It cost you for JPY 620. There was nothing compare to the view. Alluring colors of red, orange and yellow, windy air that burst from the windows, all perfectly depicted the true Autumn of Japan.

KINKAKUJI TEMPLE

Kinkakuji is located on the northern side of Kyoto. You can take the bus to get there. From Arashiyama, I had to take two buses transferring in JR Enmachi Eki Bus Stop. Though the the main gate was pretty far from the final bus stop and it required a lot of walk to circle around the temple and the garden.

The temple area is huge. The main temple itself is a three-stories zen temple of which the top two stories are covered in golden leaf, hence the Golden Pavilion or Kinkakuji. The temple is sitting on a large pond. In a sunny day, the reflection of the Golden Pavilion is clearly seen on the pond, that make the scenery so calming.

It was lunch time when I finished looking around the beautiful temple. I was craving for a good Omurice (the one that I had on Shinjuku was good, but it’s no sin to find the more delicious one right :p). I visited this Omurice Restaurant, Omurahouse, after looked it up on Zomato. It’s located just around the corner from the Kinkakuji Temple.

And yes, it was so yummy. I ordered the Omurice with a creamy seafood gravy!

GION

As the sun set, I visited the last place on the list, Gion.

Gion was soothing. The area is well preserved with hundreds of shrines, temples and gardens. Some people said that if you’re lucky, you could witness a geisha there (too bad I was not). Gion surely is the best place to experince the old traditions of Japan: tea ceremony, kabuki drama, Geisha dancing and many others. But it was unfortunate that our cameras were running out of battery as we didn’t take many pictures especially in the night life of Gion.

When I think about Kyoto, Gion is the perfect representation of the old city. The quiet alleys, soothing tea houses, warming old restaurants and the tradition that endures.

The old that will always charms.

-R

Most of the pictures were taken by travel buddy, go check his site!