Highlight of the afternoon in Kyoto was wearing kimono but since I arrived an hour earlier than expected, I decided to visit Yasaka-jinja (again).
I was surprised to see that there were still food stalls even if there was no festival or illumination night. The stalls were fewer though compared to our visit in 2017 when there was Higashiyama Hanatouro.
Highlight of the afternoon in Kyoto was
wearing kimono but since I arrived an hour earlier than expected, I decided to visit
YASAKA-JINJA (again).
NOVEMBER 22, 2018
I was surprised to see that there were still food stalls even if there was no festival or illumination night. The stalls were fewer though compared to our visit in 2017 when there was Higashiyama Hanatouro (spring illumination night; read it here).
The dance stage, with hundreds of lanterns, can be easily spotted when you reach the main area of the shrine. These are lit during the evening of Higashiyama Hanatouro. Maybe during Gion Matsuri as well since that is a very popular summer festival celebrated every July in Kyoto.
Not far from Yasaka shrine is MARUYAMA PARK. I was curious how it looked like during autumn because it was beautiful during spring. Some parts had nice autumn colors but there were trees that were already bare. I’d say that the best time to be here is, yes, during spring.
There were a few people around so it was quiet in the park. I decided to sit down and stay there while waiting for the reservation time in the kimono rental.
I rode the train going back to Kyoto Station and from there, I was supposed to take the bus to Kiyomizudera but lo and behold, the line for that bus stop was so looooong. So bye to that idea!
I was curious what I could find at the topmost floor of Kyoto Station so I took all escalators going up.
After revisiting the Arashiyama spots I love, I was initially thinking of riding the Sagano Torokko Train but I didn’t expect the line to be that long – to the point that it reached outside the station – so nope. At least, that line proved that it is a popular activity during autumn in Arashiyama.
NOVEMBER 22, 2018
I rode the train going back to Kyoto Station and from there, I was supposed to take the bus to Kiyomizudera but lo and behold, the line for that bus stop was so looooong. So bye to that idea, too! Good thing I was able to visit it last time – on a more peaceful day in 2017 (read it here).
I was curious what I could find at the topmost floor of KYOTO STATION so I took all escalators going up.
Busy Thursday morning at Kyoto Station
I eventually reached this bell and then I saw another escalator going up. The adventure was not yet done…
View of Kyoto Station from the 6F
And then I finally reached the 7F SKYWAY – which I read about before as one of the secret spots in Kyoto Station. This tunnel is estimated to be about 50m above the central hall and it provides you a view of the station and the city.
View of Kyoto Tower Hotel
Not recommended to look down below if you’re afraid of heights
Upon exiting the Skyway, I found myself in 10FKYOTO RAMEN KOJI. This was familiar to me because it was the same area where I had ramen during our visit in Kyoto back in 2017 (read it here).
It was fifteen minutes before 11:00, the opening time for all shops in this ramen hall so I decided to already line up for MASUTANI. This ramen shop is famous for serving ramen that has a Kyoto-style taste. Its ramen has thin noodles and broth made from pork and shoyu.
I am a bit bad in describing the taste of food but all I can say is that choosing Masutani’s ramen was a good choice. I could not finish the broth though because the pork fat was too much for me.
I decided to take the other exit and take all escalators going down to the ground floor. The journey was quite long since I started at the topmost floor. I did not mind the height but it may be a bit of a challenge for acrophobic people.
While planning the Kansai Region trip last year, I read that this temple is at its best during spring and autumn so my expectations were high… and it did not disappoint! Even at the parking area, people were already having their pictures taken.
I bought the ticket for both main hall and garden (¥800) entrance passes, with the temple being my first order of business. No shoes allowed, by the way!
The last stop in my revisit to Arashiyama
was TENRYU-JI (UNESCO Heritage Site).
NOVEMBER 22, 2018
While planning the Kansai Region trip last year, I read that this temple is at its best during spring and autumn so my expectations were high… and it did not disappoint! Even at the parking area, people were already having their pictures taken.
I bought the ticket for both main hall and
garden (¥800) entrance passes, with the temple being my first order of business.
No shoes allowed, by the way!
I liked the area where they have a large
sitting hall and you can just admire the view of the pond and autumn trees. It
was just so beautiful plus having that sense of inner peace while looking at
the surroundings. I guess no surprise why Tenryu-ji is regarded as one of the
best Zen temples in Kyoto.
I spent some time there before exploring the rest of temple buildings.
Once finished, I returned to the ticket booth to wear my shoes and then headed to the next area. Tenryuji’s garden was created by Muso Soseki, a famous Zen Buddhist Monk who was also the first head priest of this temple.
During my 2017 visit, I thought that I already saw the whole garden so I was shocked to learn that there was a huge area that I didn’t get to see last time. I also didn’t know that there was an exit from there that would lead straight into the bamboo grove… So how did I not know these things? I remembered that at that time, we were in a hurry to catch the Sagano Torokko Train so our visit was cut short.
Anyway, pardon for having lots of photos after this because I just found everything really beautiful, especially because I was surrounded by a mix of colors (red, orange, and yellow). It was just so surreal!
I hope you enjoyed a bit of a tour in Tenryu-ji’s famous garden during the peak of autumn. ❤
Not sure if my face says it but I am one very happy kid!
Good thing the rain stopped after finishing breakfast so I got to enjoy the view at Togetsukyo Bridge.
While it was a gloomy weather, that didn’t stop me from feeling happy because of the autumn colors. During my 2017 visit, the trees were either green or bare since it was still early spring.
NOVEMBER 22, 2018
After exploring Sagano Bamboo Grove, I wanted to eat breakfast and I remembered that there was a Lawson near the intersection to Togetsukyo Bridge… and my memory didn’t fail me, yay!
What else to buy for breakfast but this pair – tuna mayo onigiri and hot tea. This is my go-to breakfast in Japan, to the point that some friends find it weird that I can eat tuna mayo onigiri everyday.
I wanted to eat by the Katsura River but it was drizzling. Good thing the rain stopped after finishing breakfast so walking to TOGETSUKYO BRIDGE was not a challenge…
Close up shot of trees in autumn colors
The weather was still gloomy but that didn’t stop me from feeling happy because of the autumn colors I could see. During my 2017 visit, the trees were either green or bare since it was still early spring (read it here).
Here is Togetsukyo bridge with the view
from the opposite side (without the nice landscape scenery):
Back to the nicer view in this area:
I read before that there are river/boat
tour being offered here. I wanted to try it but the thought of being splashed
by water – even if just a tiny bit – on a very cold day already made me shiver.
Haha!
Just on my second day in Japan but autumn already captured my heart. It made me understand why a lot of people love this season. ❤
I wanted to visit Arashiyama again without a crowd so we got the earliest Shinkansen from Nagoya i.e., the Nozomi line at 06:20.
It was good that it wasn’t too crowded yet so there was still some semblance of tranquility despite tourists talking to each other. There was some drizzle but not enough to get us soaked.
Second day for this autumn trip was dedicated to Kyoto. I wanted to visit Arashiyama again without a crowd (read my 2017 visit here) so we got the earliest Shinkansen from Nagoya i.e., the Nozomi line at 06:20.
NOVEMBER 22, 2018
I was running at just 3 hours of sleep and the day didn’t start well because when we were already at Fushimi Station (nearest station to the hotel), I realized I forgot my mirrorless camera. Train bound to Nagoya Station leaves at 06:04 and it was 05:53. I had 11 minutes to run back to the hotel and then back to the station… and so I did with a bit of beating the red light at pedestrian stoplights. ☹ I was able to return to Fushimi Station at 06:02 then continued running up to the ticket gate. But, instead of swiping my ICOCA card, I swiped my BEEP card instead (for Metro Manila trains). WTF. I had to exit the gate and swipe the correct card instead. We reached the platform at 06:03 and I was so relieved because if we didn’t catch the 06:04 train, the next one was at 06:16 and we wouldn’t be able to ride the Nozomi train… which we already paid for. I didn’t mind the muscle ache I got after because that was nothing compared to shelling out ¥12,000 for two new tickets.
We were able to make it to our Shinkansen ride with still plenty of time before it left for Nagoya Station. It was my first time to ride a bullet train, by the way! The ride to Kyoto Station only took almost 40 minutes whereas non-Shinkansen would take about 2 hours. From Kyoto Station, we transferred to JR Sagano Line to reach Saga-Arashiyama Station and from there, there are two options to reach the entrance to ARASHIYAMA BAMBOO GROVE: take a cab or walk.
I initially wanted to take a cab because that was how we did it in 2017 but the cab driver probably thought I was asking for directions when I showed him the picture of the place. He told me, “2 minutes only”. Haha, I was too embarrassed so I ended up walking for less than 10 minutes.
You’ll know you are at the start of the trail when you see food stalls selling oden, ramen, mochi, daifuku among a variety of Japanese food. Picture below was at past 10AM when the shops were already open.
Not sure if it was due to autumn being a peak season in Arashiyama but I was shocked to see plenty of tourists at 07:40. During my visit back in 2017, there was only a couple aside from our trio at that time in the morning.
It was good that it wasn’t too crowded yet so there was still some semblance of tranquility despite tourists talking to each other. There was some drizzle also but not enough to get me soaked.
Always in awe of this place and how I can feel small with all these towering bamboo around me. Glad to be back here and still find peace here.
Interesting to see the difference of 10-15 minutes in this place. Pictures below show the increase in number of visitors.
Upon reaching the end of the trail and retracing our steps back to the entrance, I walked more slowly and this time, without so much distraction from my camera – taking in the sight of this majestic bamboo grove that seemingly sheltered me from the noise and chaos of the world.
I wouldn’t get tired of going back here again and again, even if I have to wake up really early just to enjoy its quietness. I highly recommend visiting this early in the morning to avoid the crowd. ❤
Anne Goes to Places 