Japan, Day 2: Kyoto Station

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 10F KYOTO 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.

Daikaidan (Grand Stairway)

Off to the next destination: Gion area!