Kyoto, Osaka, Nara - Japan

Day 1:  6^th March 2013 (Wednesday) – KL to Kansai Airport-Kyoto, Nishiki Market, Heian Shrine.

Our 01:00am Air AsiaX flight from KL arrived 8:00am local time (1 hour ahead of Malaysia time) at Kansai International Airport (KIX 関西国際空港 Kansai-kokusai-kūkō). At the Terminal 1 Building 1^st floor north arrival hall Tourist Information, we collected a number of maps and brochures with information about tourist attractions in Kyoto, Osaka and Nara.

Our travel plan included a stay of 3 days in Kyoto and 3 days in Osaka, so at the Travel Desk, we bought in advance a 1 day Kyoto city bus pass ¥500 and the 3 days Kansai Thru Pass ¥5000 which give us unlimited usage of trains, buses and subways in the Kansai Region. We received a free Kansai Thru Pass guide book in English which contain many coupons and travel tips.

Since this was our first visit to Japan and with the luggage to manage, we did not use the Kansai Thru Pass just yet, because it would involve changing of trains and subways at Osaka in addition to a longer journey into Kyoto. We decided to take a direct and faster route from Kansai Airport to Kyoto, even though it was a more expensive option.

We took the escalator to Level 2 and crossed the bridge to get to Kansai Airport Rail Station. At the left corner of the hall of Japan Rail ticket office, we bought a JR 1 day West Kansai Area Pass for ¥2000. By showing our passport and a return flight confirmation, we qualified for that special price at the ticket counter, a saving of ¥980 (regular ¥2,980 by non-reserved seat or about ¥3,490 by reserved seat). We took the JR Haruka Limited Express (white with blue trim), which stops briefly at Tennoji, Shin-Osaka to Kyoto without having to change train. The Haruka Limited Express arrived at JR Kyoto Station 京都駅 Kyōto-eki, in 75 minutes.

Kyoto Station is the city's main railway station, served by trains of Japan Railways (including shinkansen,  better known as the bullet train), Kintetsu Railways and the Karasuma Subway Line. This futuristic-looking building is also Japan's second-largest station building, with magnificent glass roof-enclosed concourse, escalators going up to a rooftop observatory with a mid-air pathway suspended above, has many shopping outlets, restaurants, hotels and public service facilities. A large bus terminal is located in front of the station building. At the basement of Kyoto bus station Porta, we had our first Japanese meal ¥1780 in one of the many eateries.

Most of the tourist sites in Kyoto are easily accessible by bus and it is very handy to own a Kyoto City Bus Pass ¥500. It allows an unlimited use on the green Kyoto City Bus and is usable on the Raku Bas (bus no 100, 101 & 102) which is a special tourist friendly bus service along three Kyoto City Bus routes that travel through popular sightseeing areas. The buses provide enhanced on-board announcements in English. Kyoto city buses are boarded from the rear and alighted from the front. When a bus arrives, you just get on. The first time you use the bus card when alighting, you have to put the card into the card slot machine located next to the driver. The card will be printed with the date of use. Once validated, for the next time you use when you exit, you simply show the card with the printed date to the driver. You can see the next stop on the digital display in front of the bus, or you can hear the announcement in Japanese and English. It is ¥220 per ride and you pay the driver when you get off the bus, so if you buy the 1 day Kyoto Bus Pass ¥500 and used more than 3 time bus ride, it would have recovered your initial purchased.

At Kyoto Station bus stop A2, we boarded the green Kyoto city bus 5 and got off at Kawaramachi Sanjo. At the traffic junction of a large Loft Department Store, we walked in Rokkaku Street and the Best Western hotel is down this street.

Best Western Hotel Kyoto

ベスト ウエスタン ホテル 京都

457 Matsugae-Cho, Kawaramachi-Rokkaku, Nakagyo-Ku, Kyoto,

604-8034, JP 京都府京都市中京区新京極通三条下ル東入ル松ヶ枝町457

Rate: RM950 for 3 nights stay, booked through Agoda.com

As we had arrived too early, we were not allowed to check in yet, so we left our luggage at the hotel and we walked to the popular Nishiki Market and Teramachi Kyogoku shopping market.  Nishiki Market is a famous place in Kyoto which started as a fish wholesale district. It is located one street north of Shijo Dori. The road width is 3m, and it is an arcade street lined with cooking ingredient shops. With fish, Kyoto vegetables, tofu products, dry foods, everyday food and pickled vegetable shop, it is a market supporting the cooking of the capital. Teramachi dori is one of the older well known streets in Kyoto. Its current image is one of a covered mall and has a mixture of modern clothing and traditional craft stores, artistic gallery and cafe ambience.

At the main road Kawaramachi Sanjo bus stop, we hooped onto bus 5 and travel to the Heian Shrine. The Heian Jingū 平安神宮  is a Shinto shrine, built in 1895, celebrating the Imperial family and commemorating the first and last emperors to reside in Kyoto.

Next we got on bus 46 to Gion District and got off at bus stop Gion shijo, just right at the junction of Yasaka Shrine. We took some pictures in-front of the shrine but we did not go in as we will be coming back tomorrow visiting this area. We walked the streets back to our hotel, looking and sampling food stuff selling at shops along the way.

Day 2: 7th March 2013 (Thursday) – Yasaka Shrine, Maruyama Park, Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari-taisha, Golden Pavilion

This morning, we had a western breakfast of ham sandwich with coffee ¥800, then took a 15- minute walk to our destination - Yasaka Shrine. From Shijo-dori, we walked up the steps, passed the stone lion guarding the entrance and entered the Romon, a two story gate with bright red posts and white wall.

Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社, Yasaka Jinja), also known as Gion Shrine, is one of the most famous shrines in Kyoto. It is well known for its summer festival - the Gion Matsuri, which is celebrated every July, involves a procession with massive floats and hundreds of participants, one of Japan’s largest festivals. Admission is free. The shrine becomes busy during the sakura blossom season around early April and on New Year Day.

At the east end of the Yasaka Shrine, a path leads to the Maruyama Park 円山公園 which is one of the most famous cherry blossom 櫻花 viewing (hanami 花見) spots in Kyoto. Unfortunate, the sakura tree were still not in bloom during our visit and probably won't be for a few more weeks. In the spring time, 800 or so cherry trees blossom all at once, bringing visitors to view the blossoms day and night. The center piece of the park is a splendid old weeping cherry tree with drooping branches. The park contains a big pond, stroll gardens, rest houses, small orchards, Japanese restaurants, and within the park is a statue of 2 samurai figures.

We walked out the Yasaka Shrine from the southern gate and walked through the two kilometers long narrow lanes of the Higashiyama District towards Kiyomizudera.

The Higashiyama District along the lower slopes of Kyoto's eastern mountains is one of the city's best preserved historic districts, touristy and crowded. It is a great place to experience traditional old Kyoto, where the narrow lanes, wooden buildings and traditional merchant shops invoke a feeling of the old capital city.

The streets in Higashiyama are lined by small shops, cafes and restaurants which have been catering to tourists and pilgrims for centuries. These businesses retain their traditional design, although many have been renovated through the years, and they continue to serve customers today, selling local specialties such as Kiyomizu-yaki pottery, sweets, pickles, crafts and other souvenirs. Lots of food samplings were offered by the shops.

Along the way, we saw a tall wooden tower which is the Yasaka Pagoda, a five storey pagoda built in the 15th century. Yasaka Pagoda, the last remnant of Hokanji Temple, is one of the most visible and recognizable landmarks in the Higashiyama District. Visitors may climb up the inside of the five story pagoda, which is a rare opportunity as most pagodas can only be viewed from the outside. Admission costs ¥400. At the end of the walk, we reached Kiyomizudera.

Kiyomizudera 清水寺 occupies an excellent location on a steep hill in eastern Kyoto. This temple is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Kyoto, a magnificent wooden temple supported by pillars off the slope of a mountain, the veranda built on the cliff. The main hall is built on a huge wooden terrace which provides a good view of the city and behind the hall is the Shinto Shrine. Admission is ¥300

At the end of the walking route of Kiyomizu temple down many steps, is the Otowa waterfall where people lined up to take the ladle and sip the spring water for good luck and good health. After visiting the Kiyomizu Temple, we walked down the Chawan zaka street to Kiyomizu-michi    Station.

At the station, we bought a ¥210 fare to board the Keihan train to Fushimi Inari Station. Fushimi Inari Shrine 伏見稲荷大社 is an important Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto, dedicated to Inari, the Shinto God of Rice. Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, resulting in many fox statues on the shrine grounds. It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari.

Next, we took a train at Inari Station, fare ¥140 and rode to Kyoto Station. At the Tourist Information office, we bought another 1 day Kyoto bus pass ¥500 and at the Kyoto bus stop B3 boarded bus 205 then got off at Kinkakuji-michi bus stop to Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion. This temple is perhaps the most famous building of all Japanz All over the years, hundreds of thousands of people come to see this stunning Zen temple, enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and the perfectly maintained gardens surrounding it. It was built in the 14th century as a retirement place for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. It features a three-storey pavillion covered in gold leaf with a roof topped by a bronze phoenix. Admission is ¥400.

We exited Kinkakuji Temple and rode bus 59 back to our hotel, stopping at Kawaramachi Sanjo bus stop. After a good rest, we went out for dinner at Musashi Restaurant, a short walk from our hotel, that served shushi 壽司on the conveyor belt. Each plate of shushi costs ¥137.

Day 3: 8th March 2013 (Friday) – Kyoto – Arashiyama 嵐山, Nijō Castle,

This morning, we boarded a subway train at Kawaramachi Sanjo Station on the Hankyu Main Line, fare ¥220, to Katsura Station and transferred to the Hankyu Arashiyama Line 嵐山線 for Hankyu Arashiyama Station. Hankyu Arashiyama Station is located on the opposite side of the river from the main street of Arashiyama. Upon arriving at the Hankyu Arashiyama Station, we saw right in-front of the Hankyu Arashiyama Station, a shop with bicycle for hire. Having not ride bicycles for such a long time, we quickly took the opportunity and rented bicycles for the day and cycled to Nakanoshima Park next to the Hozu river 保津川before crossing the Togetsukyo Bridge which is Arashiyama's most iconic landmark. The romantic "Moon Crossing Bridge" (渡月橋,Togetsukyō), notable for its views of cherry blossoms and autumn colours on the slopes of Mt Arashiyama.

We cycled across the Togetsukyo Bridge to the main street of Arashiyama. Souvenir shops and eateries lined both side of the road. We continued to cycle heading north, passing the gates of Tenryuji Temple on the left, a rail crossing until we reached a T-junction where the Seiryoji temple is located. Seiryo-ji Temple 清涼寺 was the former villa of Minamotono-Torua, a Japanese poet and statesman. He was born the grandson of Emperor Saga and a member of the Saga Genji clan. He is sometimes mentioned as the model for Hikaru Genji in important Japanese literary classic The Tale of Genji (the model for Hikaru Genji). After his death, the villa was converted into the temple. We entered the large wooden gate and were pleasantly surprised and delighted, as we saw that there were many sakuras blossoming at the inner courtyard.

Next, we had a little difficulty in locating the famous Sagano bamboo grove. With some asking around, we finally found the entrance path. It was on an uphill so we had to push the bicycle up the slope. There were a large group of tourist and they jammed up the route, made taking pictures difficult. We cycled passed them and was rolling down slope on the trail through beautiful shades of green bamboo groves. The bamboo has been used to manufacture various products, such as baskets, cups, boxes and mats at local workshops for centuries.

Sagano 嵯峨野 is the northern area of Arashiyama in the western suburbs of central Kyoto. Since ancient times, it is a resort area for nobilities where they build their villas. Then over a long period of history, most of the villas were changed to Buddhist temples. The many temples here had become the sightseeing spots in this area. Additionally some beautiful bamboo groves are dotted in this area.

At the end of the bamboo trail, we emerged at the north entrance the Tenryuji Temple. Tenryuji 天龍寺 is the most important temple in Kyoto's Arashiyama district. It was ranked first among the city's five great Zen temples, and is now registered as one of Kyoto's many UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Admission is ¥500. Unlike many temple buildings that were lost in fires and wars over the centuries, the Tenryuji's garden survived the centuries in its original form. Most impressive is the Sogen-chi pond in the temple ground.

Exiting Tenryuji, we made a brief stop at Nonomiya Shrine along the path before joining the main street. We had lunch at town center where the only surviving streetcar ends at Arashiyama Station. We would have taken this Randen tram line back to Omiya Station in central Kyoto, if not for us having to return our rented bicycles to the other side of the town across the river.  We cycled around the lower then the upper Hozu river stream enjoying the peaceful and beautiful scenery and the white waters of the Hozu river. We returned the bicycles and paid ¥1200 for the 4 hours usage. We returned to Kyoto using the same route this morning.

We realised that we had a few more hours of daylight, so we walked to Shiyakusho-mae Station near Kyoto Municipal, fare ¥210 and alighted after 2 stops at Nijojo-mae Station to visit the Nijo Castle. Admission is ¥600. Nijo Castle 二条城 Nijō-jō was constructed in 1603 as the residence of the last shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The grounds are impressive and is registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site. The sakura were also in blossom in the garden of Nijo castle.

By night fall, we boarded bus and alighted at Higashiyama Sanjo bus stop. Tonight was a special night as we could experience the “Kyoto Higashiyama Hanatouro 2013”, a festival of lanterns along the streets of Higashiyama District.

Kyoto Higashiyama Hanatouro 2013 is an event held between March 8-17 that decorates about 5 km of promenade from Shoren-in to Kiyomizu Temple with standing lantern, as well as works of Ikebana traditional Japanese flower arrangement. Neighboring shrines and temples will be illuminated and also have special opening hours to allow you to visit during the night.

After watching the lantern streets, we walked to Hanamikoji dori which is a famous street in Gion, an old section of Kyoto where there are many Geisha and tea houses. We were lucky to see a Maiko (trainee Geisha) walking in the street.

Day 4: 9^th March 2013 (Saturday) – Kyoto – Osaka

This morning, we checked out the Best Western Hotel and left Kyoto for Osaka. We walked to Sanjo Station to board the train on Keihan 京阪 Line to Yodoyabashi 淀屋橋, then transferred to subway Midosuju Line to Namba 難波 Station in Osaka, arriving after 50 minutes.

Namba Station is not a single station, but rather a collection of multiple station buildings and platforms, including Nankai Namba Station, JR Namba Station and Kintetsu's Osaka Namba Station. Furthermore, the Midosuji, Yotsubashi and Sennichimae Subway Lines stop at their respective Namba Stations.

Since this is a major travel hub for train, subway and buses to other tourist site, we choose this location for our hotel accommodation. We will be staying here for 2 nights in the Minami area. We booked through Agoda.com for our stay here at Nissin Namba Inn at RM514.00

The first tourist site we visited today in Osaka is the Osaka Castle 大阪城 Osaka-jō., which is a famous landmark, a popular sightseeing spot, and the symbol of Osaka. We boarded the subway at Namba Station on Midosuji Line to Honmachi 本町 Station, then transfer to Chuo中央区Subway Line to Tanimachi 4-chome Station. We entered through Otemon Gate (the Main Gate) at the park’s southwest corner.

The castle tower underwent a major renovation in 1997. The outer walls were re-plastered, the ornamental fixtures were restored, and gold leaf was re-applied throughout. These repairs have brought back the structure’s stunning appearance of old—with pure white walls and striking accents of glittering gold. Admission is ¥600.

Here at the Osaka Castle Park 大阪城公園. The Plum trees 梅花 are at full blossom. The Plum trees bloom before Sakura trees do, which means, Sakura requires a warmer climate to get the signal of Spring. Upon first look, one may have difficulty telling Plum flowers and Sakura flowers apart, especially when some of the Sakura species look so alike to those of Plum's. The Plum blossom 梅花 is over when Sakura blooms, so there's little chance of getting confused between the two. Plum blossoms are sparsely spaced apart, while Sakura's are usually condensed so Sakura trees do look a lot larger in volume indeed. Plum blossoms are white or darker pink, Sakura's are mildly toned in variations of pink but never too shocking. While Plum blossoms are nicely scented, there is hardly any smell from Sakura. Plum trees produce the plum fruit which is edible, the Sakura do not. The flowers of Plum last longer for slightly more than 2 weeks, fading away starting from first blooms. Sakura bursts into bloom, and fade away all at once, within a week! Do not forget that the expression HANAMI (花見), literally flower viewing, refers specifically to Cherry blossom viewing parties and should not be used for enjoying plum blossoms. For UME viewing you can use the expression UMEMI (梅見).

From Tanimachi 4-chome Station, we returned on subway to Honmachi 本町 Station. We changed to Midosuji Line and got off at Shinsaibashi Station 心斎橋, a covered arcade which offers a  mix of huge department stores, high-end Western designer stores, and independent boutiques ranging from very cheap to very expensive. We then walked all the way down to Dotonbori 道頓堀, one of Osaka’s most popular tourist destination. It is a popular shopping and entertainment district and is also known as a food destination. At night it is lit by hundreds of unique large neon signboards and mechanized signs, including the famous Glico Running Man sign and Kani Doraku crab sign.

Day 5: 10^th March 2013 (Sunday) – Osaka – Nara

We started the day with an early visit to Nara by boarding a train at Namba Station on Kintetsu Nara Line (rapid express) to Kintetsu Nara Station, a journey of 35 minutes. We made use of the Kansai Thru Pass. Otherwise, we would have to pay ¥540 to Nara for the day trip.

Nara 奈良 is a lovely town that was the first permanent capital of Japan, albeit for just 75 years from 710-785. It is also great for visitors because most of these attractions including eight World Heritage sites second in Japan only to Kyoto, are centered around Nara Park 奈良公園, within easy walking distance of each other.

Our first stop was a five minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station - the Kofukuji 興福寺, used to be the family temple of the Fujiwara, the most powerful family clan during much of the Nara and Heian Periods. Here lies a wonderful five-storey pagoda that is the second tallest in Japan. Kofukuji's pagoda is both a landmark and symbol of Nara. The entrance to Kofukuji's temple grounds is free.

A stroll across the park brought us face-to-face with countless deer, considered sacred by the Shinto religion. They were not shy at all about begging for food. We knew about this in our research and came prepared with bread collected from our breakfast in hotel to feed these deer. Deer biscuits ¥150 are available throughout the park from vendors, which of course attracted lots of deer, who gently and not-so-gently nudged for attention. Fortunately, the deer have had their antlers removed so the nudging doesn't cause any damage.

We entered the big entrance wooden gate, the Nandaimon gate, passing the Isui Garden 依水園 to the ticket office. Admission is ¥600, less ¥100 when we produced our Kansai Thru Pass for the discount. There stood a massive wooden building at just two-thirds the size of the original, the Daibatsu-den Hall at Todai-ji 東大寺, a landmark of Nara. Inside this impressive structure is the 16-metre high bronze Daibutsu (Great Buddha) statue.

After the visit, as we were walking back, the weather started to change to slight drizzle with strong winds. We hurried back to the subway station at the center of town. Next to the subway station, the usual covered arcade offered some shopping opportunities for us and we had lunch here before we headed back to Osaka.

Day 6: 11^th March 2013 (Monday) – Osaka

This is our final day in Osaka before our midnight flight back to KL. On our way to the Namba Station, we made a brief stop at Namba Yasaka Shrine. This place is famous for the “Shishibutai” (the lion stage) where the stage is in the shape of a Japanese Shishi(lion). We also stopped at Osaka Perfectural Gymnasium. Every year in March, the grand Sumo tournament is held here.

When we reached the Namba Station we took the subway train to Tennoji 天王寺 Station. A fifteen minute walk north of Tennoji Station, we reached a historican site at Shitennō-ji Temple 四天王寺, the first Buddhist temple in Japan. The outer temple grounds are free to enter. Next we walked westward to Shinsekai 新世界. Tsutenkaku Tower 通天閣 is the landmark of the area. We walked the area for a while, queing up for the famous Japanese fried octopus balls. Takoyaki (たこ焼き or 蛸焼) is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special takoyaki pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus, tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger, and green onion. Takoyaki are brushed with takoyaki sauce, a sauce similar to Worcestershire sauce, and mayonnaise. The takoyaki is then sprinkled with green laver (aonori - green seaweed powder) and shavings of dried bonito flakes - dried, fermented, smoked skipjack tuna (katsuobushi 鰹節).

Back at Namba Station, we had a meal of Unadon 鰻丼 consisting of a donburi 丼 type large bowl filled with steamed white rice, and topped with fillets of grilled eel (unagi 鰻).

Back at the hotel, we collected our luggage and walked to Nankai Namba Station. We made the last use of the Kansai Thru Pass to board the Nankai Airport Express to Kansai Airport, which arrived in 50 minutes.

Day 7: 12^th March 2013 (Tuesday) – Osaka - KL

Our flight 11:25pm 11Mar from Kansai airport arrived at KLCC 5:30am 12 Mar 2013

It was a very enjoyable and memorable trip.

Weather was 4°C – 15°C, sunny for first 4 days then 2°C – 11°C cool for the last 2 days.

Currency conversion:             ¥1000    = RM34.00

Cash brought along               ¥60000 = RM2040.00

Transportation in Kyoto, Osaka and Nara (per person):

JR Haruka Limited Express(Kansai Airport to Kyoto)                        ¥2000

2 Kyoto 1 day Bus Pass (¥500)                                                           ¥1000

3 days Kansai Thru Pass (Kyoto-Osaka-Nara-Osaka-Kansai Airport) ¥5000

Subway train from Kiyomizu-gojo Station to Fushimi Inari Station       ¥  210

Train from Inari Station to Kyoto Station                                               ¥  140

Subway train from Kawaramachi Station to Arashiyama Station           ¥  220

Train from Arashiyama Station to Kawaramachi Station                       ¥  220

Bicycle Rental for 4 hours at Arashiyama (¥600 x 2)                            ¥1200

Transport Sub-total                                                   ¥10000 x 2 =   ¥20000            RM680.00

Admission fare: (per person entry)

Heian Shrine (exterior)           Free

Yasaka Shrine                         Free

Maruyama Park                      Free

Kiyomizudera, Kyoto              ¥300    RM10

Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto     Free

Ginkakuji, Kyoto                     ¥500    RM17

Seiryo-ji Temple                     Free

Tenryuji Temple, Arashiyama    ¥500   RM17             

Nijo Castle, Kyoto                  ¥600    RM21

Osaka Castle, Osaka               ¥600    RM21

Kofukuji, Nara                         Free

Todai-ji Temple, Nara              ¥500    RM17

Entrance Fee Sub-total             ¥3000 x 2 = ¥6000      RM204 x 2 =                      RM  408.00

Food (budget ¥2500 per day (RM85 per day x 2 person x 6 days) ¥30000             RM1000.00

Hotel accommodation: (for 2 person)

Best Western Hotel, Kyoto, 3 nights RM950

Nissin Namba Inn, Osaka, 2 nights   RM514

Hotel Accommodation Sub-total                                                                              RM1464.00

Air Asia fare (for 2 person) KL- Kansai – KL            RM972

Airport Fee                                                                 RM116

Airport Tax                                                                 RM274

2 x AirAsia Insure Return (1-10days)                         RM  68

4 x Check-In Baggage – up to 15kg                            RM200

2 x Pick A Seat                                                           RM140

2 x SkyBus                                                                  RM  30

Air Asia Plane Fare Sub-total                                                                                    RM1800.00

Total Trip Expenses for 2 person                                                                              RM5352.00