Itinerary
By Day 6, our feet were begging us to stop walking (
Read previous post Day 5 in Kyoto here) We had covered hundreds of kilometers, our legs were suffering. Hence we decided to take the bus by purchasing the day pass (passes were bought from the bus driver). Most bus stops are located nearer to the attractions, compared to the train stations.
Our first destination is Kinkakuji or more widely known as the Golden Temple. We recommend visiting the temple on a sunny morning to see the perfect reflection of the Golden Temple on the lake. The top two floors are completely covered by gold leaf. The visitor's path passes by the temple & through the garden which has a pond believed to never dry up. You can also see visitors throwing coins at statues for good luck. Before the exit, there is a small tea house & souvenir shops.
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| Tickets to Kinkakuji |
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| Perfect reflection of Kinkakuji on the lake |
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| Kinkakuji Golden Temple |
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| Kinkakuji Golden Temple |
After shopping for souvenirs (chop sticks & book marks), we took the bus & train to Arashiyama. Arashiyama is famous for the bamboo forest that is pictured on Lonely Planet's guidebooks. We stopped at Saga-Arashiyama station. You can also rent bicycles for JPY1,000 near the station to explore the area. We walked through the serene & gorgeous bamboo forest. After walking aimlessly for awhile, we stumbled upon Sagano Arashiyama station and decided to board the Sagano Scenic Railway. The old fashioned sightseeing train has views of the river & forest.
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| Bamboo Forest |
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| Bamboo Forest |
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| Sagano Scenic Railway - on the train |
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| View of pleasure boats on the river from the train |
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| Sagano Scenic Railway |
At the end of the scenic railway track (Torokko Kameoka Station), the JR Umahori train station is only 5 minutes away. We stopped by a stall selling yummy grilled scallops, each scallop shell was as big as the palm of my hand. Although it was a definitely pricey at JPY600 for two scallops, they were worth every yen! The seller was very friendly & he even let us pose for photos while "grilling" the scallops.
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| Giant grilled scallops |
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| JPY600 for 2 scallops |
We took the train back to central Arashiyama to see Togetsukyo Bridge. There are lots of interesting souvenir shops in central Arashiyama. A halal restaurant can be found by the river too.
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| Halal soba & chicken |
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| Togetsukyo Bridge |
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| Souvenir shop |
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| Handmade souvenirs |
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| Handmade souvenirs |
Later, we stopped by Gion again to see if we could spot geishas in kimonos on the street known as "the most gorgeous street in Kyoto" - Shinbashi Dori. We also wanted to try the halal ramen in a Malaysian owned restaurant named Naritaya. The restaurant has a classic Japanese setting. We couldn't believe our eyes when we stumbled upon geishas rushing to board a taxi, probably on their way to work, when we exited the restaurant. Their kimonos were modestly gorgeous but we didn't manage to take any photos of them.
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| Shinbashi Dori |
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| Shinbashi Dori |
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| Shinbashi Dori |
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| Shinbashi Dori |
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| Naritaya Halal Ramen Restaurant |
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| Naritaya Halal Ramen Restaurant |
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| Halal ramen |
At dusk, we were back on Hanami-koji Street. At the end of the street, after Gion theatre, you can find the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto, Keninn-ji Temple. The day ended early for us as we needed plenty of rest before our journey to Osaka to visit Universal Studios in the next morning. Here's another Japan tip: visit Universal Studios Japan in October to see locals dressed up in interesting Halloween costumes, to be shared in the next post ;)
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| Hanami-koji Dori |
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| Keninn-ji Temple |
Budget (JPY 1,000 is approximately MYR 36)
Kinkakuji Golden Temple Entrance - JPY 400
Day Bus Pass - JPY1,200
Sagano Scenic Railway - JPY 620
Halal ramen meal set in Gion Naritaya Restaurant - around JPY1,000
Giant grilled scallops - JPY600
