Arrivals & Departures: [8D 7N Japan] Part II Kyoto Day 5

Itinerary

Day 5: Kyoto

We checked out of Mystays Kanda Hotel after spending 4 days in Tokyo (read about it here) & boarded the train to Tokyo station. We bought our Nozomi shinkansen bullet train tickets at the JR ticket counter.

Important info when buying shinkansen tickets:

One person has to pay for two different fares to take the bullet train. The first one is the normal fare ticket (depends on the destination of the train) & the second one is the super express fare.
Seats on the right side of the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto has amazing views of Mt Fuji. On that day, tickets for the right side seats were sold out & we had seats with ocean view on the left side instead.

Shinkansen in Kyoto Station

My favorite part of our Japan trip is definitely Kyoto. Kyoto has the perfect blend of the old & the new. We arrived in the busy Kyoto station at 9 am. The Nozomi shinkansen is the fastest bullet train (speeds up to 300km/h) & the journey from Tokyo to Kyoto was only 2 hours 18 minutes. The station itself is a Kyoto attraction because there is an observation deck to see Kyoto Tower. There are also lots of restaurants & Isetan attached to the train station. You can also visit the Tourist Information Centre to find Kyoto city maps.

View of Kyoto Tower from Kyoto Station deck

Inside Kyoto Station

We walked to Capsule Ryokan, where we stayed for 3 nights, to drop our backpacks & start to explore the city. Capsule Ryokan is another example of the old & the new. Capsule means the hotel has individual beds which has more privacy than the normal hostel beds. Ryokans are Japanese inns which has rooms with futon bedding, tatami mats & communal baths. We opted for a private room which has en-suite high tech shower & bathroom with automated toilet seats. The Ryokan is also near to convenience stores, a bakery & bus stops to get to all the attractions.

Futon on tatami mats

Private room with en-suite bathroom

Shower

We left the Ryokan & took a train to Nijo Castle from Kyoto Station. Since we were using the JR rail pass, we were only limited to take JR trains. We stopped at JR Nijo station & walked (1.5 km) to the castle. The castle is a UNESCO world heritage site; it was the residence of the first shogun/military governor of the Edo period.

Ninomaru Palace

View of the castle grounds from above

Later, we traveled to JR Inari station to visit Fushimi Inari Taisha, one of the most famous tourist spots in Japan. Most would recognize the photo of the Shinto shrine by the thousands of vermilion torii gates lining the path up to Mt. Inari. Statues of foxes can also be seen in the shrine compounds. Foxes are believed to be messengers of the Shinto God of Rice, a.k.a Inari. The torii gates come from donations; you can see the name of the contributors on each torii gate. Taller torii gates come from larger amounts of donation. There were also stalls selling local snacks such as takoyaki.

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Purification fountain to wash hands

Foxes known to be Inari's messengers

Donations for torii gates

Torii gates line the path to Mt.Inari

Vermilion torii gates

Food stalls

Takoyaki stall

Food stall

Then we took the train again to Kiyomizu-Gojo station to get to Kiyomizudera Temple (20 minute walk). This is another well-known spot in Kyoto because of the large wooden terrace & view from the temple. You can also rent kimonos at the shops below before climbing up the hill to the temple, just like the locals did in the photos below.

Locals donning kimonos

Almost sunset at Kiyomizu-dera

Japanese school children around the temple

Walking around souvenir shops

Kimono rental

As the sun sets on our first night in Kyoto, we made our way to Gion, the famous Geisha district. We dropped by Yasaka Shrine to see the beautiful lanterns lit up at dusk. Then we walked down Shijo Dori where there were lots of high end souvenir shops & restaurants. I was most excited to be on Hanami-koji Street to see the wooden ochaya (tea houses) & other restaurants. A geisha (also known as geiko in Kyoto) & maiko (geisha apprentice) usually entertain guests here. Unfortunately we didn't stumble upon any geishas on that night. Hanami-koji stretches from Shijo Dori to Kenninji Temple. Gion Corner or theater can also be found here.