Kyoto is only about an hour's train ride from Osaka. But, my navigation sense wasn't really working because we were playing Mobile Legend throughout the entire train journey, and by the time I realised it, we were on the wrong train (Limited-Express) and we missed our stop.
There were 3 different types of trains going in the same direction:-
- Local Train: Stop at all 10 stations.
- Semi-Express Train: Stops only some stations.
- Limited-Express Train: Stops only at 3 stations.
So we took the same train back to the previous station, Minami-Ibaraki Station, and waited to board the next Local Train, and after an extended 30-minutes journey, we finally reached our destination.
I booked a room at the Koiyama Guesthouse, Kyoto and check-in was only available after 3pm. So, prior to our trip, I've already marked out the most convenient location to store our luggage, which was at Karasuma Station. After storing our luggage, we took a train and headed over to Arashiyama for the famous bamboo forest.
The moment we reached Arashiyama Station, tranquillity filled the air and I was loving it. Exiting from Arashiyama Station, we headed towards the direction of the Bamboo Forest, and because of our little detour earlier on, we started our journey later than expected. So, we had to forgo a few locations around the area.
Towards the Togetsukyo Bridge (渡月橋), there were some small food stalls along the way selling ice-cream, snacks and finger-food. Tempted, boyfriend bought a matcha and sweet potato soft serve ice-cream from one of the stalls, and (oh my gosh) it was so good. Never knew such combination would turn out so yum!
I really love the serenity of Arashiyama. The air is fresh and everywhere looked and felt like a scene out of one of Studio Ghibli's animation films.
Crossing the Togetsu-kyo Bridge, we walked along the Katsura River to Tenryuji Temple (天龍寺). It costs ¥500 per person to enter the premises of Tenryuji Temple, but, as much as I would like to head in, we were running out of daylight, so we simply just explored around the area before leaving for the Bamboo Forest.
The street leading up to the Bamboo Forest (嵐山 竹林の小径) was bustling. Luckily, we managed to reach the Bamboo Forest before losing daylight. That was the main highlight of Arashiyama after all, right? And since it was the main highlight, the crowd in the Bamboo Forest was insane. It was totally impossible to take a photo without any human obstructions at the background! I don't know if we were taking photos with the bamboo forest or the human crowd.
Fortunately, boyfriend managed to find a quiet spot for us to take some quick photos WITH THE BAMBOO FOREST. I think if we want a nice photo with the Bamboo Forest as the backdrop, we probably have to reach really early in the morning at about 6am - 7am. Because of the crowd, we were in and out of there within 45-minutes.
We entered and exited the Bamboo Forest through the entrance nearest to the Nonomiya Shrine (野宮神社), which is along the main food and shopping street. Once we were out, we caved into getting a stick of grilled crab stick because it smelled and looked so good, but... it was NOT WORTH IT at all. It costs us ¥600 and it tastes similar to the crab stick I get from the supermarket. I thought it was gonna be the actual crab leg or something, but I was so wrong. Don't get me wrong, it is made from real crab flesh but it just wasn't what I expected it to be.
We continued to explore around the area, and we found a small shop owned by a couple who sells their own fresh tea leaves. We bought a few packets because their tea was so fragrant and support small local business yo!
So far, I probably enjoyed shopping in Arashiyama the most because the shops were unique on its own and most products are customised / handmade / produced by the locals around the area.
It was a sign for us to head back as the sun was setting. This time round, we took the Randen Line from Arashiyama (Randen) Station, which was so beautiful as the Kimono Forest lit up as it got darker. Since the Randen Line does not take us directly to our Karasuma Station, we had to change to the Hankyu-Kyoto Line.
Google map said that it was approximately a 5-minutes walk from Karasuma Station to our accommodation, but the walk felt way longer than 5 minutes. Maybe it was because of our luggage, but I remember it being such a tiring walk.
When we finally arrived at Koiyama Guesthouse, we self checked-in with the instructions given by the guesthouse prior to our arrival, dropped our luggage in our room and left for dinner at Men Baka Ichidai (麺馬鹿一代), which was a short bus trip away.
Men Baka Ichidai (麺馬鹿一代), also known as the fire ramen place, is a small shop located within a neighbourhood area, and they do not take reservations. We were pretty lucky to be able to get a seat without having to queue. After being seated, we ordered a bowl of Fire Ramen each and gave the chef our camera for filming purposes. To be honest, the fire was so close that I was actually scared that it would burn me. But obviously, it did not.
The Fire Ramen was so delicious that both of us finished everything including the broth. Before we head back to our guesthouse, we stopped by the supermarket, Daily Qanat Izumiya (デイリーカナートイズミヤ 堀川丸太町店), to do some shopping. The supermarket was huge and I'm pretty sure we spent almost an hour there. Okay, it was mostly me. I took a really long time to shop, while video calling my mom to see what she wanted to get as well. This is what happens when you get me into a supermarket - I disappear into the aisles.
Though it has only been barely a day, Kyoto has been really great. It was super chillaxed and the best part was that it was away from all the city buzz.
Tranquillity.
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