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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
Japan 2024: Day 2 Kyoto-Arashiyama: Of Bamboo & Romantic Trains
Kyoto, Takayama, Osaka, Japan Day 2: 29th March (Friday)
This is page 2 of an 8-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.
1. Traffic Directions!
Traffic in Japan is right-hand drive, so drive/cycle on the left. The same thing applies when crossing the road, take note of the direction in which traffic is approaching!
2. Clearing Immigration & Customs
To clear Immigration & Customs fast, foreign visitors can do an online registration at the "Visit Japan Web" page and register their details online. Those in the same family can register together in one form. Upon successful registration, a QR Code will be issued, share this QR Code to the phones of each member. This QR Code needs just be shown at both Immigration & Customs, and one will be whisked through as long as one has nothing to declare.
3. Getting to and around Kyoto.
Kyoto & the surrounding Kansai locality is a favourite tourist destination and many airlines fly directly to its international Kansai International Airport (KIX). We flew Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur to Kansai and bought our tickets 2-3 months earlier to take advantage of early booking for cheaper fairs. On arrival at KIX, from the Japan Rail Office on the first floor, we bought the ICOCA Travel Pass for the Kansai region (ie Kyoto, Arashiyama & Osaka) which allows for travel by train & local buses in the locality.
Tickets for the JR Haruka Express from Kansai to Osaka or Kyoto can be bought online via Klook which will issue vouchers. These vouchers can be redeemed for the actual tickets at the vending machines JR ticket gate at Kansai Airport.
For those who want to consider alternative transport click on the "Travel Between Kansai & Kyoto" link.
Tickets for the JR Haruka Express from Kansai to Osaka or Kyoto can be bought online via Klook which will issue vouchers. These vouchers can be redeemed for the actual tickets at the vending machines JR ticket gate at Kansai Airport.
For those who want to consider alternative transport click on the "Travel Between Kansai & Kyoto" link.
4. Route & Traffic Conditions
Today's places of interest were just around Kyoto's downtown (Kawaramachi), the Kamo Riverside & Nishiki Market, where we just walked around. Later we took bus & train to Arashiyama Old Town for a romantic train ride.
5. Weather
In late March, daytime weather in Kyoto ranged from 17°C to 22°C and night time ranged from 4°C to 13°C.
6. Communicating with Each Other
When travelling in a group it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if one gets lost from the rest. We bought online 15-day 10Gb Japan Go! prepaid sim cards from Hello 1010. 20Gb cards are also available. The cards were delivered 5 days from the order. Alternatively, those using Maxis can opt for their Multi-country Roaming Pass.
7. Communicating with Locals
Except for those involved in the tourist industry, most Japanese don't speak English. Install Google Translate or Naver Papago apps to communicate. It will be good to pick up some basic Japanese phrases.
8. Places & Things of Interest
Enroute were several places of interest, some of which we visited and others we did not for lack of time (Note: click on GPS coordinates for a directional map to respective places):
- Kamo Riverside (鴨川) (GPS: 34.99127, 135.76718).
- Bukkō-ji Temple (佛光寺) (GPS: 35.00076, 135.76223).
- Nishiki Market (錦市場) (GPS: 35.00502, 135.76472).
- Bukkō-ji Temple (佛光寺) (GPS: 35.00076, 135.76223).
- Nishiki Market (錦市場) (GPS: 35.00502, 135.76472).
- Arashiyama Old Town (GPS: 35.01550, 135.67737).
- Arashiyama Bamboo Forest (竹林の小径) (GPS: 35.01681, 135.6713).
- Okochi Sanso Mossy Garden (大河内山荘庭園) (GPS: 35.01671, 135.66992).
- Sagano Romantic Train Ride (嵯峨野トロッコ列車) (GPS: 35.01316, 135.60676) along the Katsura River & Hozukyo Gorge.
- For those keen to cycle around Kyoto, bicycle rentals are available at Rent-a-Bike Kyoto Miyabiya (レンタサイクル 京都みやび屋) (GPS: 34.99239, 135.76019). Click here for a Guide to Cycling in Kyoto.; and this e-biking guided tour from Kyoto to Arashiyama.
9. Food
a. Breakfast:
Seafood snacks from the Seafood Scallop Center Stall (海鮮帆立センター) (GPS: 35.00507, 135.76417) at the Nishiki Market.
Seafood snacks from the Seafood Scallop Center Stall (海鮮帆立センター) (GPS: 35.00507, 135.76417) at the Nishiki Market.
Cremia (Sofuto) soft-served ice-cream from Houkyuuan (汸臼庵 京都錦本店) (GPS: 335.00494, 135.76483) at Nishiki Market.
b. Lunch:
Traditional Wagyu Hitsamabushi Set at Kijurou (GPS: 35.01683, 135.67744) in Arashiyama Old Town.
Traditional Wagyu Hitsamabushi Set at Kijurou (GPS: 35.01683, 135.67744) in Arashiyama Old Town.
c. Dinner:
All-you-can-eat Yakiniku set, including ice-cream at Yakiniku Yaruki (Shijo Kawaramachi) (GPS: 35.00547, 135.76938).
All-you-can-eat Yakiniku set, including ice-cream at Yakiniku Yaruki (Shijo Kawaramachi) (GPS: 35.00547, 135.76938).
10. Stay
Days 1-3: One 3-pax suite & a 2-pax room at My K House; booked much earlier through Booking.com.
11. Navigation
Geo-tagging of places of interest was done via Google Maps and FaceBook. Alternatively one can use MapMe.com, (it's an offline app, but one will have to pre-download the maps of the relevant areas). Driving directions were guided with Google Maps.
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PRELUDE
A day earlier, we had flown into Kansai from Malaysia. From the airport, we took a JR Haruka Express train to head straight for Kyoto to start our Japan holiday. It was a nice afternoon of a walk along the Kamo Riverside & dinner at Gion, one of Kyoto's old districts. Today we will explore a local market and take a romantic train ride to a bamboo forest!
___________________________________________________________________________DAY 2: KYOTO-ARASHIYAMA
Small group self-tour of the Kansai & Hida Regions, Japan. Day 2 Around Kyoto to Arashiyama:
Small group self-tour of the Kansai & Hida Regions, Japan. Day 2 Around Kyoto to Arashiyama:
A morning visit to Nishiki Market and then onwards to Arashiyama for Sagano Romantic Train Ride.
I am linking to my day-to-day Facebook postings during the trip and embedding them here with brief comments where necessary. Some additional photos are added for emphasis. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details.)
We kicked off the day with a walk to the Nishiki Market; along the way passed by the Bukkō-ji Temple, a centuries-old temple built in 1329. It's a Buddhist temple one of the main religions in Japan, the other main religion is Shintoism.
Nishiki Market was a hot spot during this peak Sakura season; at most sections, we were literally walking shoulder to shoulder with other visitors. Most of the stalls were packed with people. Despite the crowd, it was a good experience for the kids to see first-hand what a local Japanese market is like.
Managed to sneak in a short seafood snack at the Seafood Scallop Center Stall .....
Delectable... creamy Uni!
& a potpourri of grilled seafood serve in a scallop shell.
and ..... a WHOPPER of a raw oyster!!!
Do you like it with a squeeze of lemon or a drop of Tabasco?
I like mine naked.....
We kicked off the day with a walk to the Nishiki Market; along the way passed by the Bukkō-ji Temple, a centuries-old temple built in 1329. It's a Buddhist temple one of the main religions in Japan, the other main religion is Shintoism.
Nishiki Market was a hot spot during this peak Sakura season; at most sections, we were literally walking shoulder to shoulder with other visitors. Most of the stalls were packed with people. Despite the crowd, it was a good experience for the kids to see first-hand what a local Japanese market is like.
Managed to sneak in a short seafood snack at the Seafood Scallop Center Stall .....
Delectable... creamy Uni!
& a potpourri of grilled seafood serve in a scallop shell.
and ..... a WHOPPER of a raw oyster!!!
Do you like it with a squeeze of lemon or a drop of Tabasco?
I like mine naked.....
Don't get the wrong idea that I'm a lecherous old man, read this to find out why - "Oysters Galore @ Shucked".
We left the market to head for our next destination, walking along the side lanes and back alleys, I noticed how ingrained cycling is in the Japanese culture. One doesn't see much dedicated cycling lanes here, but they use their wide pavements, and clean & bright lanes to commute by cycling. Mothers with baby chairs on the bicycles, men in tuxedos, ladies wearing high-heals and delivery men can be seen going around their daily routine. There are even bicycles affixed with umbrellas!
We left the market to head for our next destination, walking along the side lanes and back alleys, I noticed how ingrained cycling is in the Japanese culture. One doesn't see much dedicated cycling lanes here, but they use their wide pavements, and clean & bright lanes to commute by cycling. Mothers with baby chairs on the bicycles, men in tuxedos, ladies wearing high-heals and delivery men can be seen going around their daily routine. There are even bicycles affixed with umbrellas!
Time to head for Arashiyama!
My original plan was to take the JR San-in Main Line Train from Kyōto Station to JR Umahori Station (in Arashiyama). But Phing saw that since we were at Nishiki, there was no point in heading to Kyōto Station. Instead, we boarded the local bus to head for Nijo Station to catch the San-in Train.
She's getting good at this and soon became our unofficial navigator during the trip. Looks like I can hang up my navigator cap; during our 2023 Europe holiday, Kev was the main navigator!
She's getting good at this and soon became our unofficial navigator during the trip. Looks like I can hang up my navigator cap; during our 2023 Europe holiday, Kev was the main navigator!
At Nijo Station, boarded the San-in Train to JR Umahori Station. Oddly for the outward journey, the train doesn't stop at Umahori Station but at the next station. But no problems, it was just a quick back-trekking.
All on board! A nice ride on the Sagano Romantic Train, it's an old fashion train that takes one on a nice route along the beautiful scenery of the Katsura River & Hozukyo Gorge. It would have been even better if those cherry trees along the route were blooming. We only saw a few of trees blooming at each station.
Here's a video of the train ride with the conductor singing. Oops... apologies, have to turn your head towards the end.
..... and the conductor was an old crooner who sang his romantic Japanese song almost like Andy Williams 😄.
Disembarking at the Arashiyama Torokko Station, we took a nice, slow serene stroll along the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. It seems to have grown much, much bigger than it was twelve years ago...
At the top end of the trail was the Training Dojo Temple, which looks nice but it seems to be closed to the public.
The mossy forest at the tail end of the trail (almost at the main road) is now part of the Okochi Sanso Garden.
2:00pm - Time for late lunch, but the peak period syndrome has affected Arashiyama too! After being turned away by several outlets, we managed to get a table for five at the Kijurou. It was a blessing in disguise.
2:00pm - Time for late lunch, but the peak period syndrome has affected Arashiyama too! After being turned away by several outlets, we managed to get a table for five at the Kijurou. It was a blessing in disguise.
This place serves excellent Hitsumabushi box sets but is served with slices of savoury Wagyu beef instead of Unagi. The food was superb, and the dining experience was nice with the ambience of sitting next to a green garden. There was also a small ritual in eating as can be seen in the provided instructions above.
"完璧!,Kanpeki" - "Perfect!"
.... at the other end of town was the Togetsukyo Wooden Bridge (渡月橋) (GPS: 35.01287, 135.67777) spanning over the Katsura River.
From a bus-stop near the bridge we took an hour's local bus ride from Ariashimaya to Shijo Kawaramachi.
After a short rest and freshening up, it was out for a Yakiniku set dinner at Yakiniku Yaruki at Shijō Kawaramachi. It was an all-you-can-it sit-down buffet, including ice-cream desserts.
"1番美味しい"
(That's "1-Ban oishī", 'No. 1 delicious" in Japanese)
(For more photos of the Day 2, Click Here)
(That's "1-Ban oishī", 'No. 1 delicious" in Japanese)
(For more photos of the Day 2, Click Here)
This is page 2 of an 8-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.
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