Japan 2024 Day 3 Kyoto-Fushimi Inari: Of Hill Temples & Torii Gates

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Japan 2024 Day 3 Kyoto-Fushimi Inari: Of Hill Temples & Torii Gates

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Japan 2024: Day 3 Kyoto-Fushimi Inari: Of Hill Temples & Torii Gates

Kyoto, Takayama, Osaka, Japan Day 3: 30th March (Saturday)

Small Group (Non-cycling) This is part of a tour of the Kansai & Hida Regions, Japan:

My K House>Ichiran>Nishiki Market>Kiyomizu Dera>My K House>Gion>Fushimi Inari>Kamo Riverside>My K House.

This is page 3 of an 8-page blog, Click Here To Go To Title Page.

< D2: Arashimaya | Go to Other Days | D4: Takayama >

Route recommendations, here're some tips on travelling in and around Kyoto:

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.

4. Route & Traffic Conditions

Today's places of interest were the Nishiki Market, where we just walked around. Later we took a bus to visit Kiyomizu Dera Temple. In the evening we walked around the Gion locality before taking the train to visit the Fushimi Inari Taisha renowned for its torii gates.

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).
- Nishiki Market (錦市場) (GPS: 35.00502, 135.76472).
- Kiyamachi-dori (木屋町通) (GPS: 35.00397, 135.77056) street with streams lined with Sakuras,

- Kiyomizu Dera Temple (清水寺) (GPS: 34.99466, 135.78466), & its ancillaries:
- Kiyomizudera Niomon Gate (仁王門) (GPS: 34.99542, 135.78334),
- Kiyomizudera Shoro (Bell Tower) (清水寺鐘楼) (GPS: 34.99533, 135.78368),
- Kiyomizudera Sanjunoto (Three Story Pagoda) (清水寺三重塔) (GPS: 34.99505, 135.78384),
- Kiyomizudera Zuigudo (随求堂) (GPS: 34.99520, 135.78407),
- Kiyomizudera Sentai Sekibutsugun (Thousand Stone Buddhas) (千体石仏群) (GPS: 34.99548, 135.78444),
- Jishu Shrine (地主神社) GPS: 34.99522, 135.785).

- Gion (祇園) (GPS: 35.00378, 135.77724).
- Little Boys Pant Down Statue (GPS: 35.00394, 135.77316) at Nawate-Dori, Gion.

- Fushimi Inari Taisha, torii gates & park (千本鳥居) (GPS: 34.96704, 135.77465), & its ancillaries:

- Kitsunezo (千本鳥居狐像) GPS: 34.96693, 135.77105),
- Fushimi Inari Tower Gate (伏見稲荷大社楼門) GPS: 34.96714, 135.77265),

- Fushimi Inari Taisha Honden (Sanctuary) (伏見稲荷大社本殿) GPS: 34.96717, 135.77338),
- Tamayama Inari Shrine (玉山稲荷社) GPS: 34.96745, 135.7738),
- Okumiya (千本鳥居奥宮) GPS: 34.96727, 135.77402).

- 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.

9. Food

a. Brunch:

Cubicle Ramen at Ichiran (一蘭京都烏丸店) GPS: 35.00381, 135.7637).

b. Late Morning Snacks:
Chicken Drumstick on a Stick from the Tanaka Keiran (田中鶏卵) (GPS: 35.00504, 135.76481) 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.

c. Dinner:

Fresh Wagyu beef patties at Hikiniku to Come (挽肉と米京都) (GPS: 35.00509, 135.77457).

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

The previous day was a fairly busy one, starting with a visit to the Nishiki Market, I have always liked the market with its friendly vendors exhibiting their fresh seafood & other wares openly yet neatly for all to see and purchase. After that, we went to Arashiyama to visit the Bamboo Forest, & for a ride on the Sagano Romantic Train Ride.
Today will be a quieter day but it will end with a SURPRISE!

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DAY 3: KYOTO-FUSHIMI INARI

Small group self-tour of the Kansai & Hida Regions, Japan. Day 3 Around Kyoto & Fushimi Inari:

My K House>Ichiran>Nishiki Market>Kiyomizu Dera>My K House>Gion>Fushimi Inari>Kamo Riverside>My K House.

Today's visits were to the Nishiki Market & Kiyomizu Dera Temple and in the evening we went to the Fushimi Inari Taisha for a special event.
(Click here for the Kyoto-Fushimi Inari Route Map)

While Ping, Neeks & Lynne had headed out earlier, Kev & I kicked off the day with a brunch at Ichiran. This is a must-go eatery while in Kyoto. No, it's nothing spectacular, it just sells ramen. The unique thing is that patrons eat in small individual cubicles; there's not much interaction with other patrons (even with friends sitting just at the next cubicle) OR with the staff. I guess they want us to concentrate on and enjoy the meal.

The cubicle is about 45cm wide with partitions on both sides and a roller bamboo curtain in front. Looks rather clandestine, but oddly there's a long queue waiting their turns. For me, the ramen a just okay so I guess many like me just come for the "ala cubicle" eating experience.
Here's a link on how to order via the vending machine and personalizing one's preferences after that. Everything is done quietly, the curtain goes up slightly - pass in our order chit and ticked preference chit - the curtain goes down. The curtain goes UP again and a pair of hands serve my order, so I am not sure who's serving me, or whether it's a boy or a girl!
It's quite a dining experience and now I know how cows feel like while eating fodder in their booths 😂.

Time to meet up with the rest who were at Nishiki Market. Where else to meet but at our favourite Sofuto joint at Houkyuuan. The market was still shoulder-to-shoulder jam-packed, so we used a parallel street to avoid the crowd and steered in nearer our destination.
It was worth it, the Cremia soft-served ice-cream are is just so..soo GOOD!

And couldn't resist having this chicken drumstick on-a-stick from Tanaka Keiran, the stall opposite. Although deboned, the meat was surprisingly very tender!

Together, the five of us grabbed a local bust to head for Kiyomizu Dera Temple, alighting at a bus stop near the Otani Hombyo Temple - about two kilometers away. Peak-period was not a good time to visit Kiyomizu Dera, the streets leading up to it was jam-packed with visitors!

At the Kiyomizudera Niomon Gate, its bright reddish-orange cinnabar colour Shinto-style design made it and the surrounding buildings here very conspicuous and attractive.

From the entrance gate was a good view of down-town Kyoto.

Nice, yah.

Enjoying the shrines and gardens at the foot of the stairs leading up to the main temple.
The photo of the temple proper was from a previous visit, ten years ago.

Come dinner time, we managed to eat at Hikiniku to Come.
Phing & Neeks had made reservations in the morning.

I had never thought that eating beef patties would be an experience; after all those patties are normally used at burgers fast food joints. But the Wagyu patties served here were really fresh and juicy, thus bringing forth their exquisite beefy flavours!

But still I like Wagyu served as steaks, hopefully in later days....

Post-dinner walk around the Gion area again; today without the rain, it was a better experience and the photos turned out better.

Love this cheeky photo of a delivery boy with his pants pulled down by a dog.

For a better experience, a Google Street View of the place! 😆

On the Keihan train from Gion to Fushimi Inari for a "Special Mission"

A night visit to the Fushimi Inari Taisha, torii gates & park.

Visiting at night was so much better! We almost had the place to ourselves, there were hardly any people around. The place is quite large and fortunately was open 24/7.

A family wefie for the album!

Back in Kyoto, our walk back took us past Kiyamachi-dori, the street adjacent to our homestays. Finally, seeing more of the cherry trees blooming with Sakuras!

So what was the "Special Mission"?

It was a marriage proposal from Nick to Phing!