A quick run up to the Monkey Park (mountain).
Iwatayama Monkey Park 嵐山モンキーパーク
Tag: kyoto
Marumo Kitchen: bowl cafe マルモキッチン 京都ポルタ店
A bowl restaurant that serves sets in Kyoto station.
Kyoto Imperial Palace 京都御所 and Imperial Park 京都御苑
The Kyoto Imperial Palace is located within the Imperial Park which is huge and both are free to visit.
Noku Kyoto ノク 京都
The hotel we stayed at in Kyoto that we loved.
Kyoto-Flying Home
At about 4:50 am- ridiculously early again- I was up and packed. One of my bags was filled with snacks and my last carton of an iced chai latte. I woke up my friend around 5:15, trying to make sure we were out the door on time. I placed my bag into the basket of [...]
Universal Studios Japan
My last day in Kyoto was reserved for Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, nicknamed USJ. USJ is accessible from Kyoto via train. Just be careful not to get on the Osaka loop train which doesn't go to USJ. Instead there is a train that announces it goes to Universal Studios. The second train we boarded [...]
Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺
Kinkaku-ji also known as the Golden Temple was our last stop on our rather intense sightseeing day. We managed to make it in right before they stopped letting people in which was quite awhile before their 5pm closing time. Kinkaku-ji is a Zen temple and the retirement villa of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. It inspired the [...]
Nijo Castle 二条城
Our next stop on our busy tourist day was Nijo Castle. Which was undergoing some construction. After paying to get in, 600 yen, we went in Ninomaru palace which was a hauntingly beautiful experience. The castle was built in 1603. Ninomaru palace is where the shogun would live and work while in Kyoto. The corridors are Nightingale floors [...]
Gon Dai Yuu Gojozaka
On our way down the hill from Kiyomizu-dera we ended up at Gon Dai Yuu Gojozaka for lunch, a nice two story noodle shop. I ordered Wagyu Niku-Udon which was 900 yen. It's a Japanese beef udon that I ordered cold which was a new way to experience udon for me. When your udon is cold [...]
Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺
Kiyomizu-dera is a independent Buddhist temple that was founded in 778. We went as early as we could manage on a Saturday morning. We wandered around up the hill looking at shops and sampling Yatsuhashi 八つ橋, along the way, deciding to do souvenir shopping on the way down. Most of the buildings of Kiyomizu-dera were built in [...]