Trip to Kyoto & Nara | First Time in Japan 🇯🇵 | Travel Vlog

Trip to Kyoto & Nara | First Time in Japan 🇯🇵 | Travel Vlog

We made it here by 6pm, traveling from Osaka Checking in to our hotel This hotel has a self check-in system The room is quite spacious This is our window view There’s a washing machine with a separate bathroom here We arrived at Pontocho to get some dinner

Love how there are so many lanterns lighting up the alley We decided on Yakiniku for dinner We ended up ordering a daily special meat plate Sauce marinated thick sliced beef This came with the meat plate, not sure what it is but it’s quite good And a Korean claypot rice with cheese

Meat was tender and juicy, the sauce was also great Total cost was ¥10,000 for two people Time for some dessert, we wanted to get the matcha ice cream There are three grades of matcha to choose from, we chose grade 2

It’s on the pricier side, but definitely the best matcha ice cream I’ve ever had! We are going to Arashiyama today First stop is the bamboo grove, which is about 15 minute walk from the station The bamboos are so tall It began to get crowded as we made our way back

This temple is famous for its garden design Our next stop is the Arashiyama Monkey Park We received tourist information on what not to do with the monkeys The trek takes about 20-30 min to reach the top Tourists are advised to keep 3 meters distance from the monkeys

However the staff has the privilege to get up close The monkeys are so cute And feisty There’s a building where we can feed the monkeys from inside We can buy treats such as peanuts or apples for them at ¥100 The bigger monkeys have trouble grabbing the treats

Not a problem for the smaller monkeys as they can stick their arms through Walking back to the station We took a tram back to central Kyoto Came to a convenience store to get some lunch Not too hungry, just two onigiris will do

Wandering through Gionmachi, it’s like stepping back in time among the wooden tea houses We didn’t expect there were this many people, so we planned to come back on another day We got some yakidango for afternoon snack It’s very sweet, crispy on the outside, sticky on the inside

This shrine dates back all the way to the 7th century The lanterns here really give off a festival vibe There are so many food stalls and shops here And so much fresh seafood A shiba inu cafe There’s a tiny shrine near the market It’s very cozy and peaceful inside

We are checking out this matcha shop Feeling a bit hungry, going to grab some dinner Luckily we got a counter seat The sushi here is really fresh and delicious Total cost was ¥7800 for two people We are heading to Nara today for a half day trip

Trying to lure a deer with shika senbei They are so polite, always bows to you Some deers started chasing me for the rice crackers We came to a restaurant specializing in persimmon leaf sushi Dining area is closed today so we could only do takeaways

The fragrance of persimmon leaves, sourness of vinegared rice, and the umami of the fish blend together perfectly We came to a shop selling mugwort mochi They’re quite tasty, very fluffy and soft We came back to Kyoto in the afternoon to visit Fushimi Inari

Each torii gate is a donation from a business or individual, symbolizing gratitude and hopes for prosperity We realized the vending machines up the mountain charge more than those at ground level There are significantly less tourists the higher up we climb

There are plenty of secret paths veer off from the main track leading to some lesser known, quiet shrines The lookout marks about half way from the top Vending machine price continue to increase as we climb higher Almost reaching the top Price peaks at ¥250, whereas the usual price is about ¥180

We’ve reached the summit There are so many small altars with fox statues here It’s very quite up here Time to head down the mountain Thought I heard the sound of waterfall, so I decide to follow it Turns out it’s just a bucket and a pipe..

Price returned to normal as we almost reached bottom of the mountain Lesson of the day, stock up on enough drinks before you start your trek! We returned to Pontocho for dinner We came to an izakaya There are many Kyoto specialty dishes here

First we have Obanzai, which are seasonal vegetable made from locally sourced ingredients Namafu Sashimi Nasu-Dengaku Vegetable tempura Croquette Chicken Karaage Fried squid Tori-ooba, a dish with cheese and shiso (perilla leaves) inside chicken cutlet Complimentary Kyoto tea Made it here before 8am this time to dodge the tourist crowds

This is one of my favourite spot in Kyoto, it’s so picturesque here Going to visit Kiyomizu-dera next Downside of being here too early is that a lot of the shops aren’t open yet From here you can see the Kyoto Tower

Even though peak autumn season is over, it is still quite a scenery here Was recommended by a friend to try out this matcha dessert shop But they weren’t open yet 🙁 Grabbing some quick lunch before leaving Kyoto Taking one last look at Kyoto We are heading to Kanazawa next

My Japan travel vlog series part 2/6. Travelling to Kyoto and Nara for 3 days, filmed in December 2023

0:00 Intro
0:32 Arrival
1:34 Pontocho Alley
5:03 Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
5:49 Tenryu-ji
7:24 Arashiyama Monkey Park
10:36 Gionmachi
11:37 Yasaka Shrine
12:58 Nishiki Market
15:55 Nara
19:12 Fushimi Inari
24:33 Higashiyama District
26:07 Kiyomizu-dera

Music:
Spring Flowers by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

When the Rain Stops by Tokyo Music Walker
Stream & Download : https://fanlink.to/when_the_rain_stops_tmw

In The Morning Light by Tokyo Music Walker
Stream & Download : https://fanlink.to/inthe_morning_light_tmw

夏祭りの帰り道
【ユーキヒロセ（Original BGM） https://youtu.be/b7YrZEmT570 】

和風ピアノの切ない、少し悲しい春
【ユーキヒロセ（Original BGM）https://youtu.be/TTmEc1CU00g　】

Orange
Composer RYU ITO

HOME