Fun Times

We just got back from Japan more than two weeks ago for a holiday. Japan is a beautiful country. Its people, heritage, and culture. Not to forget its food!

My trip to Japan before this was seven years ago. Since then, Japan was always on my radar as the travel destination and I knew we would go back again some time in the future.

If you can recall, J and K were not part of the trip. We were there just the two of us: my wife and I. You can read about the trip here.

Even after the recent visit, I still love Japan. I don’t deny the fact that I will pay the Land of the Rising Sun another visit soon.

For the recent trip to Osaka and Kyoto, we took J and K along. It was their first trip to Japan and they loved it to the bits. It’s an eye-opening experience for them and Japan is a good place for children to learn about good manners and being considerate to others.

This trip is different from our trip 7 years ago as this trip was self-tour. We moved around on our own and without a guide.

If you are asking, “How could that possible?” then read on.

At first I was skeptical too about moving around in a country that her people don’t speak English. But after I came back from the trip, I can tell you confidently that it is possible.

Based on our real life experience, I want to share with you how we did it, traveling in a foreign land where language is a problem, where culture is so much different from ours.

Let me warn you this article is really really long (it took me 2 weeks to finish and one of the longest I’ve ever written).

For ease of reading, I have divided it into a 3-article series:

Part 1: Tips and Tricks for Planning a Trip to Japan

Part 2: What to Do, Eat, and See in Osaka

Part 3: What to Do, Eat, and See in Kyoto

Note: This is the first part of a 3-part series of Family Trip to Japan: Travel Tips and Guide to Osaka and Kyoto

There are four main things of a trip to a foreign country: air tickets, accommodation, itinerary, and transport.

This is how we planned our Osaka and Kyoto trip.

Air Tickets

How this trip came about was when my wife leisurely browsed the Internet and saw some cheap tickets to Japan were on sale. Without much hesitation, tickets were purchased after deciding the length of stay. This also coincided with one-week school holiday.

The trip started 28 August and ended 3 September. We reached Japan at 11 pm and left Japan at 10 pm on the last day.

Unlike seven years ago, for Malaysian citizens, no visa is required to travel to Japan at the time of writing. This removes a lot of headache for travellers as visa application was very stringent then.

Accommodation

Once tickets were secured, the next item to check off from the to-do list was accommodation. We decided to stay in two cities for the purpose of convenience and time-saving.

We divided the stay equally between Osaka and Kyoto: 3 nights each. For the first time, we used Airbnb as staying in a hotel in Japan for four could be very costly. So we looked for affordable apartments that could accommodate all of us without breaking the bank.

Legally, Airbnb is not approved by the Japanese government. The landlords of the properties must have hotel permit in order to rent out their properties. But in most cases, those listed on Airbnb don’t. However, there are many Japanese landlords operating on Airbnb and if you follow the house rules, you won’t run into any trouble during your stay. (For example, the Japanese neighborhood doesn’t like noisy occupants after 8 pm; you need to segregate the trash, etc.)

Hey, look at us, we made it. So it’s quite safe to use Airbnb for your stay in Japan.

If you are still not convinced, you can stay in a hotel or hostel if cost is your concern.

Our accommodation cost about RM450 a night on average for four. The costs are dependent on location, size, and type of property. Check out the ratings on Airbnb. Read the reviews and fine print thoroughly before booking an accommodation. Better still, write to the owner and ask questions. See how fast he replies and the way he replies. All this will help you in determining whether you should go ahead with the accommodation.

Itinerary

This is not an easy task. There are so many places to visit, things to do and see in such a short time. The trick is how to cramp so many things in so few days.

Do you want a cover-as-much-as-you-can trip or a leisurely one?

Seven years back, we didn’t really travel much in Osaka and Kyoto as we kind of rushed through the cities. So we planned to visit more places this time.

It’s important to do your homework before reaching Japan. We had three months to do so. Besides doing research on the Internet, we also asked some friends who had been to Japan for some traveling advice.

As it turned out, online information on Japan is extensive and consistent. It’s highly reliable and up-to-date. It’s convenient though you feel confusing sometimes.

Find out the places of interest of the city you want to visit. Have an idea where to go on a particular day. 4-6 spots are ideal depending on your child’s stamina.

Don’t be greedy. Leave some space for short breaks and unplanned activities if they ever turn up.

Depending on where you go, you might need to pre-order entrance tickets (especially popular spots like Universal Studios Japan. More about this later) or passes (bus or subway) before hand. This saves time and makes your trip more manageable.

I felt overwhelmed when doing the itinerary planning. Because I was not familiar with where those places are located and how far they are from each other. But once you get the hang of it, you can do better.

Thanks to my wife. Most of the itinerary planning was done by her.

Insider tip: Travel by location. Visit places of the same locality together, on the same day. This not only saves time but also money and energy. This is what we did. As you read about where we went later in the post, you will realise we followed this maxim throughout our stay in Japan.

Transport

At first, I was skeptical about traveling on our own in Japan. English is not commonly spoken there and I worried we might not be able to take public transport to move around due to the complicated and confusing lines of subway and train.

With that in mind, we did our planning in a very detailed manner: where to take what train, where to transfer, where to get down, and more.

For Osaka and Kyoto, subway and train are the main mode of transport. Except only one day, we used buses when we were with a Japanese friend who took us around. One interesting fact is, as I found out later when I was there, bicycles are very common in downtown Kyoto. Cyclists and pedestrians co-exist side by side.

Be warned: A lot of walking is required when traveling in Japan. Some stations are not near to tourist spots. Walking is not a choice but requirement. If you’re not used to walking the whole day, be prepared. A pair of good walking shoes and great stamina will make things easy for you. Bring along snacks and drinking water, especially if you have young children tagging along.

Insider tip: Use Google Maps to plan your transport. Enter the starting point and destination in Google Maps. You can choose either driving, subway and bus, or walking. When the choice of going around is made, Google Maps will propose a recommended route to reach your destination. Proposed route and traveling time are clearly stated. If public transport is chosen, departure and arrival time of the transport as well as the fare is displayed too. Very useful and you can’t live without it. If you have Wi-Fi while in Japan, use Google Maps to navigate and to help you walk around.

Quick Facts and Tips for Traveling to Japan

Quickfacts

Timezone: UTC+9

Currency Exchange: ¥1000 = MYR39.13

Temperature: check online for the weather and temperatures of the city you’re going to to allow you to make the necessary preparations: what to bring and what to wear.

Tips and Tricks

Take advantage of passes and buy them before hand

There are many choices of passes on the market. Pick those that are relevant to your trip and you can save on some hard earned money. Examples of passes are Osaka Amazing Pass, ICOCA/Kansai One Pass, subway pass, bus pass. If you are clear on what passes to buy, try buying online before your trip. It can save you time and hassle. A simple search on the Internet will guide you on how to go about this.

Before the trip, we bought Universal Studios Japan entrance tickets online. However, for Osaka Amazing Pass and Kansai One Pass (excellent discount on Haruka train to Kansai Airport for foreigners), we bought them when we arrived in Japan because we needed more info before buying them.

Accommodation is small, travel light
Unless you stay in a hotel, if you plan to use Airbnb like we did, affordable apartments are usually small in size (of course, unless you have the means for high end accommodation) in city areas. It’s very compact and you tend to bump into each other while moving around in the unit, literally. Therefore, travel light with fewer and smaller luggages is highly recommended. Get a property that comes with pocket wi-fi (portable wi-fi) without extra costs. This is very handy in helping you navigate around the city on foot.

Plan ahead
Plan your itinerary and how you move around, either bus, train, bicycle, or walk. Get directions before hand or if you have Internet connection, use Google Maps as your guide while you’re on the move.

Communicate with local Japanese without knowing the language
It’s not easy to speak to Japanese people (unless you know Japanese) because they are not well versed in English. To overcome this problem, get a Japanese-speaking friend to tour with you. If this is not possible, use Google Translate app. You type in your question in English, Google translates it and you show it to the person you talk to in Japanese. It works both ways: from English to Japanese and vice-versa. Or use the most basic way, show using a map/brochure.

It’s always a good idea to ask someone at the information center. We did this many times to avoid going into the wrong directions. Plus, it’s highly likely that the person behind the counter can speak a bit of English.

Have a good pair of walking shoes
As I said earlier, unlike the well-pampered Malaysians who drive even for the shortest distance, a lot of walking is required in Japan. Get a pair of comfortable walking shoes for the trip.

Useful websites for research

Transport Planning
http://www.hyperdia.com/en/
http://maps.google.com

Attractions by area
Osaka
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2157.html
http://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-city-guides/osaka-attractions

Kyoto
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2158.html
https://www.discoverkyoto.com/places-go/kyoto-by-area/
http://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-city-guides/kyoto-sightseeing

Bonus Tip: Unique Souvenir

We got this idea from our neighbor. She’s been doing this for many years. It’s a unique way to get a souvenir from the country you are traveling to. Best of all, it’s one of a kind and it doesn’t cost a lot of money.

Are you ready?

Get this: send a postcard to yourself from overseas. Buy a postcard there and mail home. Whether you’re a stamp collector or not, it doesn’t matter. The postcard itself is already a pretty good memento of your vacation.

Note: This is the first part of a 3-part series of Family Trip to Japan: Travel Tips and Guide to Osaka and Kyoto

Quick links to the 3-part series:

Part 1: Tips and Tricks for Planning a Trip to Japan

Part 2: What to Do, Eat and See in Osaka

Part 3: What to Do, Eat, and See in Kyoto

Note: This is the second part of a 3-part series of Family Trip to Japan: Travel Tips and Guide to Osaka and Kyoto

Day 1 – Arriving in Osaka

We arrived at Kansai International Airport (KIX) at 10 pm. I admit it’s quite late and the last public transport that leaves KIX is airport bus at 1:30 am. We needed to go to our pre-booked apartment in Namba. We wanted to take Rapi:t train (which is faster) but the we missed the last train of the day at 10:55 pm. We had to settle for Airport Express which takes slightly longer than Rapi:t, about 10 minutes longer.

A small incident happened even on our first day in Osaka. By following the directions given by the landlord, we were supposed to get out from South Exit of Namba Station but by the time we reached, we were told by one train station employee the exit was closed already. The only way out was North Exit. We were stunned and worried if we would make it to the apartment without hassle.

To my relief, after exiting North Exit, we managed to find our way and re-connect with the map given to us by the landlord to find the room we had rented.

On the way, we went in to Lawson, a famous 24-hour convenience store chain in Japan, to get some food for our late dinner. We bought some buns and of course, instant ramen. J and K were thrilled.

After reaching the apartment, we prepared ourselves a light and simple dinner. The apartment or rather room, is very small by Malaysian standards. But it is clean and it has all the basic amenities that we needed.

Day 2 – Traveling with Osaka Amazing Pass

For the first whole day in Osaka, we used Osaka Amazing Pass (OAP) to travel around. First thing in the morning, we walked to Tourist Information Namba at Nankai Namba Station (which we saw the night before when we arrived) to purchase OAP.

The friendly staff at the counter was so helpful that she calculated the places that we planned to visit and their respective costs to see whether K should get one OAP for himself or just get an ordinary subway day pass. OAP has one-day pass and two-day pass. Each with one flat price. We bought the one-day pass.

One-day Osaka Amazing Pass comes with unlimited rides of subway (except JR lines) and buses for a day. Not only that, it also offers free and discounted entrances to designated attractions. To ease our wallets, we took advantage of the OAP and visited attractions that are free with it.

Tourist Infomration Namba
ADDRESS
〒542-0076
Nankai Terminal Bldg. 1F, 5-1-60 Namba, Cnuo-ku, Osaka

Here are the places we went to, which are free with OAP.

Shitennoji Temple (四天王寺)

We took advantage of OAP to enjoy free train rides. Our first stop was Shitennoji Temple. To reach there from Namba, we have to go to subway Tanimachi Line Shitennojimae Yuhigaoka Station.

Shitennoji was the first Buddhist temple constructed in Japan. Like most wooden temples in the country — it has burned down at various times in history. Each time its reconstruction was faithful to the 6th century original. The locals hold a variety of events and festivals at Shitennoji each year.

The compound is huge but only access to the main temple and 5-Level Pagoda will be charged. We walked quite a bit (15 minutes) from the nearest station to the main entrance of Shitennoji Temple. Inside it has a huge open area with white pebbles, nicely “combed” to form ripple-like surface. If you are in the mood, you are allowed to climb up the 5-Level Pagoda but we didn’t.

Admission
Adult ¥300.

A Short Break at FamilyMart

While walking from Shitennoji Temple to Keitakuen Garden, since it was a long walk, we quickly stopped at FamilyMart when we spot one. To alleviate any possibilities of getting impatient, we soothed J and K with ice-cream.

Who doesn’t want to have ice-cream on a hot day? It was a great encouragement for J and K to continue walking without whining.

After the cool feast, it’s time to continue walking and looking for the next destination. Despite some small hiccups, with the help of Google Maps, we successfully reached Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts.

Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts

For free entrance with OAP, only one section of the ground floor (ie: collection exhibit) of Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts is accessible. That floor showcased countless sculptures of Buddha from various dynasties of China.

Admission
[Regular fee] ¥300.

Keitakuen Garden 慶沢園

Just next to Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts is Keitakuen Garden. Keitakuen Garden is a traditional Japanese garden within Tennoji Park.

A formal Japanese Chisen-kaiyushiki garden, it has a pond with an island that is surrounded by trees and plants. One can actually take a stroll around the garden while taking in the beauty and calmness of the garden.

After visiting the garden, we walked to Tennoji Station to get back to downtown Osaka since it’s the nearest station from Keitakuen Garden.

ADDRESS
〒543-0063 1-108 Chausuyama-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka City (Tennoji Park)

Admission
[Regular fee] ¥150.

Lunch at Tennoji Station

By then we were hungry. We looked for a restaurant for our late lunch. To save time, we decided to dine at the train station itself. We picked one that looked decent and not too expensive and looked good to us.

Finally, we settled at Zenya Japanese Restaurant of Tennoji Station. It turned out to be one of the best meals we had in Osaka, according to food critics J and K.

HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel

After lunch, we took subway to Umeda after one train transfer. Just across the station (about 5 minutes’ walk) that’s where HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel can be found.

HEP FIVE is a shopping and entertainment complex. What we were interested in was the ferris wheel which forms part of the one-stop center. It’s one of the few ferris wheels available is Osaka. You won’t miss it as it’s painted in bright, red color. You can board the ferris wheel from the 7th floor.

K got a bit overwhelmed as he didn’t expect the ferris wheel to be so huge and high. He thought he was onto a ferris wheel like what we normally find at a local funfair. He was so worried that he couldn’t sit still as he was afraid of height.

We tried to distract him with the amazing skyline that Osaka had to offer. We didn’t know he would react in such a manner but he managed to go through it finally.

Fee
[Regular fee] ¥500.

Umeda Joypolis’s Wild River

We didn’t plan for this. However my wife remembered reading something about this river ride and it’s part of the benefits of OAP. Since we happened to be in close proximity, we dropped by at Wild River. The queue was long and it took us about 30 minutes before we reached our turns.

It is an adventure ride that allows you to virtually experience going down the wild river with visuals and effects.

Admission
[Regular fee] ¥600.

Umeda Sky Building Floating Garden Observatory

It’s one of the best buildings I’ve ever seen. It’s modern; it’s magnificent; it’s unique. To reach Umeda Sky Building, one has to walk about 20 minutes from HEP FIVE.

170m above ground, the 360-degree observation deck on top of the twin towers offers an unobstructed view of Osaka and its vicinity. The view is stunning.

One level lower is an indoor observation floor where visitors can sit and relax while sipping a cup of tea from a cafe on the same floor. That’s where J and K received their reward for walking hard: another ice-cream.

To reach the highest floor, you need to take specially-dedicated lift and escalator. You may consider coming here for sunset and night view as this deck closes at 10:30 pm (last admission at 10 pm).

Address
〒531-0076 1-1-88 Oyodo-naka,Kita-ku,OsakaCity

Admission
[Regular fee] ¥1,000.

Temmabashi Best View Cruise

It’s about 5 pm and we were all exhausted from the walk. What better way to spend the evening than sitting in a cruise (no walking!) and enjoying the evening view of Osaka.

We took train to Temmabashi station. Jetty (Hachikenya-hama pier) of Temmabashi Best View Cruise is very close and right next to the station. To redeem the tickets, get them from a counter in the train station before going to the jetty.

Unfortunately, on board, the guide only spoke in Japanese with one or two English sentences scattered around. I am not sure why they don’t do recorded travel guide for foreigners.

The cruise is a loop, starting and ending points are the same. As an added bonus, after we finished the cruise, the timing was just right for an amazing sunset near the jetty. It was pretty and the view was simply breathtaking. It turned out to be one of the best of our trip.

Dotonbori 道頓堀

Before this everything was within our expectations. Things began to change when we arrived in Dotonbori in the evening. The place was crowded and a hive of activity.

The people, the neon lights, the noise, the smell. You name it, you got it here in Dotonbori. There’s no shortage of things to stimulate your senses.

This is also the place to view the insanely huge signboards that are colorful and elaborate.

To be honest, Dotonbori is a bit too crowded for my liking. But here’s the place to come when it comes to food. You won’t go hungry and wish you could have a bigger stomach to enjoy all the food in Dotonbori, be it street food or restaurant food.

We were confused what to eat but in the end we settled at Osaka Ohsho. A Chinese restaurant that serves gyoza and fried rice, besides ramen.

Before that we had tasted Osaka’s most famous food: takoyaki. I don’t really like the slimy texture of it but if you haven’t tasted it, go ahead and try it.

Japan Night Walk Tour

After dinner, we joined a walk tour. The tour has to be registered before hand and the venue to sign up and meet is a small counter located inside the Nakaza Cuidaore Building 1F Ichibirian shop.

It’s a 45-min walking tour. A guide will take you to recommended spots. You will also receive discount coupons for souvenirs and restaurants.

The tour guide of the day was Hachan. She was really friendly and helpful. She also introduced restaurants that she personally liked in Dotonbori as she took us around the hidden paths of Dotonbori. She is fluent in English.

Going to Hozen-ji Temple is part of the Japan Night Walk Tour. The walk ended in front of the famous signboard: Glico Man.

Time
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Fee
[Regular fee] ¥1,000.

Day 3: Universal Studios Japan

I am not a big fan of theme parks but once in a while I make exceptions. Universal Studios Japan is one example. We went there mainly for J and K.

One of the must-see sections of USJ is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It’s so famous that you’ve not been to USJ if you’ve not been to Harry Potter.

Going to USJ needs proper planning unless you want to waste your time wandering aimlessly. You don’t want to do that because the tickets to USJ are super expensive.

The day we went was very crowded even though it was a Wednesday. I guess it was due to summer holidays in Japan. On average, we waited 1.5 hours for each ride.

To help you make full use and get your money’s worth, I have compiled some “insider” tips that you can use when planning your trip to USJ.

Buy tickets in advance.
There are two types of studio passes: one day (7,600 yen and 5,100 yen, adult and child respectively) and two-day (12,800 yen and 8,620 yen). You don’t want to waste your time queuing up to buy tickets on the day of the visit itself. There are a few authorized outlets selling USJ tickets online and offline. We bought ours from Klook. The best thing about buying tickets from resellers is the prices are the same and there are no extra charges. You might even get discount sometimes from online purchase. On the day, just scan your ticket on your mobile phone or print it out during entry.

Of course, there are many passes available for sale besides the ordinary entry tickets. You can purchase express passes for a particular ride (or group of rides). Mind you those express passes are no cheap. Some are as expensive as the entry ticket itself. We didn’t buy any express passes.

Plan your route.
Based on what you want to focus, prioritize the sections you would like to visit.

If you have toddlers, you might want to visit sections like Universal Wonderland (Sesame Street), Snoopy Studios, Hello Kitty and Minion Park.

If you’re an adventurous type, take all the heart-stopping rides. The most challenging rides are Jurassic Park’s The Flying Dinosaur (though I am considered daring, I didn’t have the courage to try this) and Hollywood Dream The Ride: Backdrop (we tried this!), in my opinion.

Our focus is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the rides. To facilitate your planning, get a USJ studio map.

Arrive one hour before opening.
A blogger advised the best days to visit USJ are Wednesdays and Thursdays. We thought we were fine since we went there on a Wednesday.

But to our horror, when we reached USJ 30 minutes before opening, the visitors surrounded the entrance like ants to sugar. Sometimes what you have read might not be relevant anymore but I still advise you to reach USJ before opening hours. This is to avoid the crowd and save time. Make sure you line up at the right lane. USJ has varied opening and closing times. Check out the exact times here.

Pack snacks in your backpack.
Again I read somewhere that we were not allowed to bring in food and a search in the backpack during entry would be performed. That didn’t happen on our visit. Luckily we didn’t heed the advice of the blogger and brought some buns and snacks.

Of course, drinking water is a must. Water coolers are provided throughout the park.

Let me warn you the food sold in USJ is highly priced. We bought sparingly and ate only the necessary or unique. Even you had the money you wouldn’t find a place to sit as most restaurants were packed on that day.

We tried butterbeer (Harry Potter), turkey leg, and black pepper ribs (both available in Jurassic Park). Buy snacks the night before near your apartment; don’t buy at Family Mart outside USJ. When we were there, the shop had the longest queue at the check-out counter in the world.

Get timed entry tickets to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
We planned to snatch timed entry tickets to Harry Potter as our first task once we set our foot in USJ. However, the timed entry tickets were not available that day.

These free tickets entitle you a guaranteed entry to Harry Potter at a particular time. This is especially handy if The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is packed.

The machines that dispense these tickets are located in the Central Park (in the middle of USJ) near the lake of San Francisco. There is night show at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in the evening. They project the movie/animation on the exterior of Hogwarts Castle. Check website or ask the staff for timetable so you won’t miss the 5-minute show that ends with not-so-elaborate fireworks.

Have dinner at Universal Citywalk.

As I said, we didn’t really eat at USJ except for some snacks that we find interesting or the need to recharge. Once you have finished visiting USJ and you want to pamper yourself after a hard day’s walking, head on to Universal Citywalk just outside the theme park.

There are many choices to choose from. Some are American brands brought in by Universal Studios and some are homegrown. Not only on the ground floor, there are many shops which are located on the first floor. Take your time to explore and look for one that you like.

In the end, we settled at one of the Japanese restaurants on the first floor. After the satisfying meal, we took train back to our apartment with tired feet dragging along.

Unannounced Benefit: It was an added bonus of USJ package. To understand and appreciate more The Wizarding World of Harry Potter of USJ, I encouraged K to read Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling which he had never read or watched even the highly successful movies. He, in fact, picked it up and managed to finish the first two books before the trip.

At least he knew what Hogswart Castle was, the four houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the cloaks and wands, who Dumbledore, Hagrid and Hedwig were, etc. Even after the trip, K is still hooked to the series and he is into its 5th book as of now. J didn’t get bitten by the bug (due to her heavy schoolwork) but we watched the first movie together so that she knew what was going on. Getting K into reading the Harry Potter series is well worth the entrance ticket we paid for him.

Day 4: Last Day in Osaka and First Day in Kyoto

Today was free and easy day. And also shopping day (yay?!). A note on shopping: Before the trip, many friends of ours told us there’s lots of things to buy from Japan. From snacks and beauty products to green tea and fans. But we made it a point that shopping was not our top priority. So we didn’t spend much except to meet the minimum requirement (¥5,000 excluding tax) of enjoying tax-free.

We planned to visit Dotonbori again, but this time, in day time. Besides that, another place on our itinerary was Kuromon Market.

Food in Dotonbori

We walked from Namba Station to Dotonbori and Kuromon Market. I wanted to try out Kamukura Ramen but we were kind of lost and confused. Eventually we saw Ichiran Ramen which was also very popular judging from its long queue. We gave it a try since the outlet that we saw was not very crowded. You have to make payment first before you are allocated a seat where you can customize your order.

The soup is thick and flavorful. Overall the ramen is excellent except that it is too pricey for me. It costs ¥890 a bowl. Once we were done and out of Ichiran Ramen, I immediately saw Kamukura just right opposite of Ichiran. Too bad I was full already, no chance to try it.

Other food items we tried out were Kobe beef. We went to the restaurant recommended by the tour guide of Japan Night Walk Tour. The restaurant only serves Kobe beef for dinner but the owner was kind enough to serve us as lunch. I just wanted to try out Kobe and I ordered the smallest serving of 50g at ¥5,000. When I mentioned the tour guide’s name to the owner who referred us to the restaurant, we were treated with free drinks, including alcoholic drinks. How nice!

We tried for the second time takoyaki, one of Osaka’s most famous food. Personally, I don’t like the inner texture of it; it’s too slimy. Again if you have not tried it, go ahead and try it.

Kuromon Market 黒門市場

In Kuromon Ichiba Market, one can buy fresh produce like fruits and vegetables, pork, beef, and seafood. Of course, there are many snack shops too.

You can eat until you drop in Kuromon Market. We ate as we walked.

We tried okonomiyaki, soy milk (thick and tasted like blended tofu), and dorayaki (a red bean pancake). I prefer okonomiyaki to takoyaki.

Shopping

The only place we shopped extensively was at Don Quijote in Dotonbori. This is the only place we enjoyed tax-free items on this trip. Don Quijote is a discount chain store that has over 160 locations throughout Japan. It sells everything under the sun, even luxury watches like Rolex. We didn’t buy Rolex but tit-bits and some souvenirs.

Once we’re satisfied touring Kuromon Market and it was getting late, we took a train to Kyoto, our second destination. We reached there about 7:00 pm and we walked for about 18 minutes (from Karasuma station to an apartment near Karasuma-oike station) to our apartment with the help from Google Maps and Kyoto Free WiFi. We were so tired that we didn’t go out for dinner in Pontocho as planned. Instead, we ate instant noodles we bought from a Family Mart nearby.

Note: This is the second part of a 3-part series of Family Trip to Japan: Travel Tips and Guide to Osaka and Kyoto

Quick links to the 3-part series:

Part 1: Tips and Tricks for Planning a Trip to Japan

Part 2: What to Do, Eat, and See in Osaka

Part 3: What to Do, Eat, and See in Kyoto

Note: This is the third and final part of a 3-part series of Family Trip to Japan: Travel Tips and Guide to Osaka and Kyoto

Day 5: Arashiyama 嵐山 and Pontocho 先斗町

After a night in Kyoto, we spent one full day in Arashiyama.

Sagano Scenic Railway

My wife wanted to see Bamboo Grove and naturally I had to oblige. Hence, Arashiyama here we come. We had one full day for the small town that is west of Kyoto. We took train to JR Umahori Station. First things first, we walked for 10 minutes to Kameoka Torroko Station to embark on Sagano Scenic Railway (also called Sagano Romantic Train). The walk to the station gives you a village feel: humble, untouched.

The SRT’s journey takes about 25 minutes for 7.2 kilometres with 4 stops, namely Kameoka – Hozkukyo – Arashiyama – Saga. Kameoka is the furthest. There are a few recommended routes you can take. Each train is made up of four enclosed cars (with windows that can be opened) and one fully open car (Car No. 5 – which you can request when buying tickets). All seats are reserved, although standing tickets are sold if the seats are full.

Tickets can be purchased at Torokko Saga Station, or at JR ticket offices in the Kansai Region.

We boarded Sagano Scenic Railway from Kameoka Torokko station to Arashiyama station.

The sightseeing train ride gives passengers scenic view along Hozugawa River and cliffs. This is even more stunning during autumn or winter.

Hours
Hourly from 9:00 to 16:00 (until 17:00 on busy days). Closed Wednesdays

Admission
¥620 and ¥310; one way between Torokko Saga and Torokko Kameoka Stations

Bamboo Grove

We alighted at Arashiyama Torokko station and walked a short distance to the Bamboo Grove. Bamboo Grove’s area is not big but it’s surrounded by other attractions such as temples. As with most places of interest in Japan, entrance fees applied for some temples.

Bamboo Grove is one of the most scenic places in Kyoto for taking pictures.

If you’re lazy or not in the mood to walk, you can ride on one of those human-powered rickshaws (jinrikisha). These rickshaw drivers are young, tall, dark, and handsome.

You can tell him where you want to go. Mind you pulling a huge and already heavy rickshaw like the ones in Arashiyama is not a walk in the “bamboo” park. It requires strength and precision to manoeuvre along the narrow paths of the bamboo forest.

Admission
Free

Arashiyama Town

Food

We exited Bamboo Grove and made an entry into the main street of Arashiyama. Arashiyama food street, an area that houses plenty of street food, cafes and restaurants. Incidentally, that’s the entrance to Bamboo Grove if you take the subway or bus to Arashiyama.

At the junction, we saw a stall selling ice-cream. And next to it is a stall selling tofu, soba and ramen. Both stalls were on our list of food to try in Arashiyama.

We tried the 4-flavored ice-cream for ¥350. We ate Hot Tofu (¥400) and Herring Soba (¥500) from 三忠豆腐. Tofu was smooth but average. I find it overrated. Herring Soba was okay. You have to stand to eat though 三忠豆腐 does provide limited seats.

Arashiyama town has one main street. But there are some surprises too along the streets off the main road. Don’t be afraid to explore.

The furthest we walked was until the famed Togetsu-kyo Bridge (渡月橋) over the Katsura River. We didn’t cross the bridge but had a nice view from afar.

We didn’t want to spend too much on food as some restaurants tended to be expensive in Arashiyama. Therefore, we decided to have our late lunch at a randomly picked restaurant that served affordable food.

This restaurant is famous for its yuba cheese (¥300). This is where we had a conversation with an Indonesian student who had been studying in Japan for 5 years, working as a waitress at the restaurant.

Of course, as we strolled along, we ate what fancied us. Some of the food that I don’t know the name of.

Kyoto Arashiyama Music Box Museum

Along the main road we noticed a music box museum. We didn’t enter the museum section of Kyoto Arashiyama Music Box Museum as it’s paid but we explored the shop. The music box shop sells tons of music boxes ranging from low to high end. The quality of the sound of the music boxes are determined by the number of notes.

I was attracted to one 30-note music box that cost ¥25000 that was made of walnut wood. The music produced by the music box is captivating and mesmerizing and soothing. I admit I was tempted to buy but thought better of it. The female staff who attended to us was very friendly and helpful. She was excited to show us any piece that we were interested in. Superb service!

Onsen Foot Bath (足湯) at Randen Arashiyama Station

A foot spa at a train station? What better way to soothe your weary feet after a day’s walking than soak your feet in hot spring? Head over to Randen Arashiyama Station for a relaxing foot bath. Buy the foot bath coupons at the station’s information centre. Each ticket comes with a complimentary towel to wipe your feet after you’re done.

You can soak your feet as long as you want.

Fee: ¥200

Kimono Forest

Kimono Forest is not a forest per se but transparent pillars with gorgeous kimono textile inside that line both sides of walk paths, right next to Randen Arashiyama Station. The place is a little less crowded and off-the-beaten track.

I believe the view of Kimono Forest would be much better at night. Nonetheless it’s a nice spot for photo-taking, day or night.

We were pretty done with Arashiyama. We walked to JR Saga Arashiyama station to go back to our apartment.

Admission
Free

Pontocho Alley

After a light dinner, we walked to Pontocho Alley – Kyoto’s most atmospheric dining areas. The narrow alley is lined with traditional shops and restaurants, and no cars allowed. We didn’t have dinner as we didn’t know what they served and how much they charged. Most restaurants only allow reservations and no walk-ins.

Later we strolled along Kamo-gawa River. There were many lovebirds sitting on the bank of the river chatting and enjoying the magnificent night view of the city and restaurants.

Day 6: Temple Hunting with Japanese Friend

On the second day in Kyoto, we met up with my wife’s friend who hails from Uji, about 25 minutes’ train ride from Kyoto. We hooked up with him before our trip and he was so kind to offer to bring us around Kyoto.

Our Japanese friend decided to take bus based on the places we wanted to visit. Despite being a local, he had to do his homework beforehand on which bus to take and at which station. It’s relieved to hear that it’s not that bad for foreign tourists to do our homework after all.

Kinkakuji Temple (The Golden Pavilion) 金閣寺

Our first stop was Kinkakuji Temple. Kinkakuji is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. It is an impressive structure built overlooking a large pond. My wife, J and I agree that this is the best temple in Kyoto.

Kinkakuji Temple is magnificent, spotless, grand, and glittering. Of course, recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage, Kinkaku-ji is one of the historical buildings most representative of Japan. It’s also a popular icon of Kyoto.

The route for visitors is well thought of and it provides many spots for visitors to take excellent pictures of the temple from different angles.

Address
1 Kinkakuji-cho, Kita-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto

Admission
¥400 (regular fee)

Ryoanji 龍安寺

Just nearby from Kinkakuji, we took a bus to go to Ryoan-ji. Ryoan-ji is a Zen temple located in northwest Kyoto. It’s famous for it’s sprawling Zen rock garden. One has to remove shoes to enter the temple to enjoy the serene garden. You can go around the temple before making an exit and go around the compound of the temple.

Ryoan-ji was built on the grounds of a villa of the Fujiwara clan in the Heian period (794-1185). Apart from little patches of moss around the stones, this garden has no plants. The design is more complex than it seems at a glance – for example it’s impossible to view all 15 stones at once from any angle of the terrace. The composition is also a fine example for the delicate balance of mass and void and the skillful use of numbers and groups. The garden has so much more than meets the eye.

Admission
¥500

Kiyomizu-dera Temple 清水寺

From Ryonaji, it takes a long bus ride to reach Kiyomizu-dera. More than 30 minutes. K almost didn’t manage to alight the bus as he dozed off on the bus and it took a while to wake him up.

It was lunch time and we were looking for a place to kill our hunger spangs on the way up the hill where Kiyomizura Temple was located. We settled on one Western restaurant.

We ordered its lunch sets. After having the lunch and fully recharged, we continued our walk to the temple.

Halfway up Mt. Otowa, one of the peaks in Kyoto’s Higashiyama mountain range, stands Kiyomizu-dera. You need to walk quite a distance with hilly roads before reaching the temple.

To our disappointment, there was some renovation work going on and the main building was blanketed with safety nets. Not a good thing to have for photographers. We bought tickets and went in anyhow.

Over 1200 years have passed since the foundation of Kiyomizu-dera Temple. The temple’s veranda which is located on the slope of a mountain is supported by 13-meter high wooden columns. When you reach Kiyomizudera Temple, you have no problems to realize that it’s popular and always packed with tourists.

Going down the hill after the visit, there are many shops selling souvenirs and food on both sides of the street.

Address
1 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City

Admission
¥300

Ishibei-koji 石塀小路

I didn’t know about this place until our Japanese friend brought us there. We walked there from Kiyomizu-dera. Ishibei-koji is maintained as the ancient Kyoto streets. The wooden facade and walls of the low-lying houses (some converted to inns or restaurants) have to be preserved. Visitors are taken back to the olden days of how Kyoto looked like when you stroll along pedestrian-only Ishibei-koji. The lane twists and turns a few times, but at no more than 200 meters, you can’t get lost.

Kodai-ji Temple 高台寺

Though Kodai-ji is not as crowded and as popular as Kiyomizu-dera, it is one of the finest temples in the Southern Higashiyama Area.

Kodaiji sits atop a slight hill. It was established in 1605 by the legendary Nene (Kodai-in), the widow of Toyotomi Hideyoshi in honor of her late husband, and financed by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was responsible for later wiping out the family of Toyotomi.

Address
526 Shimogawara-cho, Kodai-ji, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City

Admission
￥600.

Yasaka Shrine (Yasaka-jinja) 八坂神社

The Yasaka Shrine, also known as the Gion Shrine, is a Shinto shrine in the Gion District of Kyoto.

Founded over 1350 years ago, it is often visited by tourists walking between the two districts: the popular Gion District and Higashiyama District.

After dinner that night, we walked to Yasaka Shrine again to take in the night view of the shrine. According to our Japanese friend, Yasaka Shrine never closes.

Admission
Free

Gion 祇園

Hoping to get a glimpse of geisha, we walked to Hanami-koji Street 花見小路. As you walk down the narrow street, watch out for traffic as it can get very near to you. But luck was not on our side, we didn’t see any geisha that evening. Be careful not to mistake tourists making up themselves as a Geisha for the real thing!

Hanami-koji Street is a nice and expensive place to dine, the street and its side alleys are lined with preserved machiya houses which now function as kaiseki ryori and ochaya.

Kaiseki Dinner 懐石

Our Japanese friend was kind enough to make a reservation for us for Kaiseki dinner in advance. If it was not for him, we wouldn’t dare to try as we know nothing about the food and restaurants. He made things easier for us. Out of curiosity, we wanted to try out this Japanese haute cuisine called Kaiseki which Kyoto is famous for.

It’s a traditional multi-course dinner that grouped by the way the food is cooked. It was quite an experience. Since nobody liked sashimi, we opted out the dish and the restaurant replaced with an alternative dish.

The restaurant we went to was Kawamura Ryouri Hei (川村料理平) near Nishiki Market. We booked a tatami room. It was perfect for privacy and comfortable to relax your legs after a whole day of walking.

We took about 2 hours to finish the dinner. We insisted to pay for the dinner as we outnumbered our Japanese friend by 4 to 1. Each set of Kaiseki cost ¥3,000.

Day 7: Last Day in Kyoto

Today was the last day in Kyoto and we had a flight to catch at 10 pm.

Since we had to check out at 11:00 am and we wanted to take advantage of the time left to go around. We didn’t want to walk around with luggages for more than 5 hours. The logical thing to do was use a coin locker at Kyoto Station.

Kyoto Station was chosen because we needed to come back here to catch Haruka train to Kansai Airport. There are 3 sizes of coin lockers and we picked the biggest one that cost ¥600 a day. It’s convenient especially for travellers like us. And there are many coin lockers scattered around the station. Smaller stations have limited number of lockers.

Fushimi Inari Taisha 伏見稲荷大社

Before the trip, this was one of the places that my wife wanted to go. She said Fushimi Inari was the most photographed spot in Kyoto, especially with the numerous torii gates. Therefore, giving this place a miss was not a good idea. So on the last day of our trip, we took train to JR Inari Station (3-minute walk). As Fushimi Inari was a popular place, it was crowded.

Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head shrine of Inari with which all the others are affiliated. One needs a bit of time (at least 30 minutes) to walk through the magical, seemingly unending path of over 5000 vibrant orange torii gates that wind through the hills.

No doubt the pictures turned out to be attractive but waiting for a time when there were no other visitors to snap your photos was quite a challenge.

Address
68 Yabunouchi-cho, Fukakusa Fushimi-ku, Kyoto

Admission
Free

Lunch in Inari

We didn’t plan for this until the morning of our last day. We decided to meet up again with our Japanese friend for lunch at Inari. At the same time, he wanted to buy us some Uji green tea after we talked about it the day before. He said it was not very far to go to Inari from Uji.

We had our lunch at one of the restaurants that was not so packed. It was good. After lunch, we really had to say “sayonara” to our friend at the train station.

Kyoto Imperial Palace 京都御所

After lunch in Inari, we took subway to Imadegawa Station Karasuma Line to Kyoto Imperial Palace. It’s about 10 minutes’ walk to Kyoto Imperial Palace from the station.

Kyoto Imperial Palace is the former residence of the Emperor of Japan until 1869. It is a walled compound containing several sumptuous buildings built in the classical Japanese style. Mind you the compound is huge. Just follow the visitor’s route to go around the palace. We took about 30 minutes to finsih the tour.

What impressed me most was the inner garden (Oikeniwa Garden). The well-manicured Japanese garden had captivated me with its serene and peace.

Address
3 Kyotogyoen, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 602-0881, Japan

Admission
Free (you need to take a tag that shall be returned upon exit)

Getting Refund for ICOCA cards

After getting our luggages from the coin locker at Kyoto Station (the station is huge and do remember which coin locker you use), we boarded Haruka train bound for Kansai Airport. If you use ICOCA card, another important thing to do when you reach airport is to get refund from unused balance of the card. Just go straight to JR West Office (not the normal line but the green one) and process your refund, even before you check in your flight and luggage. A ¥220 handling fee will be deducted from each card.

Note: This is the third and final part of a 3-part series of Family Trip to Japan: Travel Tips and Guide to Osaka and Kyoto

Quick links to the 3-part series:

Part 1: Tips and Tricks for Planning a Trip to Japan

Part 2: What to Do, Eat, and See in Osaka

Part 3: What to Do, Eat, and See in Kyoto