Sharing my latest Japan posts! We had the most magical time in Kyoto and I’m excited to share the details with you if you’re considering adding it to your travel bucket list!
More posts from our incredible time in Seoul and Tokyo:
Seoul recap
Korean head spa experience
Recap of Tokyo and why I love Japan
and Tokyo eats + gf picks
Kyoto recap, bamboo forest and monkey park
Many of our friends had told us to take a train to explore the nearby areas while in Tokyo. Okinawa, Nara, Kyoto and Osaka are highly recommended. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I was annoyed with the planning of this trip and that adding another travel leg was a little too much for my brain. One of my friends told us that we would regret going to Tokyo and not seeing Kyoto, so we decided to make it happen… and it ended up being my personal highlight of the trip.
While Tokyo bustles with bright lights and tall buildings, Kyoto feels more cinematic, peaceful Japan. Think streetlights, temples and geishas.
The bullet train was SUCH a cool experience – we were going 200mph and it was so enjoyable and much more enjoyable/hassle free than air travel –
(Mount Fuji!!)
and before we knew it, we were checked into our hotel in Kyoto.
We stayed at the Gion Elite Terrace, which I booked through Amex Travel (<— our referral link) and I would highly recommend it. We will definitely stay there again. The lobby was stocked with amenities, tea, hot cocoa and coffee, and the rooms were exceptionally clean and modern. The girls had to flip a coin to see who could sleep in the loft...P won.
It also had an oxygenated tub that infuses the water with tiny bubbles of oxygen. They claim to help eliminate free radicals (great for anti-aging), improve skin texture, keep your skin warm after a bath (you don’t get cold afterwards), and aid sleep. I found all this to be true. I looked into buying one with the bathroom remodel and mold remediation we do, but it’s a mere 27k. It’s cheaper for me to fly back to Japan and use it there lol.
We spent our first night exploring. Gion is breathtaking and we walked over the bridge and saw TONS of cute shops and restaurants.
(I saw a nutria in the river which is apparently an invasive species but we all loved him)
Dinner was at Pontocho Shabushabu Sukiyaki Kiraku, which I found on Tabelog. It’s a restaurant review service that locals use (it was popular in Korea too) and a friend told us that anything above 3.0 will be great. We were not misled.
Shabu shabu is like Japanese hot pot with a pot of broth boiling at the table and vegetables and meat for you to cook. There are different sauces for dipping and many dishes. We had wagyu and kobe beef, lots of delicious vegetables, and then they made noodles for Liv and Pilot and egg soup for me and P (gluten free option) using the broth.
The next day, we woke up early and headed to Bamboo Park, which was one of my favorite places of the entire trip.
We were surrounded by bamboo. It was just so green, and peaceful. We hiked to Arashiyama Monkey Park where monkeys roam freely around you. One kept walking inches away from my feet!
The rest of the day was spent shopping and lunch was at Engine Ramen. They have a gluten free ramen option and it was everything. SO tasty and filling. I will be dreaming of this bowl of ramen until we go back!
The next day, we returned to Ginza, where we spent another night and day before ending the trip.
I still have Japression and do my best to find little bits of Japan here. I think one of the things I love most about trips like this isn’t necessarily the location (although in this case, the location was really amazing), but the uninterrupted time with family, the chance to slow down, more walking and time in nature. Less scrolling time, more time enjoying. I feel like I’m nagging about how much it changed my life, but this trip really affected me on a soul level. It was unlike anything I’ve experienced and it made sense to see how traditional and current can co-exist, the way everyone in Japan seems to take immense pride in what they do, the community acting for the good of others instead of selfishness. We’ve been home a month and I still think about it every day.
Thank you for reading about our adventures!! What have you been up to this summer? Are there fun trips on the horizon?
xo
Gina
