Konnichiwa Japan - My very first trip to the land of rising run

[rbjhan]

Went to two of the private onsens...

 

[rbjhan]

Dinner was average, but plentiful.






Rice with crab meat, probably the best dish.

 

[rbjhan]

Day 5
This was a Saturday. I knew Arashiyama would be crowded, so decided to start very early.
Got up at 6 for the morning onsen.

Breakfast was a semi-buffet.






All done by 8am and made a mad dash to Tenryuji.

 

[rbjhan]

Togetsu Bridge


Tenryuji, UNESCO world heritage site. Probably the most popular site in Arashiyama?
Again, if you are coming here during peak season, I suggest do it as early in the day as possible - gates opened at 8.30am iirc.


Monks to their morning prayer.

 

[rbjhan]

Went back to Kadensho, checked out.
Noticed the bike shop next door was open, rented a bike for 700 Yen / day.

Togetsu bridge, already you can see the crowds...

 

[rbjhan]

Hogon-in

 

[rbjhan]

I could see the crowds were getting worse by the minute....since I had the bike, decided to leave the centre of Arashiyama, went to Daikakuji.

 

[rbjhan]

Gio-ji, a tiny little temple famous for its moss garden.

 

[rbjhan]

Arashiyama Park Observation deck
That was Hoshinoya Kyoto...


Biking around Arashiyama was fun!


Lunch was at a restaurant specialised in nothing but tofu


Final note re Arashiyama, the area near Togetsu bridge, Tenryuji, Arashiyama Randen Station and the bamboo grove are the most crowded.
If, like me, you are in need of peace and quiet, try stay away from the centre. Daikakuji, Seiryoji, Gioji, Adashino Nenbutsuji are all very nice spots with much fewer visitors.
And Jojakkoji is still my No.1 autumn colours place

 

[rbjhan]

From Arashiyama Hankyu Station, there were weekend special trains, running straight to Osaka Umeda Station. Stopping only 2 or 3 times in between. I got off at Awaji, changed to metro and arrived at Nipponbashi station after one hour.

Super Hotel Osaka Namba




I don't think I've seen a smaller bathroom...


About 6000 Yen per night iirc....it was certainly cheap.
*Super Hotel, together with Toyoko Inn are probably the best 2 budget hotel chains?

Breakfast is free.

 

[LadyC]

Lunch was at a restaurant specialised in nothing but tofu
View attachment 216748

I think we also went there when we were at Arashiyama. A little by accident as we just picked a restaurant that looked big (well not small). It was nice enough but woudn't go back. We went in April and our experience was much like yours, it was super busy. So riding a bike was a great way to get around (we used electric bikes so were a bit lazier than you!)

 

[rbjhan]

I think we also went there when we were at Arashiyama. A little by accident as we just picked a restaurant that looked big (well not small). It was nice enough but woudn't go back. We went in April and our experience was much like yours, it was super busy. So riding a bike was a great way to get around (we used electric bikes so were a bit lazier than you!)

Cycling is my passion
Yeah Arashiyama could be super crowded, but it was really pretty....

Tofu is big in Kyoto, apparently because local water quality is very good and ideal for tofu production. There are a few famous specialised restaurants in the city like Junsei, Okutan.
In Arashiyama, the one I went was Yudofu Sagano. There's another one called Saga Tofu Ine which I visited another time, and Shoraian of course....

 

[rbjhan]

Day 6
I bought the Osaka Amazing Pass - that was another mistake sadly, unless you plan to spend the day running around like crazy, not a good idea. There are over 40 sites available for free entry, but who has time for all that?!

1. Tsutenkaku
Why did I pick this one out of that 40? No idea...but I would advise against it, strongly.
The view is okay, though certainly not worth the 40 mins I spent queuing up...

More mistakes: the queue was long and you couldn't see it from outside. Looking back, I reckon there must be a display board showing how long it will be somewhere, but I didn't know such things existed and didn't look for it!

 

[rbjhan]

Lunch was at nearby Tennoji.
First time I tried Rikyu!


my oh my fell in love with gyutan and no way back

 

[rbjhan]

2. Osaka Castle
Ha, back in 2014 I didn't even know the difference between an original castle and a rebuilt




But then I went inside Osaka Castle, I realised this was not a real castle. It felt like just any other modern building sadly...there was a museum, shops, lifts, concrete stairs...sigh

There were miniatures showing scenes from the Summer War of Osaka


Observation deck


Been there done that I guess...

 

[rbjhan]

3. Umeda Sky Building
Well this one was probably my favourite.
But Conrad Osaka has a better view methinks...

 

[rbjhan]

Believe it or not, I had gyutan again for dinner
This time at Kisuke in Grand Front Osaka.


Speaking of Grand Front Osaka....

Yep that was a lounge inside the ladies' room, I was sitting on this gigantic square sofa

 

[rbjhan]

Wait, I was not done yet!
Went back to Dotonbori.



The famous running man


I did the Tombori river cruise...no photos, exhausted by that point...

So you see, I only used the Osaka Amazing Pass 4 times, and I didn't like #1, plus #4 was really an add-on.
I would strongly advise against buying this pass.

 

[rbjhan]

Day 7
I was staying in Nipponbashi, which is walking distance to Namba.

Namba Parks




Nankai Namba station, the tall building is Swissotel Nankai


Ippudo ramen for lunch.

 

[rbjhan]

Afternoon was spent shopping in Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shotengai and Denden Town....

Dinner, Matsusaka Beef Yakiniku M