Nippon- The old Japan- Kyoto

Opps! Only after two weeks I manage to update my Japan trip here after the previous post because currently I am preparing an upcoming short trip...(cannot wait!)

*some of the info are extracted from Japan Guide website*

11 Sep 2016, Sun -Kyoto Day 1
After our day trip in Hakone, we took shinkansen (bullet train) boarded from Odawara Station to Kyoto at 1030am which took us around 2 hours for the trip. Some of you might ask other than taking bullet train, any alternative to travel to Kyoto? The answer is YES with a 8 hours bus trip!!! Well, as our duration at Japan is 10 days (to be accurate is 9 full days), we would like to maximize our holiday!
Our tickets aren't reserved seats hence we have to sit on the first available first sit basis.

Around 1215pm, we reached Kyoto station! As usual, we dropped our luggage at the baggage counter (sometimes at coin locker) of Kyoto main station then we started our journey exploration. It is highly recommended to buy Kyoto day pass ¥1,200 here as the transportation fare here is quite pricey because the distance is quite far from one place we travel to another.

The first stop we headed to Fushimi Inari Shrine 伏見稲荷大社. Within the shrine ground, there are a lot of fox statues which thought to be Inari (Shinto god of rice) messenger. 

It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates "鸟居", which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings.

For souvenir and, you can find some fox 御守 and blessing boards as the specialty here.

 

When we talk about Kyoto, powdered green tea is the first thing that comes to mind. Along the street at Kyoto, we can see different kind of macha products, like macha drink. macha icecream, macha puff, macha cookies and a lot more that you can name it!

As the weather in Japan was in summer, a green tea red bean ice is definitely a saver for travelers like us! 

About 1-2 hours of visit and photo taking, we moved on to the another shrine, Kiyomizudera (清水寺, literally "Pure Water Temple"). It took us a lot of stamina as we walked through a very long streets and number of staircases to reach the shrine entrance. I was quite ashamed seeing the local elderly can even walk faster than us.

There is entrance fee being charged entering to the main hall amounting ¥400 if not mistaken. Out of the six of us, 3 went into the hall while another 3 of us went down the street to chill and buy some souvenir and catching the sunset pictures. From the view here, you can imagine the staircases we gone thru :P

The fresh green tea to cure the dehydration! Because of this snapshot, I was lost from the rest.OH MY~~ I was running up and down along the street to find the girls and due to nonavailability of wifi, I was damn panic! (*I guess maybe I am the only one who panic*) Luckily, I managed to borrow wifi network from tourists who are kind enough and after a hassle I managed to contact my mates. phewww!~~~

 

Higashiyama District -The streets in Higashiyama are lined by small shops, cafes and restaurants which have been catering to tourists and pilgrims for centuries. These businesses retain their traditional design, although many have been renovated through the years, and they continue to serve customers today, selling local specialties such as Kiyomizu-yaki pottery, sweets, pickles, crafts and other souvenirs.

Along the way we looking for our bus station, there are a lot of remarkable shrines too. I am blessed to have found 观世音娘娘 statue here! Amithaba ~~

Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社, Yasaka Jinja), also known as Gion Shrine is a 1350 year old shrine. In front of it stands a dance stage with hundreds of lanterns that get lit in the evenings. Each lantern bears the name of a local business in return for a donation.

Around the shrine area, we spotted one interesting area which 6 of us were excited! 美容水 (literally "Beauty Water"), one of us saying after drinking it will be more pretty! Dare to try?

Good evening, Hihashiyama- Ku! We had a chilling wonderful day! Thanks to the nice weather and nice people who helped a lost wandering girl today!

Along the way, I managed to capture the Kyoto Tower! It is the tallest building at Kyoto, completed in 1964, the same year as the opening of the shinkansen and the Tokyo Olympics.

Dinner nearby our hostel! 

Btw, not to mention, our hostel is a double storey unit is the most spacious one among others during our trip! The street at out neighborhood is quite spacious with pedestrian and cyclist and there is a familymart next door plus just 10mins away from our nearest MRT station! **highly recommended**

That's for the Day 1 at Kyoto! Stay tuned for the Day 2 at my favourite city at Japan :)