Japan 2023 Day 1: Kyoto
DAY 1: 11 JUN 2023
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| Fushimi Inari Shrine |
First overseas trip of the year!
Initially, we were deciding between Aussie and Japan but we settled with Japan!
Our Cathay Pacific return flight with stopovers at Hong Kong costs S$685 each.
After travelling overnight, we finally arrived at Kansai International Airport at 6.35am.
The entry regulation for Singaporeans at that point in time was to register your details
via the Visit Japan Web.
All of us took about 10 minutes to complete the registration prior to the trip and
we were not required to complete the arrival card.
Upon exiting the baggage collection area, we headed to the JR West ticket office
to get our Limited Express Haruka train tickets to Kyoto.
Each ticket costs 1,800 yen as we did not require the ICOCA card (Kansai region's EZ-link).
As this is a discount given to foreigners, you must show your passport during the purchase.
You can request to get reserved seats for free!
It took us about 20 minutes to get our tickets and by the time we left,
the queue was snaking outside the ticket office.
Initially, we wanted to get breakfast from Lawson, but the store was located in the non-Haruka train ticketed area.
So, we headed to our assigned track and waited for our hello kitty train to arrive!
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| Limited Express Haruka train |
The ride took 1 hour 20 minutes and we arrived at Kyoto station at 9.30am.
We took a 10 minutes' walk to our check-in location,
with a quick stopover at Lawson to buy ponchos as it was drizzling.
As we could only check in after 4pm, we left our bags there and headed back out to explore Kyoto!
Our first attraction was Fushimi Inari Shrine.
I knew it would be crowded but the crowd still amazed me.
The route up was so packed that we were barely moving.
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| Wild hydrangeas |
As it was raining and the views further up will pretty much be the same, we decided to turn back and explore the shrines and shops located near the entrance.
There was a mini street food area too!
It was time for lunch and so we took a train to Gion-Shijo station and walked to Nishiki market.
The views along the way were pretty!
We chanced upon a croquette store known as Hanayori Kiyoe and decided to try it out!
We bought 3 croquettes for 260 yen each.
The croquette was crispy on the outside while soft on the inside.
We decided to try the dessert croquette which costs 580 yen.
It was not bad, but not memorable because I cannot remember
what flavour it was as I am typing this haha.
Next up, taiyaki!
We got 2 taiyakis to share: red bean and custard
Both were good and had generous amounts of fillings in them!
How can you miss out on daifuku when you are in Japan?
Daifuku is a small round mochi stuffed with a sweet filling and topped with a strawberry.
It was nothing fantastic though haha.
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| Unagi skewers |
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| Scallop skewers |
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| Grilled squid skewer |
There were many stalls selling seafood skewers and I was spoiled for choice.
In the end, I settled for the grilled squid!
As we have been on our feet ever since we arrived in Kyoto, we dined in at a dessert place and ordered a dessert set that came with warabi mochi and Japanese matcha drink.
I thought we were done with eating as we had desserts.
But nope.
Michelle went to have her udon fix while Amanda and I got tempted by prawns on skewers.
After satisfying our appetites, we explored the shopping streets around the market!
Amanda bought a pair of Fila shoes while Michelle and I window shopped.
It was about 5.30pm and we thought it was a good time to make our way to our dinner place, Wajoryomen Sugari, which opens at 6pm.
We arrived close to 6pm and there was a queue outside the restaurant.
The entrance to the restaurant was a small wooden door which we would have missed
if not for the queue.
The queue continued indoors along a narrow corridor before arriving at the self-order machine.
I ordered the beef intestine tsukemen with ramen egg while the both of them had the pork tsukemen.
After ordering, you will be greeted by a small zen garden!
Everyone waited patiently even though the wait time was long.
After queuing for about 45 minutes, we got seats!
The dining area were all counter tables and we could see the preparation being done.
It did not take long before we got our food which looked delicious!
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| Beef intestine tsukemen |
This was my first tsukemen and I loved it!
From the broth to the intestines and to the noodles.
So yummy and definitely worth the hype and long wait time.
After dinner, we made our way back to the check-in hotel by bus.
We booked a Japanese townhouse and the receptionist ordered a taxi to bring us there for free.
Before boarding the taxi at the check-in hotel,
we grabbed some free toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner and bath salts!
The townhouse was located in a quiet residential area near Tofuku-ji temple.
Convenience stores were nearby too.
I thought there would be a separate bedroom and living room, but unfortunately that was not the case.
We had to lay the bedding in the living room.
Other than that, the townhouse was clean and had all the amenities we needed,
including a washer dryer which we used on both nights!
That's it for day 1!
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