11-Day Tour in Kansai (Part 1)
This Kansai trip starts from Kyoto! This thousand-year-old capital combines history, culture and natural landscape. Every corner is full of strong Japanese style, making people linger.
📍Day 1|Arrived in Kyoto, shopping in MALL
After arriving at #Kansai Airport, go directly to #Kyoto Station, which is the transportation center of #Kyoto and there are many shopping malls and hotels around it. After putting my luggage in the hotel, I immediately went shopping at #AEONMALL next to the station. There are all kinds of drugstores, clothing, groceries, and many Japanese restaurants here, which is suitable for a leisurely stroll and preparing for the next trip. Of course, the last place we have to visit when we come to Japan is Lawson, and we must buy their tempura rice bowl, which is really the most delicious. You will regret it if you don’t eat it🤤.
📍Day 2|Must-see attractions in Uji & Kyoto
The first stop of the day is #Uji, which is famous for its matcha and historical culture. First visit the world heritage #Bidaoin and admire the elegant #Phoenix Hall. Then you can go to the shopping street next to it to taste the special matcha 🍵, especially the ice cream, which is a delicacy not to be missed. Then you will pass #Uji Bridge and go to #Uji Shrine and #Uji Kami Shrine to feel the long history of this city.
We returned to Kyoto at noon and headed straight to #Fushimi Inari Taisha, walked through the spectacular #Thousand Torii Gates, and felt the unique atmosphere of the red tunnel, but be careful, there are so many mosquitoes 🦟 here. Then we went to Kyoto's most classic #Kiyomizu-dera Temple, standing on the suspended wooden stage overlooking the city view. It was so shocking that I completely forgot how many people were around me. In the evening, we came to #Gion, walked on the cobblestone streets, looked at the traditional townhouse buildings, and ate Japanese 🇯🇵 specialty food. The atmosphere was particularly charming.
📍Day 3|Amanohashidate & Ine Funaya, experience the beauty of northern Kyoto
Today we came to the northern part of Kyoto, and first went to #Amanohashidate, one of the three most scenic views in Japan. This long and narrow sandbar stretches across Miyazu Bay. The most classic way to play is to climb up to the observation deck and look at the scenery upside down. You will find that Amanohashidate is like a "dragon ascending to the sky". Then you can walk down to the sandbar and find a super beautiful beach 🏖️. Many people are also playing in the water. If you don’t want to go down, you can also borrow a bicycle 🚴 to ride on the sandbar.
In the afternoon, we went to #伊根船屋 , where we could take a boat to see the houses. In fact, the highlight was feeding the seagulls. I was so engrossed in feeding the seagulls 😍 that I completely forgot to appreciate the beauty of Ine on the water. The boat houses here are all built directly on the seashore, with the bottom floor being the boathouse and the upper floor being the living space. It is a rare water fishing village landscape in Japan. You can also walk along the quiet seaside path and look at the wooden boat houses lined up along the coastline, which is a unique experience.
📍Day 4|In-depth tour of Kyoto city
Back in downtown Kyoto, we first visited two historic Buddhist temples - #東红願寺 and #西红願寺. These are two temples that give people completely different feelings. You can clearly feel the Japanese Pure Land Buddhism culture, and there are very few tourists 👍. It is super close to Kyoto Station, which is very suitable for a stroll just after leaving the hotel in the morning. Then we headed to #Kinkaku-ji, this golden temple was smaller than I had imagined, but when it was reflected on the lake, it was as beautiful as a painting.
Then in the afternoon, we arrived at #岚山. First, we took the #岚山小车 to enjoy the magnificent valley scenery along the way. You can also choose to get off at the terminal and take a boat or ride a horse 🐎 back to Arashiyama Station. After getting off the bus, we will visit #Tenryuji Temple, see different temples, stroll along #Togetsukyo Bridge and #Bamboo Forest Trail, enjoy the unique tranquility of Kyoto, eat Kyoto's unique delicacies, especially the tofu skin, which is one of Kyoto's most famous delicacies ❤️, and will draw a perfect end to the trip to Kyoto.
📍Day 5|Toji Temple & Osaka Castle
We are going back to Osaka today. In the morning, we will visit #Toji Temple, which has the tallest five-story pagoda in Japan, and take a look at the ducks in the lotus pond next to it. Then we will take a bus to #大坂 to start the second half of the journey! The first thing to do when you arrive in Osaka is to drop off your luggage at the hotel, then head to #OsakaCastle, climb up the castle tower to overlook the entire city, and feel the magnificent momentum of this famous city. You can also take a cruise ship under Osaka Castle🚢. After leaving the inner city, you can also choose to take the car inside. It will take you to the subway station or bus stop, and you can also choose it to take you to the entrance of the museum.