I’m sharing the last of my Japan posts! We had the most magical time in Kyoto and I’m excited to share the details with you if you’re thinking about adding this to your travel list!
More posts from our incredible time in Seoul and Tokyo:
Looking back at Tokyo and why I love Japan
and Tokyo Eats + Girlfriend Picks
Review of Kyoto, bamboo forest and monkey park
So many of our friends had told us to take a bullet train to explore the surrounding areas while in Tokyo. Okinawa, Nara, Kyoto and Osaka were highly recommended. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I was intimidated by planning this trip and that adding another leg of the trip was a bit 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 is full of bright lights and tall buildings, Kyoto feels like a more cinematic, calmer Japan. Think lantern-lined streets, temples and geishas.
The bullet train was SUCH a cool experience – we went 200 miles per hour and it was so enjoyable and much more enjoyable and stress-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, the I booked through Amex Travel (<— our recommendation link) and would highly recommend it. We will definitely stay there again. The lobby was stocked with amenities like tea, hot cocoa, and coffee and the rooms were super clean and modern. The girls had to flip a coin to see who got to sleep in the attic...P won.
There was also an oxygenated bathtub, which enriches the water with tiny oxygen bubbles. They are said to help eliminate free radicals (great for anti-aging), improve skin texture, keep your skin warm after a bath (you won’t feel cold afterwards), and help with sleep. I found all of these things to be true. I was thinking about buying one because we’re remodeling the bathroom and getting rid of mold, but it costs a cool 27k. For me it’s cheaper to fly back to Japan and use it there lol.
We spent our first night exploring the area. Gion is simply stunning and we walked over the bridge and saw loads of lovely shops and restaurants.
(Saw a nutria in the river which is apparently an invasive species but we all loved it)
Dinner was at Pontocho Shabushabu Sukiyaki Kiraku, which I found on Tabelog. It’s a restaurant review service used by locals (this was also popular in Korea), and a friend told us that anything over 3.0 would be excellent. You didn’t mislead us.
Shabu Shabu is like a Japanese hot pot with boiling broth on the table and vegetables and meat to cook. There are different sauces for dipping and several courses. We had Wagyu and Kobe beef, lots of delicious vegetables, and then they used the broth to make noodles for Liv and the pilot and egg soup for me and P (gluten free option).
The next day we got up early and headed to Bamboo Park, one of my favorite parts of the entire trip.
We were surrounded by bamboo. It was just so lush, green and peaceful. We took the hike to Arashiyama Monkey Park where monkeys roam freely around you. One went just inches from my legs!
We spent the rest of the day shopping and had lunch at Engine Ramen. They have a gluten free ramen option and it had everything. SO flavorful and filling. I’ll be dreaming about this bowl of ramen until we get back!
The next day we drove back to Ginza, where we spent another night and day before ending the trip.
I still have Japression and do my best to find tiny pieces of Japan here. I think one of the things I love most about trips like this is not necessarily the location (although in this case the location was truly breathtaking), but the uninterrupted time with family, the opportunity to slow down, more walks and time in nature. Less time scrolling, more time enjoying. I feel like it bothers me how much it has changed my life, but this trip really touches me on a soul level. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, and it was meaningful to see how tradition and modernity can coexist, how everyone in Japan seems to take enormous pride in what they do, and that the community acts for the benefit of others and not out of selfishness. It was a lot to absorb. We’ve been home for a month and I still think about it every day.
Thank you for reading about our adventures!! What did you do this summer? Are there any fun trips on the horizon?
xo
Gina
