Adventures with Jack and Julia

A lot of people stay in either Osaka or Kyoto and just day trip between the two because they’re so close together. Luckily, we had the time to really immerse ourselves in both destinations so after a fantastic introduction to Japan, we made the short train ride over to Kyoto.

On our first day there, we went to the famous Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. The shrine itself is gorgeous and is at the end of a tunnel of thousands of stunning red torii gates that lead up to it. This is a really popular tourist spot and everyone is stopping in the path to try and get their perfect photo. The whole area was really beautiful, and we took our time to walk through the gates but also spent a while wandering through the nearby the bamboo forest and exploring the other shrines on site.

Afterwards but still on the same day, we hopped back on the train and continued exploring at the Kyoto Imperial Palace and Kyoto Gyoen National Garden. The Palace served as the primary residence for Japan’s Imperial Family from 1331 until 1869 when the capital moved to Tokyo and you can really feel the history when you walk through these old grounds. The current structure was rebuilt in 1855 and subsequently opened to the public to come and wander the grounds and the garden.

We continued our walk and ended up at Kyoto Engine Ramen, which is one of a few in Kyoto serving gluten free ramen! This was very exciting for Julia since she hasn’t been able to eat ramen for many years so although it was quite a bit more expensive than local chains, it was well worth it for the experience. After dinner, we wandered through Pontocho Alley, which is a narrow street with many lively bars and restaurants all full of lots of character. Our first day in Kyoto was a long one, but such a memorable one at the same time.

The next day we took a trip to Uji, which is a city just outside of Kyoto and is recognized as the birthplace of matcha! Before trying all the different drinks and treats for sale, however, we decided to get a taste of the local history by visiting the Byōdo-in Temple and then wandering the Byōdō-in Omotesando tea street to look at some of the oldest tea shops in Japan. The matcha there was so fresh that it was like nothing we’d ever tried before. Uji sees so many tourists now so there are tons of wacky things like matcha ramen, matcha beer, and even a matcha ice cream. The ice cream was a hit with Julia even at 10 in the morning! Our final stop in Uji was Tsuen Tea, which is the oldest matcha house in Uji having served the tea for over 860 years! It’s right on the river and we ordered a matcha latte as well as some ceremonial matcha served in a traditional chawan bowl. We’re glad to have had such an iconic experience in Uji but we both agreed we haven’t developed the palettes yet for the very grassy and vegetal flavour of high grade matcha. Julia’s favourite matcha cafe of the trip so far has been Starbucks so we’re still working our way up to the higher grade stuff.

With bellies full of the most incredible matcha we’ve ever tried, we felt ready to get out into the freezing temperatures and board the train to explore a new area of Kyoto. Starting at the Kiyomizu-dera temple, we were amazed at the beauty of the temple and the views of the surrounding area. We then continued our walk through the very busy Sannenzaka Streets, stopping to try some snacks, admire the shops and see the famous Hōkan-ji Temple. After another outstanding day in Japan, we can really see why so many people flock here every year. It’s a special place with a very unique and calming feel to it despite all the masses of people.

In Osaka, we learned about two different conveyor belt sushi chains called Kura and Hama. They’re both inexpensive with two nigiri costing about $1.50-$2, and although it’s not the fanciest sushi, the quality was actually really good! We ended up eating here many times throughout our time in Japan since it was so budget friendly and had loads of options. We also learned that Julia likes wasabi and yellow tail and that we both have a serious aversion to natto. Getting to order in small quantities makes it so fun to try the local foods and we loved seeing what each location had available and what came recommended. Of course we ate tons of tuna, salmon, shrimp and negitoro when we went, but here are some of the more interesting options we tried at these chains:

On our final day in Kyoto, we visited the famous Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, and explored the nearby Giōji and Otagi Nenbutsuji Temples. The bamboo forest was magnificent and tranquil, but very busy with tourists taking their Instagram photos. It’s a very beautiful location but you would really need to get here early to beat the crowds and the most popular photo spot is on quite a small pathway where everyone is congregated. If you managed to go here when there wasn’t anyone around, it would be one of the most magical places we’d been to so far on this trip. The crowds doesn’t really bother us at this point, though, and as they say, “You’re never really ‘in traffic’. You ARE the traffic”. And as luck would have it, we were happy to discover a much smaller bamboo forest at the nearby Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple. We almost had the whole area to ourselves and were really able to soak in the peace and calmness without all the people as well as snag some great photos with the bamboo trees.

Since arriving in Japan, we’ve managed to walk more than anywhere else so far. The cooler temperatures combined with the amount of easily accessible sights has meant we can stay out far longer than we were able to in the heat and humidity. It’s also made us miss those hour long massages we’d get every week, that’s for sure!

With so much more to see in Japan over the coming weeks, we were excited for a slower pace as we made our way to Kanazawa. Japan’s well known for its high speed trains, so we knew we’d have to experience it at least once before leaving the country. With speeds that can reach speeds up to 320km/h, it will turn a full day of travel into just a few hours – just what we need after so many days on foot.

As an aside, we miss you all very much and we hope everything is going well at home. We are still so in love with this trip, but we do find ourselves being homesick from time to time. In just a few more months, we will be back in Vancouver ready to catch up with all of you and enjoy the summer.

Lots of love,

Julia and Jack

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