Day 6: Off to Kyōto

We started our day bright and early in Tōkyō, packing up our stuff in record time – just about an hour. A quick fit check:

By 8:00 am, we were ready to bid farewell to Shinjuku – but we couldn’t leave without one final visit to our beloved breakfast spot, Doutor. Thankfully it’s a franchise so this certainly wasn’t our last serve of cheese toast, but we were always served by the same guy, and we’ll miss starting our day with his excellent service. It felt bittersweet to already be moving on to a new city.

Our next stop was the Tōkyō Metropolitan Government Building (東京都庁, AKA Tochō), a chilly 20-minute walk away. It was the coldest morning we’d experienced in Japan so far, but we braved the chill, eager to take in the view from the (free!) observation deck.

To our disappointment, our timing was a bit off – the deck opened at 9:30 am, and we were there half an hour early. With our check-out time looming at 11:00 am, we decided not to wait around. With a tight schedule hanging in the balance, we made the tough call to leave.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at Shinjuku Station to book our train tickets. It was tricky to figure out (especially while short on time), but after a bit of fumbling around, we finally figured out how to use our JR pass properly and get free tickets (according to girl maths at least). It was a small victory, but after missing our train to Nikkō yesterday, we were thrilled to have a win. With our tickets in hand, we felt accomplished. We were actually doing this!

After indulging in a cozy hot chocolate each from a vending machine, we defrosted in our warm hotel room, got our bags together and checked out of the hotel. The process was super easy – we just had to press a button on a touch screen in the lobby. We made our way to the subway and almost lugged our bags down the stairs, but thanks to two kind Japanese ladies (who didn’t speak a word of English), we found the elevator. It took us a moment to get the message, but when we eventually realised we thanked them profusely.

Once on the subway, we were lucky enough to snag some seats and enjoyed a ride through the outer suburbs of Tōkyō. Tristan had a bit of a mishap when the train accelerated and his bags, which were on wheels, went flying towards a group of schoolgirls. He had to quickly retrieve them before we had a lawsuit on our hands, and even managed to squeak out an apology in broken Japanese.

Now at a new station, we were waiting for our first Shinkansen of the trip. We felt like kings living in luxury while waiting in the heated passengers only area – it had its own small store full of cheap snacks. We stocked up on some onigiri and coffee and settled in. The train was slightly delayed due to snow on the tracks…this was definitely the first time we were excited to be delayed!

Before we knew it, our Shinkansen was about to arrive. With a little help from a kind stranger, we managed to find our way to the correct terminal. Tristan was a champion and lugged both of our suitcases up the stairs.

We made it to the platform early enough to see our very first Shinkansen roll into the station. It was surreal seeing this marvel of engineering in person.

Boarding was painless – we put our luggage in their dedicated compartment at the back of the carriage and enjoyed the legroom of our comfy seats. The train was pretty empty, so it was nice to feel like we weren’t getting in anybody’s way. We settled in for the ride and were off to Kyōto a few minutes later.

About half an hour into our journey, we caught an unexpected glimpse at the iconic Mt. Fuji (富士山).

Mt. Fuji is notoriously hard to spot because it is often blanketed in fog, so our hopes for seeing it, especially on the train, were low. Our surprise only added to our excitement – the older Japanese businessmen sitting nearby must have rolled their eyes at our shocked gasps and incessant camera clicking.

Little did we know that this wasn’t the only time we would be in awe on this train trip – a short while later the weather darkened and white fields and trees started to appear – snow!! The forecast was true and we were stoked. The train had to slow down due to the snow, but we didn’t mind. It gave us more time to appreciate the beauty of the Japanese countryside blanketed in white.

Our two-hour train trip had transported us from the bustling city of Tōkyō to the winter wonderland of Kyōto. We basically sprinted out of the station to experience snow falling from the sky for the first time ever. Surreal is an understatement!

We navigated through the snow with our luggage, taking care not to slip on the icy patches. It was a bit of a struggle, but luckily our hotel was only a short walk from the station. We made it to our hotel, the Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel, which was right on the esplanade of a beautiful river bank. This was one of the nicer hotels we had booked for our trip, so we were really looking forward to checking in.

The hotel was super fancy, and we were excited to try out the onsen, a traditional Japanese hot spring (basically a naturally-occurring hot tub – sounds like a bad Seth Rogen movie). After settling into our room, we dropped off our bags and made our way back outside to explore the snowy city.

We had dinner at a small asian fusion restaurant near the river – nothing special, but we did get a kick out of our waiter who was a big Radiohead fan (like us). We did some more exploring after dinner and got some cool photos of Kyōto at night.

We even found a cool guitar store in a nearby shopping area. Soph got her Dad a capsule toy from one of their toy machines. Good to tick off the first gift of the trip!

Eventually we ended our day by the river, taking in the beauty of the water at night. We were sinking some tinnies too – you can take the Aussie out of Australia, but you can’t take the Australia out of the Aussie. We headed back to hotel to relax (in a big Japanese bath, of course) after a big day of travel and planned to visit the bamboo forest and try out a plant-based gyoza restaurant that Soph found online.

Day 7: Bamboo Forest and Tenryū-ji

Tristan got an early start and decided to visit the onsen in the hotel. It was a steamy, relaxing experience, despite sharing the bath with a couple of old Japanese dudes. After a refreshing soak, he went for a walk, grabbed a coffee from a vending machine, and did some stretches.

Soph, on the other hand, decided to catch up on some much-needed sleep. She was still asleep when Tristan got back to the room. Typical.

A bit later on, Soph lifted her suitcase and pulled a muscle in her back. She felt a little better after resting for an hour or so, so we ventured out for breakfast. The snowy Kyōto streets were stunning in the morning sun.

We found a Melbourne-style café, Common Well, after a 15-minute walk and enjoyed some focaccia with butter and apricot jam, minestrone soup, and a caramel yuzu latte. We were delighted to have something close to the coffee we have back home.

After breakfast, we were keen to make our way to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (also known as the Bamboo Forest). We decided against biking because of Soph’s back and the icy conditions, so we took two subways instead. Thanks to our JR passes, the journey was straightforward, easy, and free.

We reached Arashiyama (嵐山) Station and found this gorgeous art installation nearby. It’s called the Kimono Forest and is composed of 600 poles covered in kimono fabric. The poles form a trail to Tenryū-ji Temple (天龍寺), which we visited after our first stop.

To our delight, on the other side of the station were a number of food vendors serving delicious Japanese food. Soph was beyond excited to find her very first vegetable gyoza of the trip, so we both got a serving of that. It was deep-fried and served with a sweet and sour sauce – ugh say less!!

The bamboo forest was a sight to behold, but the icy conditions made it a bit of a challenge. We had to tread veeeerrry carefully to avoid slipping, and the crowd of tourists didn’t help. Regardless, the forest was beautiful. The bamboo trees absolutely tower over you – it felt like the forest was giving you a hug.

Our adventure continued with a visit to a sprawling, lush estate that belonged to Ōkōchi Denjirō (大河内 傳次郎, 1898-1962), a Japanese silent movie actor. The estate, Ōkōchi Sansō (大河内山荘), is at the end of the winding forest paths and costs ¥1000, around $10 AUD per person. The cost deterred most tourists, so the snow was mostly untouched, and it felt like we had the place to ourselves.

The estate was at the top of the hill too, so the views were incredible.

We spent about an hour exploring the estate, taking photos, and even enjoying some tea and biscuits at the tea house.

We even met a lovely Aussie from Melbourne on our stroll. He had a couple of professional cameras with him, so we offered to take a photo of him, and he did the same with our camera. We were so grateful – it turned out to be one of our favourite pictures from the trip.

After peeling ourselves away from this slice of paradise, we headed down a different path through the bamboo forest. By now we had worked up an appetite, so luckily we stumbled upon Toriyama Ukichi (とり山卯吉 嵐山店), a fried chicken restaurant with some vego options. Tristan indulged in some fried chicken (of course) and Soph devoured a potato croquette (double of course). Definitely go here for a quick bite to eat if you visit Arashiyama! It’s tricky to find on Google so here is its Google Maps page.

We were delighted to see some blooming cherry blossoms nearby, which was extra delightful because we were about a month early for cherry blossom season.

With Soph’s hangriness under control, we walked around Arashiyama in search of somewhere else to explore. There are temples abound here, and we quickly stumbled upon Tenryū-ji (天龍寺), a 678-year-old Japanese Buddhist temple that featured three beautiful buildings and Sōgen-chi Pond (曹源池), which was full of koi. The temple grounds originally contained around 150 sub-temples, but all of them have been destroyed by fire or damaged during battle. Temples in Japan are particularly susceptible to fire, and this temple was most recently rebuilt around 1900. Today, only traces of the original design remain.

We took off our shoes to walk inside the main building – it was surreal walking on the tatami mats and admiring the intricate paintings on the walls, doors, and ceiling. We didn’t take many photos inside because we wanted to be respectful.

The grounds were covered in a thick layer of snow, and the lake was clear enough to catch glimpses of the koi every now and again. At one point we saw a couple leap out of the water!

As the day turned into night, we made our way back to the station and hopped on a tram packed with people. The payment system was confusing, but we managed to figure it out without pissing off too many Japenese people.

We stopped at FamilyMart for some snacks and decided to have a chill night after such a long day. Here is Tristan with his second-favourite snack, tuna onigiri.

For dinner, we opted for a nearby Italian restaurant. It felt a bit strange eating pizza in Japan, but after the day that we had, we just wanted something that was easy. The restaurant was lovely, and the service was top-notch. We even had some wine, which was very unlike us (Soph usually opts for a G&T, while Tristan is a beer guy through and through). But, when in Rome (in Japan)!

Even though we were dead tired, that didn’t stop us from exploring more of Kyōto late at night (we blame the wine). We crossed the bridge and went to Book Off, Japan’s answer to EB Games. Soph found some cool Japanese Batman and Star Wars paraphernalia, while Tristan was glued to the Yu-Gi-Oh and anime sections. He has a Dark Magician shirt from Yu-Gi-Oh, so it was cool to see its actual card. We didn’t end up buying anything, but it was cool to see the things we love in Japanese.

On our way back to the hotel, we saw a restaurant that served horse meat (and was very proud of it, too). You do you, Japan.

We soon headed back to the hotel for our nightly ritual – snacks, beer, and a bath. What a great day.

Day 8: Kyōto Aquarium

The morning started with a hearty breakfast at a French café, Café Bistrot Aux Bons Morceaux. Soph was instantly sold on the bread – waiters roam around with a basket full of different types of bread, and you could have as many as you’d like. They even had a type of bread with chunks of cheese baked into it – if you go here, we definitely recommend getting that one if you love cheese. For the main meals, Tristan had a smoked sausage with two fried eggs, a side salad (which he didn’t touch, because, well, why would he?), and a couple of potatoes. Soph indulged in a delicious French onion soup, which was cheesy, hearty, and delicious. We also enjoyed a juice and a hot coffee, which they kept refilling.

As we were leaving, we had a bit of an odd encounter with a pair of women who seemed to find us amusing for some reason. We didn’t stick around to find out why. Instead, we quickly paid and left, only to be stopped by a knock on the window. Turns out, Soph left her scarf behind. Oops!

After our delicious carby breakfast, we hopped on the subway to visit the Kyōto Aquarium (京都水族館). The journey was a bit of a trek, especially with the snow, but it was worth it.

After a quick journey on the subway, we arrived at the aquarium. We had a bit of a hiccup upon arrival because we booked tickets for the wrong day, but with the help of Google Translate’s audio feature, they arranged a refund, and we purchased new tickets. They were so helpful and understanding despite the language barrier.

After getting the ticket fiasco sorted, we were in. It didn’t take Soph long to find another animal to make her entire personality – the Chinese Giant Salamander. One of the largest amphibians in the world, they’re native to China and were introduced to the Kyōto Prefecture in the 1950s. Sadly, they’re critically endangered, so it was cool to read about the Aquarium’s conservation efforts. Soph fell in love with them because they pile on top of each other like a little rugby team. The picture on the left is a Japanese Giant Salamander, and the dog pile on the right is all Chinese Giant Salamanders.

Next we moved on to the seals. The tank housed both fur seals and earless seals, but the earless seals were sleeping, so they were out of the action. The fur seals were so active, always jumping in and out of the water to pose for photos, zoom underwater and steal a fish from the handlers. We could’ve watched them for hours.

The penguin area was next. We were delighted to see little cape penguins waddling around – they’re native to South Africa, so they’re comfortable in Kyōto’s warm summers and cold winters. They all had their own names, like Taco (たこ), and we saw this hilarious map of the penguins’ relationships (the penguins, their children, and the handlers they love/hate). Tristan even had a staring contest with one of them (the penguin won, of course).

We then came indoors to the Sea of Kyōto section, which houses around fifty species of fish, stingrays, and Japanese pilchards (small fish that move in unison in a large school) in their 500 ton tank. The tank is 9 metres deep and 22 metres wide, so it was pretty impressive. When we were in the early stages of planning our trip this was one of the first attractions on our list, so it was really cool to finally see it in person.

Next up was the jellyfish section – wow is an understatement. We had never seen some of these species before, and it was mesmerising to see them up close. They even had a display showing the growth stages of jellyfish from day one to two months, which was really cool to see.

Moving on from the little floaty guys, we reached the last section of the aquarium – the Finding Nemo Cast and Others section (that’s what we assume it’s called anyway). So cool to see clownfish in person as well as the other cool species that had on display. They also had some amazing jellyfish pendants hanging from the ceiling!

We made our way home after finding a cool little café that was housed in an old train carriage. Tristan had a hot dog and Soph devoured a cinnamon pretzel.

We stopped off at our hotel room to squeeze in a quick nap before heading off to explore the smaller lane ways nearby. They were full of small, family-owned restaurants that were a delight for the senses (smell and sight in particular).

For dinner, we took a chance on an inviting basement restaurant. They use an app that customers have on their phone to take orders, but we needed a Japanese phone number to do that. Because we were relying on Wi-Fi only to avoid roaming fees, that wasn’t an option. The waiter eventually just gave us his phone to order, which is when we discovered this was yet another restaurant that didn’t have a ton of great vegetarian options. The waiter was really helpful (with the assistance of Google Translate, again) and Soph enjoyed some grilled veges.

It wasn’t super filling, so we decided to try another place. This time, we researched vegetarian options on Google and found a decent-looking gyoza place, ChaoChao Gyoza in Shijo-Kawaramachi (四条河原町). We eventually found it and knew it would be delicious because it was packed with only white people (being plant based is white people behaviour, of course). We had to wait for a short while because it was super popular – luckily we were able to wait inside, safe from the cold.

This place was incredible. The kitchen is out in the open, so you can chat with the staff while they work. They were so funny and knew enough English to have a decent conversation – it was so nice to have a conversation with someone other than each other. They had a set menu that was a sight for sore eyes:

Every single bite of the gyoza was a trip to heaven. We each had a set menu, and we had every kind of gyoza covered between us. Because Tristan wasn’t as hungry, Soph got to try all the gyoza. Between that, the friendly staff and the general fun vibe of the restaurant, this was a real highlight of the trip.

Tristan ordered a Red Eye, which is made of beer and tomato juice. It sounds weird because it is – the confused look on the waitress’s face when he ordered it was priceless. He ordered it because it was recommended by someone on a podcast he listens to. Tristan took one sip and immediately regretted his choice (boys, amirite?).

We also ordered warm sake, something we had both wanted to try the entire trip, and thankfully it was much tastier than the Red Eye. The waitress asked us if we knew what ‘Kampai’ (乾杯, cheers in English) meant, and we proudly responded, ‘Of course we know Kampai!’. We clinked our glasses together and took a sip. It was strong, almost like wine, but tasty nonetheless.

We were reluctant to leave because it was so much fun drinking, eating, and chatting to the staff, but luckily for us the good times didn’t stop once we left. We walked out and it was snowing so heavily! It was so thick and powdery – after the experience we just had, we felt like we were in a movie.

We decided to head back to our hotel and visit the onsen. As bath lovers, we were keen to give it a go. We couldn’t go together as men and women bathe separately, rightfully so.

You need to be fully naked and shower before and after the bath to keep it clean. We were a bit nervous at first, but once you get over the initial shock of being naked in front of strangers, it’s a really relaxing experience. The water is heated by the natural hot springs in the area, and in our hotel there was a bath both inside and outside. We both opted for the outside bath as the cold winter air was a nice contrast to the hot water. We both really enjoyed it and would definitely do it again.

After regrouping outside the bathing area, we headed back to our room. The night was a much-needed win after many lacklustre vegetarian meals. Japanese people are known for their incredible cuisine, not for their incredible plant-based cuisine. It felt reassuring to finally find a place that enthusiastically served food that fit Soph’s dietary needs. We were so full and relaxed that we fell asleep almost instantly.

Day 9: A much-needed quiet day

The next morning, we woke up early and headed out for breakfast. We initially wanted to go to a place called Smart Coffee for some pancakes, but there was a long wait, so we headed to our fave breakfast franchise – you already know which one. It snowed overnight, so the mountain near our hotel was perfectly dusted in white.

After the craziness of the days prior, we decided to have a more chill day just exploring the city. We headed to the Kyōto National Garden, which was a beautiful sight with all the snow melting in the warm sun.

We stumbled upon the Kyōto Imperial Palace inside the gardens and decided to explore it. It was a quiet, serene experience, with only a few people around. We strolled around the gardens, admiring the buildings where emperors once met with important people.

Fun fact: Kyōto (which literally means capital city) was the capital of Japan from 794 - 1868, until the Emperor’s residence was moved to Tōkyō during the Meiji restoration, which automatically made it the new capital of Japan. It has been destroyed by fire and been rebuilt eight times – the current version was built in 1855.

The palace comprises a number of small buildings. One of our favourites was the Shishinden (紫宸殿), which was used for enthronements of new Emperors.

We also loved the Kogosho (小御所) building, which was used as a ceremonial hall and a place for the Emperor to meet with military leaders.

We learned about the fascinating games the nobles used to play, like Kyokusui-no-en (曲水の宴) – played at the beginning of March, they floated a sake cup down the pond in the Oikeniwa Garden and coming up with an improvised poem before it floated past them.

Another game they played was Kemari (蹴鞠), an ancient Japanese game played by courtiers where they aimed to keep a ball off the ground for as long as possible. We loved learning about these games because even though we think of them as these stoic, serious people, they were in many ways just like us. They enjoyed the frivolity of royalty and power, but sometimes there’s nothing better than kicking a ball around with your mates.

The grounds were yet another example of a surprisingly serene park despite being smack bang in the middle of a city. Japan is so dedicated to preserving as much of its history as it can, especially when it comes to buildings of cultural significance. Thanks to the hard work of many generations of historians, we were able to step back in time and see Japan as it was hundreds of years ago. It was a really special experience.

On our walk back through the park, we tuned in to Triple J’s Hottest 100 countdown (basically an Aussie public holiday at this point). It was a great soundtrack for our walk to lunch and Soph in particular enjoyed finding out who made the list. The walk took the better part of an hour, but we didn’t mind as our route was flat, cool, and full of interesting architecture unique to Kyōto.

We eventually arrived at our spot for lunch – the incredible gyoza place we ate at the night before, ChaoChao Gyoza in Shijo-Kawaramachi. It was so delicious that we had to come back one more time. The staff remembered us, which was surprising given that we look identical to the hundreds of white tourists they serve per day.

After devouring yet another set menu, we returned to our hotel to check out and move on to our new lodging, The Machiya Villa Sanjo Shirakawa Koji. It’s a traditional Japanese home that has two stories, a kitchen, a traditional dining table (sitting on the floor), a bedroom with tatami mats and a futon, and an enormous bath (we like baths, ok?). We were excited to get a taste of how Japanese people actually live.

After checking out, we decided to walk because it was only 15 minutes away by foot. It was a bit of a trek, especially with our heavy luggage struggling to navigate the icy, slushy pavement. It was a slog, but the thought of a nice, warm bath at the end of the day kept us going.

Once we arrived we were more than ready to settle in and relax, but to our dismay, we realised that we had to check in at a different location about a 10-minute drive away. This was frustrating, especially for Soph after a big day of walking, so Tristan (like the selfless legend he is) jumped in a taxi by himself to sort it out while Soph waited at the house with the luggage. This was the only time on the trip we used a taxi as they’re quite expensive in Japan, but it was worth it to get the check-in sorted as quickly as possible. A good excuse to experience it!

Tristan sorted it out in record time and gave Soph a code to enter the accommodation while he made his way back. Thankfully, the house did not disappoint! It was such a beautiful place that it was totally worth the struggle, but we vowed to double-check the check-in requirements for the rest of the trip.

After the long, tiring day that was, we decided to take it easy and just have snacks for dinner. Soph headed out to Lawson to stock up. It was her first time venturing out on her own in Japan, which was especially milestone-y because she managed to purchase everything despite her dodgy Japanese. After she returned home with snacks in hand, we parked ourselves in the living room and watched some Japanese TV. It was some kind of competition show that involved pranks and really weird haircuts.

We each capped off the night with a long, steamy soak in the big bathtub. This bath was our favourite of all the baths we had experienced so far in Japan – it was in a relatively modern bathroom and was easily 50% bigger than a regular bath. It was just what our tired feet needed.

One of the reasons we picked this place was because we wanted to experience a good nights’ sleep on a traditional futon. If you don’t know, Japanese people traditionally sleep on a tatami mat floor with a thin mattress and a few sheets. Everything is easily foldable, so you’re able to pack it away and make more room in the home during the day.

The home also had a western style bed, which we were forced to use the first night because we didn’t have the right sheets for the futon. We were keen to have the Futon Experience ™, so we messaged our host who promised to drop off the sheets the next day.

Day 10: Exploring Philosopher’s Path on Two Wheels

The next morning, we decided to rent bikes and head to Philosopher’s Path (哲学の道). We used PiPPa, which is a bike rental app that has bikes all over the area that you can rent for a daily flat rate. The app was a bit tricky to use at first, but eventually we figured it out. We thought they were e-bikes (good for hills and our lack of cardiovascular fitness), but they were actually just regular push bikes (and heavy ones too!). If that doesn’t bother you, we would recommend PiPPa! If you’re athletically-challenged like us, we would recommend hiring e-bikes instead to navigate the hilly parts of Kyōto.

We noodled around for a bit and stopped at FamilyMart to grab some snacks for breakfast. Energy jellies were our favourite – so easy to eat on the go, and they gave us a decent energy boost. We also grabbed some of our regular snacks.

We rode around the streets of Kyōto for another 20 minutes or so until we finally made it to Philosopher’s Path. We had just ridden up a steep hill and planned to park our bikes there, but it wasn’t clear whether we had to park the bikes at a PiPPa drop off zone or not. After some back and forth, we decided to ride them back downhill to a drop-off zone just to be safe and then walked back up the hill to explore the path on foot.

Philosopher’s Path gets its name from the famous Japanese philosophers, Nishida Kitaro (西田幾多郎) and Hajime Tanabe (田辺 元), who used to walk this path on their way to Kyōto University. The whole path takes about 30 minutes to walk in its entirety, but we walked about half of it before we got sidetracked by an uphill road with street vendors and the Ginkakuji (銀閣寺) Temple.

We decided to explore the temple first and then come back down to the street vendors afterwards. Originally built in 1482, the temple was intended to be a retirement villa for the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa (足利 義政). After his death, it was converted into a Zen temple. Only two buildings on the grounds have survived various fires and earthquakes, the Silver Pavillion and the Togudo. The grounds are also home to a moss garden, a dry sand garden and a lookout that has an incredible view of Kyōto.

Temples are a great way to fill in the day with some culture if you don’t have much planned – they are everywhere and always provide a break from the hustle and bustle.

After stopping ourselves from buying everything in the gift shop, we made our way back down the road. We couldn’t resist the allure of a potato tornado (spiralled fried potato on a stick) and candied strawberries from a street vendor – both were delicious and topped up our energy. When we returned to Philosopher’s Path, we found something you wouldn’t expect to find in Japan – a restaurant that specialised in Philly Cheesesteaks. Despite being literally on the other side of the planet from Philadelphia, we couldn’t resist and went in. Soph was hoping to try the macaroni and french fries sandwich, but it turned out the macaroni salad had tuna in it, so she settled for the hot chips on their own. Tristan, on the other hand, went for a Philly cheesesteak which was beyond delicious. Our waitress spoke excellent English, which is a rarity in Japan, and a relief when you’re trying to order vegetarian food.

As we left the restaurant, we spotted a man with two beautiful dogs. They were a deep mahogany colour, and they were so striking that even Tristan (a cat person through and through) commented on their beauty. Soph is pretty knowledgable about dog breeds, but even she didn’t know what they were. 22/3/24 Edit: They were Irish Setters! Soph saw a TikTok about them and immediately made the connection. Mystery solved!

The path truly is such a serene place, and we made sure to stop and appreciate its beauty. The path is especially popular during cherry blossom season as the canal is lined with them, but even though we were visiting during the off-season, it was still a beautiful sight. Definitely a bucket list moment for us!

After soaking in as much of the path as we could, we decided to head back to our bikes to explore more of the city. We decided to take a more scenic route by the river, which was bumpy but totally worth it for the views. The sunny day reflected so perfectly off the Kyōto River. On our way we were lucky to find a proper downhill road, which was chock-a-block with tiny residential houses and shops. Not to sound too Gen Z, but Japanese surburbia is one of our favourite vibes, and it was so surreal to see it in person.

We came across a canal that had stepping stones across it, so we decided to park our bikes and cross the canal for fun. It was a bit of a challenge for Soph, having to jump from one stone to another with her short woman legs, while Tristan with his long man legs only had to step normally to get across the gaps.

As we rode back to drop off our bikes, we were perplexed by many groups of people all dressed in matching outfits which were unique to each group. We eventually figured that they might be auditioning for a J-pop idol dance troupe at a nearby theatre. We liked that theory and decided to stick with it.

After a brief stop for snacks, we rode through a massive red Japanese traditional gate that towered over the road beneath. It was like a physical finish line as our drop-off point for our bikes was close by. It was such a nice way to get around the city – we highly recommend renting bikes if you’re heading to Kyōto.

Finally back at our accom, we decided to put the kitchen to good use and make Japanese curry (Tristan’s favourite). We tried to get the ingredients from Lawson, but as it didn’t have everything we needed, Tristan ended up getting the rest of the ingredients from Fresco, a Japanese grocery store. The lack of english signage was a challenge, but Tristan managed to get everything he needed with the help of Google Translate.

After schlepping the ingredients back home, we then cooked up a storm. Despite being a little under-seasoned, the curry actually turned out pretty good! It was also really fun to use a Japanese rice cooker, even if the buttons were all in Japanese.

After dinner, we finally made up our futon. The sheets didn’t quite fit the mattress, but we made do, and we were glad we made the effort. It was really spacious and comfortable, and it felt like we were having a sleepover.

Onto Ōsaka tomorrow!

Next up…