Thanks for 600 subscribers😀 Hello everyone👋 I am now at the Osaka Granvia Hotel above JR Osaka Station My trip in Osaka is over. I will leave Osaka for Kyoto later There are many transportation options from Osaka to Kyoto. You can decide which way to take based on the location of your accommodation checking out Hotel Granvia is a chain hotel of JR West Group. The hotel is directly above the lobby of JR Osaka Station. It is very convenient to get other places by train. It's time to say goodbye to Osaka🥲 Osaka is a A very charming city, I will definitely come again! After passing Yodogawa, we arrived at Shin-Osaka. I had to change trains at Shin-Osaka because I got on the wrong train at Osaka Station😅 This one was the "Special Rapid" I was supposed to take. I just took the "Rapid" at Osaka Sta. The seats were all full, so I could only stand. 🫠 It takes about half an hour to take the special rapid trains from Osaka to Kyoto I saw the Shinkansen! It was the first time I came to Kyoto. Everything was so fresh (>ω<). We had to find the direction of the hotel first. The hotel and the station are in the same building Kyoto Station is really huge, and the Shinkansen will also stop here. It’s quite impressive. It’s only after 11 o’clock and I can’t check-in yet. During my two nights in Kyoto, I stayed at the Hotel Granvia Kyoto. The hotel is upstairs the concourse so after storing my luggage, I can go on my trip in Kyoto The concourse of the station (central exit) Despite being in a city rich in history and culture, the design of Kyoto Station is very avant-garde. showing a harmonious blend of old and new Opposite Kyoto Station is a well-known landmark: Kyoto Tower Luggage deposit🧳 Our first destination in Kyoto is "Fushimi Inari Shrine(伏見稲荷大社)". How to get there: Take the JR Nara Line to Inari Station. It only takes two stops from Kyoto Station to Inari Station, which takes about 5 minutes. Remember to take the "local" trains that stop at each station because " Rapid" trains will not stop at Inari Station! The huge building in front is the Kyoto Station Building, which contains department stores and hotels. The Kyoto Granvia Hotel where I will stay at later is located inside the station building. Do you see the Kyoto Tower in front? Between Kyoto Station and Inari Station, the train stop at Tofukuji Station. There are many temples and shrines around Tofukuji Temple. I hope to visit it in the future. You can see the large ⛩️(torii gate) of Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine as soon as you walk out of the station. under the sunlight the red torii of Fushimi Inari Shrine is even more vivid. Fushimi Inari Shrine is the headquarter of more than 30,000 Inari shrines across Japan. The "Inari God" is mainly responsible for the harvest of grains. In modern times, Inari God symbolizes wealth, so many companies will worship Inari Shrine There are very solemn fox statues on both sides of the door The fox is considered to be the messenger of Inari God, so you can see several fox statues inside Inari Shrine This is the direction I just walked in. The most famous thing about Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine is its "Senbon Torii(千本鳥居)". Senbon Torii means thousands of Torii⛩️⛩️⛩️ The haiden (拝殿) of Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine is a place for people to worship and the main sanctuary (honden) is located behind the haiden, the two are connected together. Many locals visit here during the New Year(Hatsumōde) If we continue walking inside, we will see the torii gate that stretches across the entire mountain⛩️⛩️⛩️ Wow! Many people were taking pictures and continued walking up the mountain. There were neatly arranged torii gates along the road. This section is not the Senbon Torii Gate. The next section is I finally entered the Senbon Torii Gate! It is a dream-like torii tunnel. It feels like a tunnel leading to another realm. Torii gate does have the meaning of "barrier" in Japan. This section is not very long, and it was completed in one go! Senbon Torii can be divided into two directions, which can avoid crowds of people crowding together and continue walking up the mountain. There is still a long torii tunnel The torii column is also very spectacular when viewed from the side! There seems to be something else next to the mountain road. Let's go and take a look. There is also a place to worship other gods. We continue to walk up the mountain The small shrine of God Fukushige, Oiwa, and Shiratama We can hear the clear sound of water flowing since there is a small stream We arrived at a relay station, where there are shops selling souvenirs and food. cool The arrangement of the torii gates is really unique. I have never seen it elsewhere. The higher you go, the more I feels like I am hiking Therefore, the crowds have become relatively smaller , but this place is more suitable for taking pictures(≧▽≦). We encounter a fork here go left to return to the entrance;the right side is the direction of the top of the mountain It will take some time to go to the top of the mountain,so we have to go back. saw a cat with very long fur by the roadside ~👋 I will go to the top of the mountain when next time I come here! There are many altars for individual gods in Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. Each one is different, but the picture is very harmonious. The outbound and return journeys take different routes. Here is more like the outskirts of the shrine. "Araki Shrine" The god is related to marriage I discovered the rare bamboo torii gate You can see the scenery of Kyoto City from the slopes of Mount Inari. continue moving toward the main shrine(Honden). You will occasionally see some houses on this road. There are also shops nearby , which make you feel like you are walking in a community. There are some cafes along the road that sell souvenirs. You can go in and sit and rest. Finally, we walked back to the entrance. Next, we went to have lunch and ramen. I ordered: Soy Sauce Ramen (しょうゆ) This bowl of ramen has quite a lot of vegetables. The atmosphere in the ramen shop is rich and the soup is relatively refreshing It’s already past 2 pm. Most of the customers have finished eating and left. When we first came in, there were still several groups of people finishing their meals (๑´ڡ`๑). There is a level crossing near the ramen restaurant. There happened to be a train passing through the Keihan limited express train Next to it was Keihan Electric Railway's Fushimi Inari Station. The station design was very integrated with local characteristics Only about 2 minutes later, another train was going to pass. This train has just departed from Fushimi Inari Station and bounded for Yodoyabashi in Osaka We can see the train so closely If you come to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, you might as well go to the level crossing to see the train. We walked back to JR Inari Station and finished the whole trip (Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine and lunch) took about 2 and a half hours in total. Then I took the JR Nara Line back to Kyoto Station (hotel). The train is crowed with tourists Before checking in at the hotel, I would like to have a dessert of matcha. Dessert shop Nakamura Tokichi Kyoto Station store Walk out from the west exit, take the escalator upstairs, turn left, and you will see it~ Nakamura Tokichi is in front There is a tablet at the door of the store, click "Start", enter the number of diners, and you will receive the number sheet I was No. 81, and I had to wait for 8 groups of customers. waited for about 15 minutes before being seated. This is the Matcha Parfait I ordered . The Matcha Parfait has a lot of toppings in it It has a very rich flavor! and you can see the white jade underneath! I happened to see a large group of students teaching off-campus at the station. It is so nice to be able to come to Kyoto for off-campus teaching. check in The hotel I stayed this time was pretty good. I want to share with you that Ordinary bathroom The toilet and bathroom are separated. The Japanese-style cabinet looks beautiful. Next, let’s take a look at the scenery outside the window This view is amazing! In addition to the towering Kyoto Tower, you can also see Higashi Honganji Temple here! I really want to stay here until the sunset, but we still have to run the itinerary. The next destination is "Kiyomizudera Temple"(清水寺). The bus stop on the lower left is where we can wait for the bus. Kyoto Station Building bus stop in front of the station In addition to regular buses, there are also long-distance buses. Higashi Honganji Temple is very close to Kyoto Station. When you take the bus in Kyoto, you can see famous tourist attractions when you look out the window. We have to get off at Gojozaka It is quite a distance from the bus station to Kiyomizu Temple. I didn’t expect that there is also one near Kiyomizu Temple. The store selling animation peripherals Sansanzanzaka Retaining some traditional wooden buildings and landscaping, it provides the atmosphere of a thousand-year-old ancient capital. The streets of Kiyomizuzaka illuminated by the setting sun are breathtaking After more than 20 minutes after getting off the car, we arrived at Kiyomizudera Temple. Because Kiyomizu Temple closes at six o'clock, we quickly went to buy tickets to enter. Just after buying the tickets, we continued to walk inside. The tickets are very beautiful and must be collected carefully (≧∇≦). The main hall is a large wooden building. The buildings behind the main hall are "Amidado (left)" and "Okunoin (right)". Many people are waiting for the sunset Now they are going to "Okunoin", the place with the best view of Kiyomizu-dera. Kiyomizu-dera, one of the oldest temples in Kyoto, was built in 778 AD It is a national treasure of Japan Including Sannenzaka, it is one of Kyoto's top tourist attractions. You can enjoy the view of main hall stage and Kyoto Tower at the same time. The scene of the main hall of Kiyomizudera and the sunset is as beautiful as a work of art. The large veranda of Kiyomizudera is supported by 139 tall pillars. The construction method of just using tens of meters of logs is very unique. Kiyomizu Temple has different scenery in each season. I hope to come to Kyoto to enjoy the maple leaves. On the return trip, I took another route "Otowa no Taki". The next destination is Yasaka in Gion. The newly lit Kyoto Tower We are back in front of Niomon(仁王門), and the trip to Kiyomizu Temple is over! Then take bus No. 202 (206 is also available) from "Kiyomizu Road" to "Gion" and arrive at Gion Kiyomizu Temple. It's not far from Yasaka Shrine. It takes about 20 minutes to walk. But my feet are really sore after walking all day, so I decided to take the bus. In front of the bus is the West Tower Gate of Yasaka Shrine, which is the oldest building in Yasaka Shrine. The West Tower Gate faces the busiest road in Kyoto, "Shijo-dori". There are a lot of people heading to Yasaka Shrine. There happens to be a festival at Yasaka Shrine today At 7 p.m. The "Moon Viewing Festival" will begin. The "Moon Viewing Festival" is a Mid-Autumn Festival festival held by Yasaka Shrine. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. The moon is particularly big. The place where the ceremony is held is the "Dance Hall" in front. People in the Dance Hall wear long hats . People in the Heian period wore "black hats". In modern times, mainly the priests of shrines wear black hats. The dance hall is very beautiful when it is lit up at night I was very lucky this time. There was a festival when I came and it was my first time seeing the priest wearing the black hat Then, walk along Shijo-dori in front to Shijo-Kawaramachi. On the way, you will pass Hanamikoji and Shijo Ohashi Bridge. Hanamikoji is a street in Gion where there are many high-end restaurants and teahouses. It is also a place where geishas appear but in fact the chance of seeing geishas is not that high. It is said that they only appear in the evening We continued walking in the direction of Karasuma Shijo, which is the most lively place in Kyoto. Along the way we passed across the Kamogawa River. The Shijo Bridge from Gion Shijo to Karasuma Shijo is the busiest place in Kyoto. In addition to many chain department stores, there is also Kyoto's kitchen "Nishiki Market" nearby, which is very suitable for those who have an evening schedule and are tired. You can also go to the Kamogawa River. We sat and relaxed on the river bank and then went to "Ponto-cho" for dinner. Ponto-cho first began to develop in the Edo period. It has a variety of restaurants. The store on the right faces the Kamogawa River and has a summer bed with a view of the river . I found an izakaya and was assigned a tatami seat. I was tired after walking all day. I really wanted to eat skewers. The staff would automatically serve side dishes first (side dishes will be charged). I ordered various skewers this time but my favorite is still The Yakitori (chicken grilled) is really delicious!!! Now slowly walk back towards Shijo-dori. Near the station, I saw a street performer playing a violin It was really amazing and made me unable to take my eyes away Thank you for your superb performance😊 Now I need to take the train back to Kyoto Station Taking the Hankyu Railway for one stop from "Kyoto Kawaramachi" to "Karasuma Station" and then transfer to the subway Karasuma Line . On the way back, I bought some snacks in the underground shopping mall. At around ten o'clock in the evening, I returned hotel It was such a fulfilling day. I walked around the vermilion torii gate, visited national treasure-level monuments, and tasted local delicacies I was so happy! The subsequent itinerary will be presented in the following videos. Thank you for watching to the end.
