Summer trip to #Kyoto| Solo travel | Kifune, Nagashi somen, Otagi Temple | 2 day itinerary

hi everyone, this week we’re headed on a little trip to Kyoto I’ll be going for 6 days this time I’ve already visited Kyoto city many times so this time I’ve planned a lot of day trips to more countryside Kyoto starting off with some coffee a shinkansen ride wouldn’t be complete without getting a ekiben they also had some summer special ones so many options I ended up choosing this Kobe beef one unfortunately there were a lot of delays today but I managed to get on the next train and off we go! travel start date: Aug 17th 2023 this is a self heating bento box so nice to have a warm bento on the train honestly the quality was pretty good too we had a big typhoon yesterday so lucky we just missed it and we’ve just arrived! my hotel is only 5 mins from the station so I’ll drop off my luggage first this is where we’ll be staying will do a tour later! we have a packed schedule today so we’re already off to our first location I was looking for spots I haven’t visited before in Kyoto and found a interesting temple near Arashiyama the temple is about 50 mins from Kyoto station the bus to the temple doesn’t come often so I had to take a taxi and we’ve arrived it kind of feels like you’re entering another world this temple is not that well known since it’s hidden deep in the mountains of Arashiyama but here you can see this amazing collection of over 1,2000 rakan statues which repersent the disciples of Buddha each statue was carved by a different person making them completely unique there’s also the main temple at the top with more statues there so many fun and whimsical poses the temple was so peaceful definitely one of the most unique temples I’ve visited now time to head back I missed the bus again... there’s not many buses so I recommend checking the time before coming it will be a 20 min walk to Arashiyama station... which wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t the hottest part of summer but at least it was nice to see the rural scenery on the way then I saw this cafe in the middle of nowhere and I couldn’t just walk pass the kakigori sign a much needed breaktime the shop is so cute and retro the cold kakigori was so refreshing after walking in the heat and it was huge with ice cream inside the shop owner gave me a free souvenir now I have the energy to continue the rest of the walk we only have one more stop left for today it started to sprinkle a little luckily the place is indoors we’re at a traditional Japanese garden and teahouse the inside is so beautiful and calming a perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon I was only going to spend a few mins here but I ened up staying about a hour even though it’s still so hot you can see the autumn leaves peaking through getting some dinner at the supermarket we’ll just eat back at the hotel also saw some yakitori on sale checking into the hotel Tune stay Kyoto arranged such an amazing room for me in love with this kitchen and the bedroom it even had a walk in closet feels like I’m staying in my dream apartment there’s a full length bathtub still can’t get over this kitchen they already have all the utensils so you can cook while you stay just outside the room there’s a free snack and drink lounge everything is free for you to take it’s so nice to have a kitchen when you’re travelling the dish main is this kakinoha zushi which are these sushi wrapped in persimmon leaves all ready cold beer is best on a hot summer night going to eat and rest for the night making a quick breakfast at the hotel they also had a free coffee machine breakfast is ready going to get ready with some music well preparing for the humid weather today we’re headed to Kibune Kibune is about an hour and a half away from Kyoto by train and bus it’s a small town in the northern mountains of Kyoto love these countryside landscapes Kibune is a popular summer getaway since it’s surrounded by the river Hirobun is a popular restaurant here where you can try nagashi somen The restaurant opens at 11 and I arrived 10:30 but there was already a line but once you pay they give time to come back so you can explore around and I found a perfect waiting spot Kibune is famous for these kawadoko which are riverside restaurants many of them actually sit on the waterbanks so you can dip your feet in the cold water which is absolutely the best feeling on a hot summers day I got the matcha latte and melon monaka time to go line up again there was about another 40 min wait once you get in the nagashi somen only runs from May to September so it’s understandable that it get’s so crowded this is the amazing view with lunch definitely worth the wait you’re given just the mentsuyu and some mochi for dessert and you have to catch your noodles through these bamboo panels and now we start! you get one designated panel for yourself to collect the noodles I feel like I missed so many noodles while I was eating but the cold noodles weres so refreshing and before I knew it it was the last bunch all done! now time to explore the rest of the town the weather was actually really nice here thanks to the river it was about 10 degrees cooler then the rest of Kyoto another highlight of Kibune is the Kifune shrine the whole town was developed around this shrine which is dedicated to the god of water and rain one unique thing you can do here is this water omikuji where your fortune is revealed once you dip the paper in water I got good fortune :) the rest of Kibune is lined with these ryokan and restaurants these are such great way to escape the heat and relax I decided to do the 20 min walk to the station the breeze was quite pleasant and it wasn’t too humid but walking with caution... sound of summer we’re heading back to Kyoto city I would definitely recommendation Kibune if you’re visiting in summer I was quite hungry when I got back so looking for a quick snack at Nishiki market love all the pickles here! a lot of the shops were already closing around 4 but there was still a few options going for the grilled butter scallops this was soo savoury and delicious now time for some shopping I really wanted these... but thought it might break on the trip I randomly came across this place where you can make your own perfume you can smell and select a few scents to mix for your personal fragrance they can make it for you on the spot all the scents were really nice my favorite was the ‘Deep forest’ one I felt like the scent perfectly described this trip to Kyoto dinner is tonkatsu I’ve been to this shop 3-4 times now I don’t really like tonkatsu but it’s not too greasy here and they give you a lot of sauce options and these pickles are also so good! I got the yuba wrapped vegetables and pork tonkatsu set back at the hotel the first floor of the hotel is also a bookshop checking out some Kyoto related books the hotel staff gave me some coins to try the wine tasting they also had some really nice bluetooth speakers in the room a lot of people have been asking for my playlist so I’ve started building one I’ll share the link for anyone that’s interested :) we’ll be heading to a new location tomorrow for the second leg of our trip this place has been on my bucketlist for the longest time so super I’m excited to show you guys!

Channel: Sol Life

Views: 623,747

Keywords: nagashi somen, things to do in kyoto, kyoto japan, summer in kyoto, kifune shrine, kifune shrine kyoto, kifune jinja shrine kyoto, summer kyoto, summer japan, japan aesthetic, japan vlog, kyoto trip vlog, kyoto, kyoto travel vlog, japan travel, kyoto vlog, travel japan, japan guide, sol life vlog, japan travel guide, summer in japan, solo travel, solo travel japan, alone travel, Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple, kyoto travel guide, kyoto travel, kyoto guide, kyoto trip

Id: vJAGF5mKwWY

Length: 34min 47sec (2087 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 12 2023