Sunday, September 29, 2019

Kyoto : Japan Kansai-Kanazawa-Kinosaki Drive - Part 2

Day 3
The plan for the day was to visit Kinkaku-ji, then Arashiyama area for lunch, Nijo Castle and then Kodaiji Temple for the evening illumination before dinner somewhere around Gion area.



It was a rainy day in Kyoto~ by the time we reached Kinkaku-ji, the rain was really coming down and we had to activate the umbrellas... -_-;


After patiently walking through the designated path, we were rewarded with the view of the Golden Pavilion and it didn't disappoint~ It's really because of views like this that we travel thousands of miles every year~ Although this temple was a rebuilt from 1950s due to an arson, it sits on the site of the original temple which was built as early as the 1300s. (We really ought to take good care of our national treasures!)



After strolling through the gardens of Kinkaku-ji, we started our drive towards Arashiyama. The rain has gotten lighter by now and it was a comfortable stroll along the street in front of Arashiyama station while searching for a place to have our lunch. We decided on Arashiyama Kohaku Dou





The restaurant serves French cuisine and its a welcome change from the few days of Japanese food. I've always enjoy western food in Japan as they try to serve it with a small tinge of Japanese twist to it, either in terms of local ingredients or presentation.







After a highly satisfying meal, we made our way towards Togetsu-kyo bridge. The entire town was very crowded on this day!







We managed to walk across the bridge, gotten ourselves some strawberry mochi, and quickly made our way back to the car. Whereas the scenery was great, the crowd was making the whole walk really tiring~ Next stop: Nijo Castle!




Nijo Castle is a 400-year-old castle and its history is tightly knitted with Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of the most famous shogun in Japanese history (but I only largely know him from playing video games~
(^ ^;)////


After Nijo Castle, we made our way back to Kodaiji Temple, where they have the illumination at night. Once again the queue was crazy but it was definitely worth the wait~



After Kodaiji we made our way to Shijo-Kawaramachi for dinner. We chanced upon a random Japanese restaurant which was able to accommodate us in one of the alleyways and just walked in~ It was a busy evening and most restaurants were already on waiting list. The name of the restaurant was Tai Sushi.






Dinner was not bad~ price was decent and all of us were pretty satisfied with the sushi (except for the uni which was small in my opinion). After dinner we walked around the Shijo area before driving back to our accommodation.


Back in the house, we decided to have a supper party so a few of us went to the nearby supermarket and convenience stall to get some oden, fruits and drinks~ this place is really a nice place for a gathering with friends!

The next day we got to check out of this place and travel towards Gero Onsen!

See the rest of the trip below:

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