Kyoto Day 3 & 4: Temples, food, and whatnot

Day 3 • November 22, Saturday

Our destination for the day was Kiyomizu-dera. I was hoping we’d get to visit more places, but that didn’t really happen. Since we were a group of six, we had to take two regular cabs almost everywhere. We only managed to find a cab van once, and those were pretty rare. I was with my parents in one cab while Asis was with his mum, and sister in another.

Because our drivers took different routes, we ended up getting dropped off at different places. They got to pass by Yasaka Pagoda, and I only found out later. I was so jealous. We spent some time walking around the area before meeting up. There were tourists everywhere, but it didn’t take away from how beautiful Kyoto was. Honestly, everywhere we went in Kyoto felt beautiful, so it was hard to complain.

Kiyomizu-dera was amazing. Seeing the temple up close and learning that it was built using massive wooden pillars was so impressive. Standing on the terrace was a little scary too. With so many people around, I couldn’t help but think of Final Destination.

Afterwards, we headed to Nishiki Market for lunch. It felt a little touristy, and some of the food was more expensive than we expected, so we wandered into the nearby streets instead. We ended up at Hiro Beef Kyoto, a yakiniku restaurant, and it turned out to be a great choice. We also tried raw beef tartare (Yukke). It was definitely different, but not bad at all, especially if you like beef. We were lucky to get a table since it was already past lunch and a lot of restaurants were getting ready to close.

After lunch, I did a bit of shopping for things to take home. Prices really varied from store to store, so it was worth comparing. I picked up a few things from a local pharmacy and Donki. We also stopped by Kyoto Yodobashi to look for a Ricoh GR camera, but they didn’t have any in stock. It was still fun looking around at all the cameras and film.

We also went into Nidec Tower to look for stamps and found them at the Kansai Tourist Information Center on the third floor. While we were there, we explored the food hall, and I treated myself to an Earl Grey latte with whipped cream and mochi from Santo Saryo Café. It was so good.

We got back to our Airbnb around 17:00. Packing was already becoming a challenge because of everything we’d bought.

Around 21:00, after we’d showered and settled onto our futons, Asis and I decided to take a quick walk to Fresco grocery store. It was cold, but the walk there and back was really nice. We bought even more goodies to bring home, plus some discounted fresh food for dinner since it was already late. We picked up beef, sashimi, sushi, and salad to share back at the Airbnb.

Looking back, sitting around that small dining table, eating together after a long day, ended up being one of my favourite memories from the trip. It was simple, but it felt special.

And of course, I had to repack my luggage again because I’d somehow managed to buy even more things.

Day 4 • November 23, Sunday – Last Day in Kyoto

Our last day in Kyoto started early. We were already out by 08:00 to visit Fushimi Inari. Since we had to take two cabs again, we arrived at different times. Our cab got there first, so instead of waiting for Asis’ group, who got stuck somewhere along the way, we decided to explore first.

Of course, we lost my father again. Since we weren’t planning to stay long, we figured we’d find him back at the entrance anyway, and we did.

My mum and I followed the crowd for a bit before breaking away when everyone started heading further up the trail. We weren’t planning to hike all the way, so we turned back instead. Luckily, we managed to take photos at the torii gates with fewer people in the background.

After that, we met up with the rest of the group near the food stalls before heading back to our Airbnb to collect our luggage. Checkout was at 11:00, so we grabbed two cabs to Kyoto Station.

The struggle started again at the station. We hadn’t bought our return JR tickets, and the queues were so long. I asked around and found out we could just take the local train using our ICOCA cards, which was also cheaper. After finding the right platform and figuring everything out, we finally got on the train. It was packed, but it got us where we needed to go.

We arrived at Osaka Station around 12:00. The moment I stepped off the train, I could already feel how different it was from Kyoto. Different energy, different pace. But I’ll save Osaka for another post.

Kyoto was such a beautiful city. Even though we didn’t get to visit as many places as we’d hoped, we still enjoyed our stay. If anything, it just gave us another reason to come back.

I really hope I’ll get to visit Japan again someday, even if it doesn’t feel like it’ll happen anytime soon. Overtourism is becoming a bigger issue, and getting a visa here in the Philippines was honestly exhausting.

Booking a visa appointment was such a hassle. I really hope Filipino travellers will be able to apply more easily in the future. It would’ve been so much better if we could apply directly instead of going through the outsourced visa centres.

Still, I’m just really grateful we made this trip happen. Japan has always been one of Asis’ and my dream destinations, and finally getting to experience it together made everything worth it.