24.10.16

Japan Diaries 2016, KYOTO Day 2: Fushimi Inari, Arashimaya & Night Bus to Tokyo

Hi guys!!! Took me this long to finally finish my Kyoto, Japan posts. Sorry! Got caught up with work, personal concerns and grown up hullabaloos. :( Anyway! Been getting a lot of Japan seat sale notifications! So tempting. I really, really want to go back to Kyoto, do more exploring and see more beautiful places we missed last time. Target is next year, hopefully with my family. :) For now, I shall share with you stories and photos from our last day in the beautiful city of Kyoto, as well as our long bus ride going to Tokyo. Read on...


 Pagoda diaries. Slept in between train rides. Hehe.

We checked out early from our AirBnb guesthouse because it was also the day we leave for Tokyo. Will share with you how we did it (not via the super expensive bullet train) but will save the details for later. :) From Emmachi we went straight to Kyoto station where we stored & left our bags & luggage while exploring the city.

Coin lockers everywhere! So convenient ;)

 We ran out of coins so we walked far pa to have them changed by buying water/coffee from a store. Yun pala there's a coin changing machine a few steps away from our locker! Boo.

 From Kyoto, we rode the JR line going to Inari station. Another option is to ride the Keihan line and get off at Fushimi Inari station. 

 There are also coin lockers at Inari station. Just in case you need it.


It almost lunch time when we got there, so we decided to eat muna before going inside Fushimiri Inari. We walked a few steps past the shrine's entrance and saw a few restaurants and shops lining the street. One of them immediately caught our attention!

 Actually, this photo caught our attention. Haha!

Before leaving for Japan, the three of us had been tagging each other on Facebook whenever we see something interesting that will help us with our itinerary. One of them is this mouthwatering video showing how Omurice or Japanese omelette rice is done. Kaya when we saw the sign above, it was a unanimous decision agad! Haha.
 The resto is inside this lovely gift & souvenir shop:)

 Placing our orders

Cute interiors


Tada!!! 800yen or P380 Omurice! So good!

Verdict? It was so tasty! Comfort food at it's finest. I think I ordered the one with chicken mixed in. Or maybe not. I can't remember. But I ALMOST finished it. Meaning, I loved it. The red swirly sauce on top is ketchup, by the way. For some reason, it's blended perfecty well with the rice and the egg.

 Thank you for the awesome meal:)


Now, it's time to explore Fushimi Inari!

Entrance:) The temple grounds is HUGE.


Fushimi Inari is an important Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto. It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Iari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds.






 According to Japanese belief, if you fold 1,000 paper cranes, your wishes will come true:)

You could also scoop blessed water and write on wooden ema or tablets for your prayers & wishes. 


Fushimi Inari is the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Inari was also seen as the patron of business, and each of the torii at Fushimi Inari Taisha was/is donated by a Japanese businesses or companies. 

 Bells with ribbons hang for guests to ring while uttering a prayer or a wish. 

It's not that easy to ring ha! It's kinda heavy haha. Proper way of doing it is: ring the bell, bow twice, clap twice, bow once and then offer some coins. 


 Mini wooden toriis which you can buy to write your wishes on :)


 Wishes everywhereee

 Directions

 Bigger Toriis! These costs daw 1M each. Wow. You would be able to see the name of the business entity that donated them written on one side.

 Blessed water. Not sure if it's for drinking. D ko na inattempt. Haha

And then while walking, we saw the smaller inariis. It's never-ending! There are thousands! We headed straight to the tunnel on the right. The throng of people inside didn't break my moment. The moment I realized I was not dreaming, that I was really there. I only see this place online or on TV. Amazing. :)

Can't believe I was here. :)

 Names of donors

 I love this candid shot of mine. Haha! Lakas maka horror db?

 Turista pic with these two!

#JaPaxSana

  Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, resulting in many fox statues across the shrine grounds.

 Cute nila hehe!


 Map of the whole place!

 Meditating cat??? Sobrang cute! Stuck up sha like that for more than 5 minutes.

Bye Fushimi! I will be back!:)

After Fushimi Inari, we took a train going to Arashimaya or the Bamboo Forest! From Inari, we had to go back to Kyoto station, hop on the JR Sagano line going to Arashimaya (Saga Torokko Station or Arashimaya Station). It was quite a long ride but I was able to nap in between.  

 Resto inside Kyoto station selling cheap meals:)

 Super friendly train drivers:) Always willing to help lost tourists like us. Haha.

 Wooooow

 We went out sa South Gate of Saga Torokko Station

Romantic Sagano Scenic Railway!

 It is also a small museum of 19th century artifacts including 4 trains from that era! 

The Sagano Scenic Railway runs along the Hozu River from Arashiyama to Kameoka and serves four stations – Torokko Saga, Torokko Arashiyama, Torokko Hozukyō, and Torokko Kameoka. The distance is 7.3 kilometers, and the trip takes about 25 minutes at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour. Passengers can enjoy the beautiful views because of the train’s slow speed. Also the torokko train (mining trains from the 19th century) has no glass over its windows, so you can feel close to nature.

All seats are reserved, and the price of tickets is 600 yen for adults and 300 yen for children. During the popular seasons you should buy tickets in the morning because they often sell out before afternoon. Sagano Scenic Railway usually runs nine trains a day, and extra trains are added during the busiest seasons. ;)

From the exit, turn right at this alley and just walk straight.

Since it was already late, we skipped the museum or romantic train ride and headed straight to the forest. It was just a 5-10 minute walk from the station. We saw bike rental shops and cute little houses! 
 Walking around in Kyoto wearing rented Kimono is a popular touristy thing.  Mas effect nga naman! Kyoto is so beautiful & picturesque. 

 Biking is a huge thing in Japan! Wish they have e-bikes also. Haha.

 Just follow the signs:)



Finally! It's the street leading to the forest. Basta yung madaming tourists haha. 

 There are signs naman everywhere


 Small tea place which looks authentic!

 Beautiful hydrangeas!

 Ganyan sana ako pero wala si Nico and nagtitipid ako walang pang Kimono, LOL.

Japanese version of rickshaw! It's a human-powered transport by which a runner draws a two-wheeled cart which seats one or two people. It's history dates back to the 1800s.

 Can't believe I'm here!

 Saw this cemetery near the entrance



 Railway track na pang movie db

 Bamboo forest :)

Three muskeeteers

 We walked some more until we reach this area na may mga nice houses. This area is sooo big.

 Saw this stall selling fresh eggs!

We saw this small stall selling Japanese custard pudding! 

Cute house/shop selling house decors & souvenirs!





 We were walking for almost an hour na and it started to rain, so we decided to rest at this random & slightly hidden cafe along the way!

Kaede Cafe is a gem:)

And the serve the best pizza ever! OMG. Naka 2 kami haha.

After resting for almost an hour, we continued exploring again! Guys, Arashimaya is HUGE. The walking seemed endless haha. We felt like we were a little lost but sayang if we just turn around and go home db? So push lang. Hehe.

 Museum but did not go inside na coz there's a fee


 Houses such as this gives me all the feels

 On the end of the road, we saw this! It's the Jojakkoji Temple!

 We got it all to ourselves!

 temple map

 Entrance fee is 400yen or P180. Not bad!

The temple of Jojakko-ji is situated on the side of a mountain and was established at the end of the 16th century.  The steep stairway upwards from the thatched Nio-mon (a gate with Buddhist statues standing at either side) leads to the main hall which enshrines the Buddhist image Myoken-do, and the Taho-to pagoda (which enshrines, among other things, the Buddha). The pagoda was built in the gorgeous 16th-century Momoyama style. This pagoda affords a spectacular view of the city of Kyoto. On exhibit at the Kadokura historical museum, located on the left side of the main gate to the temple, are ancient documents and personal effects of the Kadokura, a family of wealthy merchants who had a close connection with Jojakko-ji. This temple is often deserted but is a popular tourist spot especially during fall season when the maple leaves turn red:)
 Traditional & old school Japanese footwear


 OMG. What a beauty.

 It's the Japan I imagined:) Very Zen.




 Bonsai plants!

 It's the best place to seek solitude






 First sign of fall!!! Waaah! Gandaa

 Such a lovely house:)

We left Arashimaya at almost sun down. :) There were so many places we were not able to visit like the Togetsukyo Bridge, but will save them for later nalang. Went back to Kyoto to retrieve our luggages and rest for a bit before heading to Kamogawa for our night bus to Tokyo. :)

 Favorite snacks! Mister Donut Pon De Ring and iced coke. Hehe.

 Bye Kyoto!

Guys, there are also buses pala outside Kyoto station that could take you sa popular tourist sites. So try that out also instead of taking the train. :)
 Love Japan:)

 Still all a blur to me sometimes haha

 This is the train line going to Kamogawa! We alighted at Jujo Station.

 Bongga neto

From Kyoto we rode a rain going to Jujo where Eagle Bus station (our night bus going to Tokyo) is located.

 Ready na sa ulan!

 We walked from the train station to the bus station. It was pretty easy to locate naman. It's just along the main road, Jujo Dori.

It was still closed when we got there! Ang they have no seats or waiting area. As in ganyan na sha haha. So we decided to eat dinner first and wait until almost boarding time.
 
 Ate at Domino's Pizza! Nag crave na din ako sa pizza at chicken haha. They also have free wi-fi!

 Went back the station at around 11pm and it was bustling with activity na compared to when we were there a few hours before haha. Ghost town nung una eh. 

 Our bus arrived on time! Mabilisan lang ang loading and then it left the station immediately

Instead of taking the bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo which costs P7,000, we decided to cut down our expenses by taking the night bus nalang. I booked our tickets via WillerExpress.com and searched for a bus that directly pick us up from Kyoto and drop us off near Shibuya. There are cheaper buses but their routes are longer. This one was super perfect!!! It's a 3-seater (but separate seats) bus with bag storage (others don't have storage for luggages so check before booking!) and toilet inside! The departure time was also perfect para morning kami dadating sa Tokyo. Travel time is 8-9 hours. I paid 20,400yen for the 3 of us, so that's 6800yen each or P3,100 each. Compared to P7,00 for bullet train, huge savings na to!!! Plus, minus 1 night of accommodation rental. Yasss. But this is only advisable if you have enough time to spare. :)
 Inside the bus! 3-seater sha

 We have our own cubicle!

 Lakas maka airplane BUT with electric socket!

 Free pillow & blanket! The blanket was a little itchy so I did not use it.

 Curtains for privacy


 Seat manual

 Moonstar Express, Eagle Bus is the best!

There's a toilet on board! Na d namin naavail coz we were asleep the whole time!

I would say, super sulit the P3,000 we paid. The whole ride & our seats were super comfortable. Tulog kami agad as soon as the bus departed and woke up na when it was almost time to go down! Bongga.  

Tokyo posts next! Almost done with my Japan posts. Huhu sepanx. I cannot wait to go back with my sister next time. So many places to visit pa. Grabe! Thanks for reading! :)


EXPENSES/BUDGET in Yen:

Train from Emmachi to Inari - 300
Coin locker - 350 (Sarah & I shared)
Lunch - 800
Train from Inari to Arashimaya - 400
Meryenda at Kaede Cafe - 600
Jojakkoji Temple entrance - 400
Train from Arashimaya to Kyoto - 150
Meryenda Mister Donut - 200
Train Kyoto to Jujo - 100
Dinner at Dominos - 500
Lawson grocery - 700
Random buys like water - 300
Bus (will not include coz already paid online before leaving)
__________________________________________
TOTAL = 4,800yen or P2,214 :)



Happy Travels! :)




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