Kyoto has my heart [Japan]
Kyoto was my favourite place in Japan, full-stop. It had the best food and the best sights. While probably considered touristy, I enjoyed the well-preserved architecture and natural beauty of the surrounding areas. Growing up, Kyoto also held additional allure: it was the home of Kyoto Animation. This mythical studio was known for its attention to detail and gorgeous stories (my favs included: Clannad After Story, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Kanon 2006, Air, and some light-hearted ones like Lucky Star and K-On!). In hindsight, I wish I found a way to pay homage to this old interest of mine; to fully do 12-year-old-Charmaine justice by visiting the studio shop or something similar.
Alas, we only had two days in Kyoto, so we had to make them count!! Rather than relying on Airbnb, we decided to book the sleek, futuristic-looking 9h Capsule Hotel.
The first thing we did upon arrival was take a $10 guided hike leading us through the back of the Fushimi Inari shrine. I enjoyed taking backroads to avoid the masses of tourists, and our guide was a fun and earnest guy with interesting information to share. This was his first time running an Airbnb Experience, so he was slightly nervous but totally endearing. The standard entrance is certainly more vibrant, but I liked starting from the back and making our way down. Would recommend!
You can see the difference in vibrance and upkeep between the gates toward the front (left) versus the back (right).
After the hike, we explored Kyoto. We stumbled upon a pachinko parlour, which made my head start pounding immediately. At the time, I hadn't read Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (nor was the smash Apple TV+ series in production yet), but I'm now glad to understand their significance in Korean-Japanese culture. We had an unagi bowl for dinner, then waited two hours to eat Ichiran Ramen as a second dinner. While not worth the wait, it was decent. I also acknowledge the appeal of private dining booths for those yearning for an antisocial moment. It's not really the vibe I go for on vacation though.
Matcha in Wakuza
The next morning, we got up bright and early to go tea picking in Wakuza! This was an Airbnb Experience that we booked solely due to the $100 courtesy vouchers that Airbnb provided, and it did NOT disappoint. In fact, I would recommend this activity to anyone — it was a true highlight! We got to meet a local guide named Daiki ("Christian") who started his career at Babson College and PwC before returning home to help his uncle run a matcha farm. One of us!
The experience started with tea (ugh, but also... what was I expecting?) and surprisingly good croissants. We then trekked up the tea fields in the heat. This hike was fairly brutal; I was glad for the hiking poles to keep us upright. Then we got a chance to pick some tea leaves!! The insider tip is that you should pick the young, fresh-looking ones, and pick them by twisting from the stem.
After the hike, we settled in for a long lunch in which we learned that tea can be cooked into anything. Surprisingly, a lot of neighbourhood grandmas seemed to eat here too? Regardless, we tried sencha tea pasta and curry and matcha-melon bread, then learned how to make our own matcha from grinding the leaves to adding water, whisking, and purifying to be fit for consumption! I probably ruined the tasting with my concoctions — they had way too much sugar to mitigate the bitter taste of tea. Yes, my palate is akin to that of a five-year-old at times.
Nara: Oh Deer!
That same day, we then made our way to Nara to see some deer! And guess what — the town delivered in spades. Surprisingly, there were a ton of Japanese school groups visiting the deer too! We walked around the quaint town, chatted with a Thai man named Chart who was decked in head-to-toe Louis Vuitton, and checked out a palace. While Jenny fed the deer, I fed myself with an underwhelming strawberry shake and delicious frozen strawberry. In Japan, fruits are painstakingly farmed, and the effort in the fresh stuff is evident.
Nara deer, the palace, and the LV prince, respectively.
On our way back to the train station, we stopped by a pretty "pond garden" which was once again overrun with deer. Not sure why the foliage was already colourful in the middle of June, but we can't complain when the result is prettier. We also tried conveyor belt sushi (torched, which I enjoyed more!) before eating a second dinner of tonkatsu in Kyoto. The tonkatsu place was pricier and fancier than expected, but definitely delicious.
Are Nara deer an invasive species? The signage gave me some pause.
Aesthetic Arashiyama
The next day, we went for a no-frills brunch at a great local establishment: Family Mart! As in, we slurped up some instant ramen and a chicken cutlet in the lobby of the 9h Capsule Hotel. Simple is best.
Once we got to Arashiyama, I snacked on a soy milk and matcha mixed soft serve. Since Kyoto is known for both tofu and matcha, this was exquisite.
This monkey gives off boss-girl energy. Yas queen.
The Arashiyama experience can be summed up as: monkeys and bamboo. The Arashiyama monkey mountain was super fun, particularly seeing the monkeys go bananas at feeding time. I couldn't believe how tiny the babies were!
To check out the bamboo, we visited both the Arashiyama bamboo forest and the (fake) Kimono forest. Based on chatter from friends, I went into the bamboo forest with low expectations, so it wound up being cooler than expected. Since we visited a bit later in the day, it wasn't too crowded, either! As for the kimono forest, that was totally on me. It's essentially a short alleyway leading up to the train station but comes out fairly pretty in pictures. ...It's probably nicer at night, right? At least we didn't have to travel out of our way to see it.
For lunch/dinner, we went to a soba place called Arashiyama Yoshimura. It was so... clean-feeling! Would definitely recommend this place — it also has a wonderful view of Arashiyama below. Here, we also chatted with some cute guys named Ethan and Micah, who came from Hawaii. They gave us some tips for our upcoming layover in Maui. Nothing like getting the best food recommendations from locals!
This hit the spot for a perfect end to our time in Kyoto.