My 3-day itinerary in Kyoto! ✨⛩️

Immersed myself in the harmony of traditional and modern in the captivating city of Kyoto, Japan 🏮🎎 and the cherry blossoms are just the icing on top of the cake!

Day 1:

💡 Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Kyoto

💡Checked into our accoms, Imu Hotel (~S$77/pax/night but I would not recommend because the room is REALLY small & it’s more like a hostel than a hotel)

💡Went to Nishiki Market, tried some food like the soybean rice cracker (on a stick but soft & chewy instead of the usual hard ones, quite unique!), soy doughnuts (rly yummy!), kobe beef stick (💯), fresh sashimi (at only S$12 what a steal) & super bitter matcha ice cream 😍

💡Higashi Temple: Was a really big temple near Kyoto station but you can skip this if you’re already going to many temples and not so interested in the religious aspect. It’s quite hard to take photos here as the temple is too big as well.

💡Fushimi Inari Shrines: I timed to hike just about right so that we could capture the sunset and boy was it beautiful on top. The actual hike actually takes about 2-3 hours but you can reach the viewpoint in my photos about 30-45 mins in depending on your speed. That’s also the point where people usually turn back as it gets more tiring afterwards. I also rented a kimono+yugata set at ~S$77 in total (tip to save money: opt out of the hair do). Had a really fun time exploring and it’s a must-go in Kyoto!

💡Gion area & Tatsumi Bridge: Gion area is famous for the traditional nighttime Japanese look and feel and it’s definitely a must-visit in Kyoto. The tatsumi bridge was simply GORGEOUS due to the amount of cherry blossom trees that lined it hence you definitely need to take a walk along this path if you are here during Cherry Blossom season.

Day 2:

💡 Arashiyama day!

💡Wanted to ride the Hozugawa River Boat which will lead us to the start point of the attractions in Arashiyama, however, we found that the 2-hour long river boat ride was suspended for a month due to a fatal accident a few days ago and that sounded really scary. RIP to the boatmen whose life was sacrificed.

💡Proceeded to then take the Sagano Romantic Train but it felt like more of a gimmick as the train moved really slowly and you had to pay double the price for a back & forth trip. I can see why it’s romantic (due to the old school train look & cherry blossoms) but outside of the Spring & Autumn seasons I think this is a skippable attraction.

💡Started our Arashiyama day proper after the Sagano Train ride. We followed this guide here & it was the best route that enabled us to view everything with the least crowd! Highly recommend following this walking tour, it’s super detailed on telling you where exactly to go as well.

💡Tenryuji-temple > Temple Garden > Arashiyama Bamboo Forest > Okochi-Sanso (this place is such a gem that I only found after following the guide, it’s a huge garden with many pretty spots & a teahouse for you to sip on and enjoy pure #matcha tea with some Jap biscuits like a true blue Japanese!) > Kameyama-koen Park (has a summit with a super great view of the Arashiyama mountains & river) > Togetsukyo Bridge > Monkey Forest (this is opposite the bridge and I feel is an optional activity which I did not do as I’m scared of monkeys)

💡Yasaka Shrine & Maruyama Park: This shrine is open 24/7, hence the night vibes are definitely better! Since I went during the cherry blossom period, there was a whole festival in the entire shrine & park and it was just so fun! We even stumbled upon a horror house (~S$6/pax) and it was so old school, we enjoyed it so much.

Day 3:

💡Nanzenji Temple & Philosopher’s Path: Another spot for cherry blossom viewing, the philosopher’s path is a really long walk but there are cherry blossoms lined up all along it and it’s really pretty, but probably a skippable activity if you are not there during the cherry blossom season. The temple was really grand and majestic so I think it’s worth a visit.

💡Nineizaka & Sanneizaka: Old towns leading up to Kiyomizu dera, which is a packed and crowded area. Many tourists are also walking around in kimonos, so this is a good area to be donning kimonos if you are shy. Definitely a must visit, and there is also the famous traditional Japanese themed starbucks store here! It was really pretty, but the queue was about 2-3 hours long so I did not bother buying anything.

💡Kodaiji Temple & Kiyomizu-dera: The highlight of the day! I had fun going through some recommended rites at Kodaiji Temple to get what you wish for, and Kiyomizu-dera was just such a beauty in itself. Definitely a must-visit in Kyoto. However I think a portion of Kiyomizu-dera is still under construction as of now.

Our beautiful 3 days in Kyoto has come to a close, and we are not even halfway done exploring the beauty of Kyoto. Would definitely return again! ❤️

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