Jack and his friend made a series of video logs. They are mostly recaps from hotels and airports. It's a fun glimpse! I learned some more than what he told me at home, and Jack generally seems more cheerful about the trip. I think the heat and the long journey home kind of soured his narration to us. Please enjoy!
I started taking pictures of unusual signs on our trip. Enjoy! (BTW, wordpress always orders my photos from recent-to-oldest. It's super annoying and I have to manually sort them every time. In this case I'm going to leave them in reverse order.)
Our last day didn't give us much time. Our flight wasn't until later in the day, but we needed to get to the airport via a long train ride that we had to specially reserve the night before. We don't like to rush when we travel, so we took it easy this morning. Just some last minute conbini snacks and shopping at the local Don Quixote.
Ben was excited for another train ride, another chance to see the landscape.
I don't have many more pictures of the journey home. We got to the Osaka airport and got lunch, using up the remainder on our train Pasmo cards. We flew Premium Economy to SFO and it was pretty comfy - not as good as business class, but I was able to sleep most of the way. In San Francisco I was ecstatic to see water bottle filling stations, and not so thrilled with the state of our country's public toilets! Almost 24 hours after leaving our hotel we arrived back home to happy healthy kids and many great memories. I took a picture of all the souvenirs I brought home (wow! I did a lot of shopping!). It only took a couple days to get over our jetlag. I think completely flipping your day/night schedule is easier than the 6-8 change for Europe. It helped to have a long travel day that sort of resets your brain too. It was an amazing journey! It's been very fun sifting through my photos to write these posts. I'm so happy we decided to take this vacation.
Our last full day in Japan! Ben woke up early to visit Lake Biwa and the town of Otsu.
He came back to our room to meet me, and together we took a train to Nijō Castle. I was in the mood to read some placards and learn some history!
Unlike Osaka Castle, this site has mostly original or replica interiors, along with the famous nightingale floors. Pictures inside were forbidden. I was dismayed that the museum holding the original murals were closed. But the replicas in the castle were beautiful, and the woodwork and metalworks gorgeous. The gardens were beautiful too, but you were not allowed to walk through the paths and bridges. I'm glad we went to Shosei-en garden earlier, where we could wander all over.
For lunch we found local restaurant. The food was meh, but the casual, non-tourist vibes were strong and Ben loved that.
I did a little research the night before and found that the best place for official k-pop merch is in the Book-Off used bookseller stores. I wanted to try to get a lightstick or towel or any other sort of merch without paying the high taxes and import shipping. There were three Book-Offs within a reasonable range of our hotel and I tried all three! Ben joined me for two, and admired some video game stuff too.
Between shops we took a detour to cross the Kamo River Turtle Stepping Stones. I didn't know they were supposed to be turtles! Erosion has worn away any detail. We had seen this crossing in a J-drama and it was a cute place to take pics. I'm glad Ben pulled us aside!
This Book-Off near the main retail district had the best selection. I bought the Seventeen mini-fan from their Japan dome tour earlier this spring. I had been wanting a hand fan as well, so double win! The staff member was very helpful when I asked if they could show it worked (it did, was fully charged and had original packaging too). She asked me my bias (S. Coups at the moment) and said hers is The8! We used the translation app share our SVT love and I expressed my excitement as finding k-pop stuff, since it's so hard to find in Colorado.
We walked back through another shopping arcade where I had some delicious taiyaki with a pat of butter on the red bean. So good!! Then Ben went to try the famous Ichiran (he says it was terrible!) while I poked around Daiso.
We took a cab back to the hotel for Ben to rest. After all, he started his day with the big trip to Otsu! I wanted to do more last-day shopping. I went to the last Book-Off shop and then walked to the Aeon Mall. This was the most American style mall/shopping building I'd see all trip. They had a lot of cute stores!
I was so excited to find an American style food court, I texted Ben to meet me here for dinner. I know, I'm super lame. I was pretty tired of the same old options in Japan for non-fish, non-miso, non-mushroom eaters like me. Plus it's fun to see familiar shops in different countries! I saw the Cha Eunwoo standee at Subway and just had to eat there. He's in Astro, one of my fav groups, and Subway features heavily in a lot of K-dramas that we enjoy. The food court was fun in general - it was bustling with students studying and socializing after school.
After dinner we stopped by the gashapon shop. They had some many cute and weird choices! Ben got a random region of Japan. We both got keychain mascots from Japan (random pool included carp, tanuki, deer, tiger, and the dude Ben got). I got a Seventeen collab with Muzik tiger keychain. There were several k-pop groups represented - so fun! The shop also had little dioramas for you to take photos of your prizes.
On the way home Kyoto station had the stair lights illuminated. We got to our room and watched the most spectacular sunset behind the temple while getting ready to visit the baths one last time. I had another in-room massage to relax before our big journey home the next day.
Ben woke up early and toured the Hogan-ji Temple across from our hotel. Once I was ready for the day we went back together look about and get stamps in our book.
The forecast said heavy rain all day. We heard that Osaka has miles and miles of covered shopping arcades and underground malls, so we decided to spend the day there. We got on the train bound for Osaka and headed to Dontonbori. I didn't know anything about the area except that it was famous for food stalls. I certainly did not expect the touristy atmosphere! The tacky oversized signs and figures made it feel like vintage Las Vegas.
Takoyaki are the famous specialty in Osaka, so that's the first thing Ben ate!
I will admit, we didn't eat as well as we expected. Due to a combination of norms it was uncomfortable to eat, plus it was a lot of fried/rich foods early in the days. You can't walk and eat, but seating is rare. Trash cans are only for use from the stall you purchased, so you can't gather several things and eat in one place. Drinks come from vending machines and were not very plentiful or cold. The serving portions were large, so we felt like we were wasting a lot of food by not finishing, but also not getting a lot of variety. It was fun to just wander around and gawk at all the Japanese tackiness.
We left the main Dotonbori arcade for an air conditioned underground mall. Another Studio Ghibli store had different displays and items than the Gion store. We also got lunch at Mos Burger to sit and rehydrate before going back upstairs to a different shopping arcade. I got a cute macaroon for later and found a k-pop themed photobooth store. This one was not as freaky as the Harajuku. Then another k-pop merch store (more fake stuff. I was so disappointed not to find authentic goods in Japan!)
Ben found a nice matcha shop that served authentic old fashioned desserts. He ordered Anmitsu and I tried a chestnut Mont Blanc. (I had to bother the waitress to bring me water. Who wants a thimble of hot tea on a sweltering day like this?? The locals, apparently.
Next we found a Parco mall with lots of character shops.
The rain really wasn't that bad, so we decided to squeeze in a quick visit to Osaka Castle before it closed. I'm really glad we did! It was refreshing after the retail overload. We took a train with a single transfer, and then walked through a long garden to get to the main castle grounds.
We slowly made our way out of the garden, passing through a temple on the way.
Not pictured: that low point on a vacation when you are tired and hungry and lost and soaked in rain and just get really really mad. We were trying to find a specific place for dinner but got lost in the maze of underground streets that didn't work with modern tech map navigation. When we found it, they had nothing I could eat but a requirement that everyone order an entree. After more bumbling we came to a calm, quiet dining hall with one of the best meals of the trip. It was delicious and full of vegetables. Then I indulged in an ice cream cone and we boarded the train back to Kyoto.
Whoops, apparently I took a video of the gardens from the day before. I'm just gonna stick it here where it doesn't belong :-D
By late morning we finished at Fushimi Inari and some stalls and shops opened up nearby.
What excitement! A pedestrian train crossing!! I don't get it :-D Ben was very excited about this though.
We took the train back to our home neighborhood. After a refreshing drink (with New Jeans on the machine!) Ben led me to the Shosei-en Garden. These garden grounds to the east of our hotel are part of the temple to the west of our hotel.
Back to hotel! Ben wanted to rest (remember, he started his day before me and hiked up the mountain farther!) I wanted to shop at the Yodobashi mall. I got some Japan-specific items at Uniqlo, and then we met for dinner at a Doria restaurant. Doria is basically rice casserole with bechamel sauce. Oh man, this was very tasty! Then I got a quick treat at Baskin Robbins. No non-dairy aside from sorbet, so I got strawberry macaron. Delish!
Now we walked back to Nishi Hogan-ji Temple for an appointment. Ben has another penpal in Japan named Akiko. They are not as close as his other penpal, but she also wanted to meet us! She lives in a small town nearby and had work in Kyoto this week. She was able to meet us at the Lotus fountain between meetings. Akiko was very kind and enthusiastic to talk in person. Ben exchanged gifts and we took a few pictures. It was a short but sweet encounter!
Oh my gosh, they day is only half done! WE DID SO MUCH!!
We popped into our room across the street to drop off our bags and for me to freshen up (into a new dress from Uniqlo!). Ben made the brilliant plan to take a taxi to the top of the hill in Gion so we could explore it walking downhill only. Love it!
Gion was PACKED with tourists. I'm pleased that we glimpsed a real geisha in full costume from the back of the taxi. Everyone else you might see in photos are wearing rented kimonos, like we worse in Asakusa. The tiny streets and shops were packed with people posing for photos. It was so bizarre, like, everyone came only for an instagram shoot. As we sat in a cafe with drinks we watched a random woman walk in and pretend to shop three time while someone video taped her. Then she left without buying anything. So weird!
We left the historical Gion neighborhood to do some shopping at the "downtown" Kyoto street.
Now we were in the Teremachi shopping arcade. I had a hot tip that the Harajuku Chicago store was a good place to buy jinbei. This is a men's summer garment that I hoped to get in Japan. (Koichi was confused when Ben told him I wanted one). Indeed, I found a lovely second-hand jinbei (that I'm wearing as I type this!) as well as a second-hand yukata to wear as a summer robe. Then I got a tanghulu for dessert (not nearly as good as the one in Shin-okobu) and we got a cab back to the hotel.
We woke up refreshed with good weather, ready for the day! Ben got up earlier than me (like usual) to eat breakfast and wander on his own. Then we took the train together to Fushimi Inari Taisha.
Fushimi Inari is the famous Fox Shrine with "10,000" Tori gates. Famous and crowded, but everyone said it was worth it (they were right. ) We arrived early, before the crowds and the heat. It was still a sweltering walk uphill. I didn't go as far up the mountain as Ben. It was absolutely stunning. The woods were as magical as the gates and shrines. Here come a ton of pictures:
This upper landing shrine had many mossy alters near a pond. I decided to turn back here while Ben continued onward.
Before the trip I read online about a "secret" bamboo grove off to the side at Fushimi Inari. It was supposed to be nearly as good as the famous Arashiyama bamboo grove, with none of the crowds. It took a little poking around, but I figured out the entrance while waiting for Ben. He was game for an adventure, so we went for it! We didn't go off any official paths. We saw staff members on the way and no one stopped us. As promised, we were all alone to enjoy this hidden grove. We didn't walk get to walk "through" a bamboo forest, but we could see it and appreciate its beauty all alone. This was such a hidden gem. It felt like a sidequest in a video game. The landscape had such strong Legend of Zelda vibes. I would have lingered much longer if it weren't for the giant mosquitos attacking me violently, the deeper we tread.
Today we said good-bye to Tokyo and hello to Kyoto. I was sad to leave our nice hotel in Ginza, but I ended up loving our Kyoto hotel too! Overall it was a bit stressful this day. There wasn't quite enough time to plan activities in either city, so it was awkward at times. Also it was raining during our travels, which made walking with suitcases and umbrellas between stations and hotels difficult. But you'll see we still had a good time!
Here's what it looks like on the train. Ben was glued to his window the entire 2 hours. I tried to nap. My folks sent a funny video showing us zoom across the country.
Blowing wind and rain greeted us in Kyoto. We scampered to our our hotel and dropped off luggage (to early to check-in) then went to McDonald's for drinks and Shaka Shaka fries. (It's fun to try unusual products not sold in your own country, but I was underwhelmed.)
Kyoto Station had a skyway where we could survey the whole city. We spent some time exploring the station while hiding from rain.
As the rain lightened up we took the train one stop over to Tōji Temple. We didn't go in, just walked around the grounds. We made a pit stop at a conbini to fix blisters and wet socks, and smiled while passing a group of high school boys. (We saw school-aged kids in uniform everywhere, every day, at all times of day! Why are they always out and about??)
I wanted to try a traditional mochi confectionary shop on the walk back to our hotel. Ben helped me communicate my purchase politely with the elderly couple who spoke zero English. On the way back we found an interesting "Witch House," a small shrine, and the PHP building.
Finally it was time to check into our hotel! I booked their largest room with a view of the Nishi Hogan-ji Temple. I loved this view! It was a pleasure to see every morning and night. I changed into dry lounge clothes provided by the hotel and tucked into my sweets. So good! Seriously, the soft mochi with adzuki wrapped around the outside was one of the best local treats of the trip. The soybean powder dusted mochi was pretty good too.
After a refreshing rest we walked to Yodobashi Cameral mall food court for omurice.
We hurried back to the hotel for a shiatsu massage in my hotel room! One of the best decisions of the trip! Holy cow, was this good for my aching muscles. It was super cheap by American standards and kind of weird (fully dressed, laying on my side in bed, she used a towel instead of lotion/oil). It was so great though, I did it again two days later! During my massage Ben went wandering in the atmospheric rain. Here are some of his pics.
After the massage I bravely dipped in the public bath. I specifically chose this hotel because it had an attached onsen. We were both curious to try this classic Japanese pastime. I figured wandering down from our room would be easier than packing up and picking a random place in town. To our shock we LOVED it! A quiet, hot soak was such a relaxing way to end the day. The hotel had two baths - a larger one with an outdoor tub built with rocks from Mt. Fuji, a sauna, and a cold dip. The smaller bath had a basic indoor soaking pool. The hotel swapped gender assignment each night, so we both got to use both rooms twice (yes, we went all four nights!)