While I was doing research on things to do prior to my trip to Kyoto, I saw a lot of excellent online reviews raving about Arashiyama. Apparently, Arashiyama is the place to be in Kyoto during fall foliage season and I was fortunate enough to be there at the right timing. Arashiyama … [Read more...]

A bright sunny day greeted us on our second day in Kyoto. Just perfect weather to spend the whole day exploring southern and northern Higashiyama area. Our first two stops for the day were Tofokuji Temple and Fushimi Inari Shrine.

Tofokuji Temple

Admission: 350 yen (USD 3.50) How to get there: Get off at JR Tofokuji… [Read more...]

The exit of Kiyomizudera Temple led us to the very charming Higashiyama district. We felt transported back in time since the place was dotted with hundred year old houses with a lot of geishas and maikos strolling the streets. The young geishas we met were even kind enough for some photo op! … [Read more...]

Tourists in Kyoto have always raved about the beauty of Kiyomizudera Temple and they are 100% right. I was lucky enough to have visited Kiyomizudera on a bright sunny day and got a postcard perfect shot of the temple. Although there were lots of people, the crowd added to the charm of our Kiyomizudera experience since a lot of Japanese locals were in… [Read more...]

It was rainy on our first day in Kyoto but this did not dampen our fall foliage experience. Though some of the leaves have started to fall due to the rain, the trees remained to be plump in bright red-orange-yellow colors. We were supposed to go to Path of Philosophy first on our first day but ditched the plan at the last minute because we were running out… [Read more...]

I originally planned to stay in a Ryokan (Japanese style home) for my autumn foliage trip in Kyoto last November. Since the last two weeks of November fall under super peak season in Kyoto, the well-located ones have already been fully booked even if I tried to reserve 4 months in advance. I contacted more than 20 Ryokan owners and was only able to receive… [Read more...]

Kansai Airport Arrival

After a very turbulent flight, we finally landed in Kansai International Airport Terminal 1 close to 1:00 pm. It’s quite surprising to see that the airport was rather empty despite arriving in Osaka during super peak season. We were able to get through immigration, baggage claim and customs fairly fast! We took some… [Read more...]