-
ANA First Class from ORD to NRT
We had the opportunity, thanks to United MileagePlus, to upgrade to First Class on ANA flight 11 from ORD to NRT while on our way to TPE. The flight was fantastic, both in terms of the seat and service provided. There were some pre-flight reservation issues that threatened to derail the flight, though luckily we had planned a long enough connection at ORD that it was not an issue.
(more…) -
Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens
After waking up at the Hyatt Place Kyoto one last time, we returned to Tokyo via Shinkansen. We had some time before our flight from Haneda so we visited the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, near Tokyo Station. After a nice lunch nearby and some more snacking at the ANA Lounge at Haneda, we end our fantastic 11 night trip to Japan!
(more…) -
Enko-ji, Shisen-do, and the Shimogamo-jinja
Our last full day in Kyoto! After waking up at the Hyatt Place Kyoto, we headed out to visit Enko-ji and Shisen-do nearby. We also made a late lunch reservation for Kani Doraku‘s nearby location. Afterwards, we ended the day with a visit to the Shinto Shimogamo-jinja.
(more…) -
Bishamon-do and Sanjo to Shijo
After waking up at the Hyatt Place Kyoto, we headed out in the morning to Bishamon-do, near Yamashina Station at the eastern edge of Kyoto City. After spending some time at this Buddhist temple, we returned to central Kyoto and walked through various shopping areas from Sanjo to Shijo, eating various snacks along the way and having lunch and dinner as well.
(more…) -
Oh Deer, a Day in Nara
After waking up at the Hyatt Place Kyoto, we took the train down to Nara to spend the day. We saw many of the ancient capital city’s very tame deer and visited Todai-ji and Kasuga Taisha. While there was some fall foliage to be seen, it wasn’t nearly as good as what we’ve seen in Kyoto on this trip.
(more…) -
Temple Hopping in Arashiyama
After taking the bus from the Hyatt Place Kyoto to Arashiyama, we spent the day in the area visiting various temples, enjoying the fall colors, and of course walking through the famous bamboo forest.
(more…) -
Kitano Tenmangu and To-ji
We headed out in the morning by bus from the Hyatt Place Kyoto to Kitano Tenmangu, a Shinto shrine in northwestern Kyoto. After spending the morning there, we had lunch and visited To-ji, a Buddhist temple near Kyoto Station. We ended the day at Kyoto Station where we did some shopping and had dinner.
(more…) -
Higashiyama High and Low
We started out the morning by heading up to Shogunzuka Seiryuden from the Hyatt Place Kyoto where we have been staying. After enjoying the view and garden, we headed back down to have lunch at Sanjo, north of Gion. After an excellent meal, we visited Shoren-in and Chion-in before ending at Yasaka-jinja. We had a nice matcha snack in Gion before heading to dinner near Kyoto Station.
(more…) -
Ginkaku-ji to Keage via the Philosopher’s Path
We left relatively early from the Hyatt Place Kyoto by bus to Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion, where we enjoyed the temple and a bit of fall color. We followed up by walking along the Philosopher’s Path which was unfortunately well past peak. We headed from the path’s south end to get lunch followed by a visit to nearby Eikando Zenrin-ji where the maples were plentiful and the colors were much better! We then walked to Nanzen-ji, which had some fall foliage. After walking around the area and the Keage Incline, which apparently is much better for cherry blossoms than fall foliage, we had a quick dinner and headed back to Eikando Zenrin-ji for the evening illumination event.
(more…) -
Braving the Hordes at Tofuku-ji and Kiyomizu-dera
We headed out in the morning from the Hyatt Place Kyoto for quick walk through a tiny part of Kyoto Gyoen on the way to breakfast. After eating, we visited Tofuku-ji, one of Kyoto’s most well known fall foliage viewing sites. It was crazy! And because we didn’t quite get enough madness, we headed back to Kiyomizu-dera for the nighttime illumination which was absolutely ridiculous! But quite beautiful and absolutely worth the trouble!
(more…)