Japan 2023 Day 5 - Kyoto

Day 5 Saturday July 1st: Day trip to Kyoto.  On an early trip to Shin-Osaka Station, I reserved the 7:18a-7:31a Shinkansen ride to Kyoto.  

I got the whole train car to myself that early morning.  It was super relaxing.

Since I was early, I roamed around the Nishiki Market and took local trains to the Shimogyo Ward area.

From there, I hopped on a local bus and made my way to the Sanneizaka area to see the traditional Japanese architecture.  That area had many kamado dress shops.

The walk up to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple lead you to pass by many smaller shrines and temples.

On this Saturday, there was light rain.  Also, I saw many groups of Japanese students on their field trips to this tourist area.

Ryozen Kannon has a traditional Guan Yin and this area had fewer tourists compared to the Sanneizaka area with many souvenir shops.  Outside this Buddhist temple allows is an area that gives you a great top view of the surrounding traditional buildings.

From watching some YouTube videos, I have learned that there is a Starbucks in this traditional area.  I did not patron in any Starbucks during my stay in Japan, but this one provided an unique interior compared to any other Starbucks across the world.

One of the best ice-creams I've ever had, it uses top quality matcha and was extremely flavorful.

Inside the Yasaka-jinja Shrien were many tourists taking photos in kamodo dresses.

Kamo River

I had a local chain noodle/gyoza shop meal for lunch.

Back to Nishiki Market to see what's it is like when it is opened.

It's very festive in some restaurants with large local crowds.

Back to the Kyoto Station area.

Back in Osaka, I walked a bit to get to the Umeda Sky Building.  I read that there is an underground area with traditional restaurants and shops.

On the basement level, Floor B1, was the Takimikoji area with traditional designs with many restaurants.  To my surprise, I was not far from my hotel Moxy.  That was good news because I think I walked the most on this day during my trip, logging in close to 12-15 miles by my estimation.