5 Days in Kyoto Vlog 🌸 Cutest Cafes, Dreamy Views & Hidden Gems | Spring #japan Travel Guide

5 Days in Kyoto Vlog 🌸 Cutest Cafes, Dreamy Views & Hidden Gems | Spring #japan Travel Guide

hello and welcome to Swan Lake Lifestyle my name is Olivia and today I’m taking you on a magical 5-day journey through Kyoto we’ll be exploring the cutest and absolutely most delicious cafes soaking in some truly beautiful scenery and visiting little seaside towns including one that feels like stepping into a studio jibli film all the locations and cafes will be listed in the description box below in case you would like to add them to your Kyoto itinerary so without further ado let’s go ahead and get started [Music] [Music] for day one we arrived at the Royal Park Hotel in Kyoto my boyfriend and I had previously stayed at the Royal Park in Ginsa in Tokyo and we loved it and we also loved this Kyoto location it was clean the service was great and it was in the perfect spot just a short walk from the historic Gillion district so after settling in we walked around Gueon a little bit and took in the sites and the historic buildings and we also came across a really adorable cafe that was famous for these really intricately made matcha parfes here’s a quick look at the storefront um even just the um food models looked delicious so we had to grab a bite and trust me the parfait did not disappoint it was beautiful and also oh so tasty so this cafe was called the Siosujiri and will be linked below afterwards we explored the Yasaka Shrine and some nearby temples we also had some food from the local vendors at the temples and then we went to Kenji which is a local temple that does have a small entrance fee but it was so worth it the connection between the architecture and the natural surroundings was stunning and also they had this absolutely amazing twin dragon ceiling in one of the temples that was truly breathtaking i’ll give you a few seconds just to admire this artwork it was just absolutely astounding to look at and experience we then started day two with a peaceful morning practicing zaza and meditation with some monks and experiencing a traditional tea ceremony it was so grounding and the temple had such a calming and positive energy and even just like the artwork and the architecture and how everything was located and placed seemed so thoughtful in the temple it was just a really positive experience and I would definitely go back and do it again and the tea and sweets they gave us were so delicious afterwards we visited a historic cafe that’s actually been around for over a thousand years it’s called ichi monio was and the special recipe they’ve been serving for over a millennium is called abbururi mochi the energy there was really special the tea it was earthy and calming and the abburur mochi tasted kind of like a bit of a less sweet version of a marshmallow but with a touch of soy sauce it was such a unique flavor and it felt really meaningful eating something that’s been enjoyed for over a thousand years and it was just really a special moment and I’m glad we got to go to this very unique cafe later that afternoon we stopped by the Gon Kofi Nanafuku for a quick matcha latte and it’s actually super close to the Yasaka Shrine where we just were the day before and then afterwards we took a few steps away to the Okini Kimono rental now there are plenty of places to rent kimonos from but I chose them because they had a lot of styles for women and also tall sizes for men i love that they let you pick out your outfit and also they have different options where for example the staff can do your hair which I got mine done and they also helped me get dressed into the kimono and they even gave us some warm thermals to wear underneath because it was kind of a chilly spring day and I absolutely love the outfit that I I had and then also we went ahead and did a special photo shoot experience um it was just such a fun and cute date with me and my boyfriend to take pictures together and I absolutely love the results i printed out a few of the pictures and have them framed at home and it was just such a great fun dreamy memory together now on to day three which is absolutely jam-packed we started at the Kyoto Avanti where we were joined by the Lemon guided tour bus um so if you’re visiting Kyoto and you want to hit a lot of major sites without the stress of logistics I highly recommend doing some sort of a guided tour um it just took so much of the stress away from having to plan transportation and and try to figure out you know where to go so it was definitely something that saved us time and energy and headaches and I loved all the little handdrawn maps that they gave us it was just such a cute touch anyway our first stop was at the Sagono Romantic Train which took us on a gorgeous ride through the Adashiamyama Bamboo Forest um the train was so cute and definitely felt very romantic it was just kind of like a a vintage feel to it and it was open air too so we could feel um all the breezes from the mountain and see all the sights it was just absolutely stunning i highly recommend going on this train our train arrived at the Arashiyama bamboo forest where we were greeted by plenty of tanuki and our tour guide explained where to go and different recommendations so from there we got to walk around the bamboo forest and the bamboo was so tall and peaceful it really felt like we were stepping into another world we had some free time on the tour and we were able to explore the forest and really truly take in the sights and the feelings of being up um on this lovely mountaintop so as we walked around we visited a few local shrines i loved like the mosscovered crown it was so beautiful and unique and also we got to see plenty of other shrines and fox statues and we even found um a local artisan who was so friendly and had so many beautiful art prints for sale um I bought one for myself and some souvenirs for family members and it felt like something truly special we’ll explore the town of Dashyama next and we checked out the Snoopy chocolate shop as well as the Riakuma goods shop and then we also grabbed some delicious pies from Ponte Luna and some extra delicious apple juice that they had there made from three different types of apples after we traveled to the edge of the town and hiked up a little bit of the mountain to the Arashyama Monkey Park um for a small fee you can see so many monkeys and let me tell you they were a lot and they were up to some really funny monkey antics and you can actually even feed them if you want they have an observation tower where you can buy food and give the monkeys little snacks which is super cute and afterwards we visited Kiom Mizodera and then headed to the Fushimi Inari Shrine which is famous for its 10,000 Tori gates so just a heads up that the full trail for Fushimi Inari is really intense it’s like 2 to 3 hours of climbing upstairs and there’s about 24,000 steps involved but I’ll have to admit it was definitely worth it um even if you can’t make the climb the surrounding area has so many beautiful shrines and statues and vendors but here’s a quick look at the start of the um climb to the top of Fushimi and Ariari i just couldn’t get over how many Tory gates there were and they were so big but they also had little ones along the trail too so just a quick FYI that if you do end up walking up the entire mountain it gets less crowded towards the top because of course less people are up there so it’s great for pictures um but if you can’t climb to the top don’t worry i did it so you can take a look at kind of what’s along the trail so here’s a quick look at the mountain hike first of all I just have to say that I love this illustration and how the fox was like a cloud spirit and look at this beautiful fox shrine that they have here they actually have plenty of different um statues and other figures that are honoring the foxes for example look at this beautiful fox fountain that we came across but yes as you can see here we’re almost to the top and there’s no one else around so again if you do get to make the climb by yourself definitely take pictures towards the top it was also cool to see all the different businesses and how people kind of like make their way of living closer to the top of the mountain um and as you can see here we are so close to the top you’ll actually see a sign in a second where it says top and trust me after about 12,000 steps of like going on the stairmaster basically um up this mountain I was so psyched to get to the top um but also I’ll have to say that the scenery and everything around it on the journey up there was really enjoyable it wasn’t just like straight trees there were all these amazing tory gates and statues but anyway as you can see we are finally at the top of the mountain which had a bunch of beautiful stone structures including a really magnificent stone Tory gate which this was the only stone Tory gate that I saw um everything else was the classic red then at the very top there were these roped stones which a guide told me that if there’s a rope around an object that means that there’s like a god or a goddess sealed inside which is really special and all these cute little Tory gates that were also stored on top and as my boyfriend put it here it’s really cool so anyway on our way back down from the mountain we saw a cute little cat friend and he was walking about being oh so adorable and then we came across some beautiful hidden cherry blossom trees which of course we took some time to enjoy and then we walked down the rest of the mountain and onto my favorite place that I ate during my entire two weeks stay in Japan it’s called Kyoto Ramen Yukichi Hampo and please if you’re in Kyoto do yourself a favor and go here and get the premium set you will not regret it it was hands down my favorite meal of the entire twoe trip to Japan everything the flavors the quality the service oh my goodness it was so delicious i enjoyed my meal so much that I didn’t even get a video of it i just like chowed down it was so so good so please go there if you get a chance and finally we wrapped up day three with the Njo Castle illuminations at night experience the lights the music and the castle gardens created such a magical end to the day now this I believe it only takes place during the cherry blossom season um but they may have other light shows throughout the year but yes as you can see here they had beautiful illuminations throughout the castle grounds now when we went this was an early spring so it was rather cold especially because it was at night so if you end up going in early spring I highly recommend that you bring a raincoat because it definitely can get rainy and also some extra layers to keep yourself warm day four started with the breakfast buffet at the hotel which was very delicious and I loved how I could get whatever little um food or snack items that I wanted from the buffet and then we went ahead and went over to the Sanjo Menangai Mall and there’s this iconic crab statue there that moves around and in the mall had so many different shops and it was so busy so many people were shopping we enjoyed some really tasty sushi and then afterwards we booked a samurai and ninja educational tour which was inside of the mall um it was really fun and informative and they also let us throw ninja stars and dress up like samurai afterwards which was really memorable and then afterwards we grabbed some coffee and returned to Arashiamyama yes we went there again um the reason being that there was still food we hadn’t tried yet and um we really wanted to take in the scenery a little bit more because that day three was so jam-packed we just wanted to make sure that we got to fully enjoy everything we enjoyed a set meal at Saga Tofu in North Branch which was served inside of a bamboo container it was so unique and delicious then we visited the Kuminocha Cafe famous on Instagram for their dreamy sweets and yes they taste just as good as they look i highly recommend it next we took a bus to Amanohashiate which is a seaside town famous for its dragon-shaped sandbar set to bring good luck and actually according to legend the landbridge was created to connect a god and a goddess who loved each other and I can certainly see why because there is just such a beautiful energy in the air and the views everywhere were spectacular i’m going to add some of the guide maps here so that you can take a look for yourself for reference but anyway we stayed at the Mercure Hotel which had even more stunning views um now just a quick note that if you do decide to go here transportation is a bit limited so I recommend that you plan accordingly and maybe stay for 1 to two days here just to avoid the transportation fees from adding up but even the taxi ride from the hotel to the main town was just stunning and something like I’d never seen before amanohashiate was such a gem and I loved the little attractions they had there so here’s a quick shot of me and my boyfriend going up the chairlift to View Land um even though this wasn’t part of like the park technically I actually love this chairlift so much and there’s a great shot of the dragon- shaped sandbar anyway Viewand was so cute and I loved how it really had a great view of the scenic sites and it wasn’t like a big like scary amusement park with a ton of chaotic rides it was really a great attraction spot for all ages and the views I mean they definitely speak for themselves and they had plenty of little like loweffort rides like a ferris wheel and a little like biking ride where you could see the views from different angles it was so beautiful and here we are again on the chairlift back down um with again another view of that iconic dragon- shaped sandbar so after leaving Viewand we explored the town a little bit there were plenty of adorable shops and delicious cafes and then we also walked around and ended up taking a boat ride to the other side of Amanohashiate um there were plenty of seagulls and the water itself was just such a beautiful vibrant blue green color um and the boat ride was only about 7 minutes long but it was so enjoyable and then we ended up having a nice snack at a local shop nearby and then exploring some more shrines and just really taking in the views of this beautiful place at this other vantage point there was actually snow and plenty of other views from the other side of the dragon-shaped sandbar and they also had a really cute gift shop where I got a souvenir t-shirt but yes I just want to let you enjoy the views for a second because it was just so breathtaking and something that I will never forget so our final day took us to Ena which is a charming fishing town straight out of a studio Ghibli movie the bus ride from Amanohashidate alone was worth the trip there were so many gorgeous ocean views and I loved how there were just mountains and water and so much beautiful nature we could hear the call of seagulls and falcons it was just something like I’ve never experienced before and I really was so excited to share with you all i mean just take a look at these views for a second the little town is so adorable and the mountains and the water i just couldn’t get over how beautiful it was anyway we ended up embarking on a boat tour which was also famous for seagull and falcon feeding and the views were absolutely unreal i know I keep talking about the views on this trip but in EA oh my goodness I’ve never seen anything like this before like the mountains close to us the water mountains in the distance it just felt like something out of a beautiful painting and the water was just so clear and if you like birds then you’ll definitely like this boat tour and of course if you don’t then you probably want to stay clear or go into the inside of the boat and again I just want to leave you with some of these beautiful views to take in i mean again I’ve never seen anything like this before it was truly breathtaking and so unreal after a boat docked we went ahead and strolled through the quiet town the buildings themselves were so historic and beautiful and the town itself just felt so quiet and peaceful it just had such a great energy to be around and eventually we found ourselves at the iconic ENA Cafe the food was both so cute and also so delicious and it was accompanied by absolutely gorgeous seaside scenery and that wraps up our 5-day Kyoto adventure i hope you enjoyed coming along and let me know in the comments what part of Kyoto you would like to visit most or if you’ve already been what was your favorite part also if you like this vlog you might enjoy my Tokyo vlog where we visit San Rio Pearland more cute cafes dress up as fun characters to drive around Tokyo and go-karts and even catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji you can check that video out above or in the description box below by the way my name is Olivia and on this channel I share travel vlogs lifestyle content ballet tutorials and thoughtful commentary if this sounds like your vibe I’d love for you to like subscribe and hit the notification bell thanks so much for tuning in and see you in the next one take care [Music]

If you found my channel through Silvie the Queen’s unboxing video, welcome! And welcome if you came across my channel another way, too 🙂 Hi, I’m Olivia — a ballerina sharing cozy travel vlogs, lifestyle content, my comeback journey to ballet, free ballet lessons, thoughtful commentary, and more. Welcome to Swan Lake Lifestyle 💖

In this vlog, I’ll be taking you along on a 5-day trip through Kyoto, Japan filled with the cutest cafes, historic shrines, iconic views, and a side trip to a seaside town straight out of a Studio Ghibli movie 🌸⛩️🍵

🗺️ Below is a full list of all the places we visited, organized by day for your own Kyoto itinerary planning:

📍 DAY 1 – Arrival + Exploring Gion
– Hotel: Royal Park Hotel Kyoto
– Cafe: Saryo Tsujiri (Matcha Parfait)
– Landmarks: Yasaka Shrine & Kennin-ji Temple (Twin Dragon ceiling)

📍 DAY 2 – Zen Morning + Kimono Photoshoot
– Zazen Meditation + Tea Ceremony with monks
– Historic Sweet Shop: Ichimonjiya Wasuke (Serving aburi-mochi for 1,000+ years!)
– Cafe: Gion Coffee Nanafuku (near Yasaka Shrine)
– Kimono Rental: Ookini Kimono Rental (Great for couples & tall sizing available)

📍 DAY 3 – Arashiyama + Famous Shrines + Best Ramen Ever
– Tour Company: Limon Kyoto Day Tour (Departed from Kyoto Avanti)
– Scenic Train: Sagano Romantic Train
– Nature Walk: Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
– Shops in Arashiyama: Snoopy Chocolat, Rilakkuma Goods Shop, & Ponte Luna (Pies!)
– Activity: Arashiyama Monkey Park
– Temples: Kiyomizu-dera & Fushimi Inari Taisha (10,000 Torii Gates – full trail option!)
– Dinner: Kyoto Ramen Yukichi Honpo 🍜 (Must-try!)
– Evening Experience: Nijo Castle Illuminations

📍 DAY 4 – More Food + Amanohashidate Seaside Escape
– Breakfast at the hotel buffet
– Shopping: Sanjo Meitengai Mall
– Activity: Ninja & Samurai Experience
– Food: Saga-Tofu Ine (Set meal in bamboo container) & Kumonocha Cafe (Instagram-famous sweets!)
– Travel: Bus to Amanohashidate
– Hotel: Mercure Kyoto Miyazu Amanohashidate
– Attractions: View Land (scenic theme park & chair lift ride) & Boat ride through Amanohashidate bay
– Shrines + local gift shops

📍 DAY 5 – Studio Ghibli Vibes in Ine
– Bus from Amanohashidate to Ine Town
– Boat Tour: Falcon & Seagull feeding ride 🌊🦅
– Scenic Walk: Through quiet, picturesque Ine neighborhoods
– Cafe: Ine Cafe (Amazing food + breathtaking ocean views)

💬 Let me know in the comments:
Which part of Kyoto would you love to visit most?
Or if you’ve already been, what was your favorite memory?

🎥 Want more Japan travel vlogs?
Check out my Tokyo vlog next — it includes Sanrio Puroland, a fun Street Kart experience, themed cafes, and a Mount Fuji day trip! 🍵

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https://www.youtube.com/@swanlakelifestyle

📍 Filmed in Kyoto, Amanohashidate, and Ine during March 2025

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