Kyoto Japan Vlog: Early Summer Escape to Kyoto, Nagoya & Awaji Island

Kyoto Japan Vlog: Early Summer Escape to Kyoto, Nagoya & Awaji Island

Good Morning! I’m Yuna. Today, we’re leaving Tokyo and head to West side of Japan (Aichi and Kyoto) by Shinkansen.🚄 It’s a bullet train known for being fast, safe, and always on time. It connects major cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Let’s go~!! Arrived at Nagoya station after 1.5 hours. Before we go to Kyoto, we’ll stop by my hometown. Taking a little break at a cozy café that’s open from early in the morning. 9:30am 📍Kissa Zoumeshi They had both chairs and tatami (floor seating), and we chose tatami (floor sheeting). Tada~ 🫶 We ordered Cream soda and Affogato 🫶 Let’s try 😋 It was really good 😌 11:30am 📍Noritake garden We came to Noritake Garden.🪴 Noritake Garden is a cultural spot in Nagoya built on a former ceramics factory site. There are many shops, café, and a beautiful garden to enjoy. The reason why we came here is because of this!! There is a huge book store in side of Noritake Garden shopping mall. Since there is a Starbucks inside of the book store, you can buy a coffee and read books 📕 Now we are heading to a lunch place. 😋 (※This is called Nana Chan doll) 1:00pm 📍Unafuji We have arrived at the lunch place. This restaurant is famous for Hitsumabushi ( Nagoya style eel rice bowl). Hitsumabushi is a famous Nagoya dish made with chopped grilled eel over rice. You enjoy it three ways: plain, with toppings, and as rice soup with broth. There are lots of other dishes, but of course, we’re going for the hitsumabushi! 🫶 Our hitsumabushi is here! Looks amazing!!!🤤 Let’s eat. ( Itadakimasu 🙏) Let’s split it up to try it in all the different ways! I thought it looked like a big portion, but it was too tasty to leave any behind. Thank you for the meal (gochisousama deshita)🙏 3:00pm 📍Hisaya Odori We took a bus and came to a central area in Nagoya. This is MIRAI TOWER ( formerly known as TV tower). Japan’s first consolidated radio tower, completed in 1954. The area around the Tower is surrounded by Hisaya-Ōdōri Park. The park is lush and refreshing, offering a peaceful escape with its abundant greenery. Within the park, you’ll find cafes to relax with nature. And the queue is less since it’s not Tokyo 😉 We came to a cafe to relax 😌 (※Of course, there was no queue🫶) Cheers! 🍻 After that, we met my relatives and had a great time! Now we are heading to Awaji island from Nagoya! Have you heard of Awaji island? Awaji Island is said to be the first land of Japan. We’re heading there from Kyoto by a car 🚗 Now we’ve arrived in Kyoto. Let’s head to Awaji island🚗 In May, we can see famous whirlpools in Awaji island, so we decided to visit. It takes about 2 hours from Kyoto to Awaji island by a car 🚗 Awaji Island is connected to Japan’s main island, by a long suspension bridge called the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge. We can drive across the bridge to reach Awaji Island! There it is! The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge! Driving across the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge has been on my list for a while. Wow 🤩 Now we just entered to Awaji island! (※It says “ Welcome to Awaji island!” ☺️) 11:30am 📍Uzu no Oka We came to Uzu no oka. Uzunooka is a scenic hilltop spot on Awaji Island. It’s famous for its panoramic views of the Naruto Strait. (※Naruto strait is located on south of Awaji island) There are local markets and restaurants too! There was a bird’s nest with a note asking people to watch over it kindly. Such a peaceful and heartwarming place.🌱 （※That’s where we are going for the whirlpools!） Let’s eat lunch here! 12:30am 📍Niki no Hi (Meat day) We came to “Niku no Hi,” a popular restaurant at Uzunooka Hill. They serve local juicy Awaji beef 🤤 I ordered hamburg! All of the dish was from Awaji island. The fresh local onion served on the side was super sweet and tasty! Awaji Island is actually famous for its onions🧅 There are onion-themed statues, tables, (※ Pretending to be a model for a sec! 🤣) Let’s try onion the UFO catcher! Now that we’re full and had fun at Uzunooka Hill, we’re heading to the ferry terminal to see the whirlpools! Although it was supposed to be rain today, it’s not raining 😎✨ In Japan, there’s a word called “hare-onna,” which literally means “sunny woman”. It’s used to describe a woman who seems to always bring good weather whenever she goes out or attends events. I’m the type who likes to believe in good luck, so I totally believe I’m a sunny woman ☀️🤣 Do you have a similar saying in your country? (※ Now we are crossing Onaruto bridge!) We just arrived at the ferry terminal! I’m super excited that we’re finally going to see the Naruto whirlpools! Alright, we’re getting on the ferry now! 🚢 Let’s go find those whirlpools! The waves are a bit rough today because of the weather, but luckily, the ferry is still running! I really hope we get to see the whirlpools! We’re almost at the spot to see the whirlpools!! By the way, this area is called Naruto city. “Naruto” means “roaring gate”. Naruto City is actually named after this whirlpools! (※Where are the whirlpools??) (※Thanks to this mom, I could find the whirlpools🤣🤣) The Naruto whirlpools are some of the strongest in the world. It’s beautiful and kind of scary at the same time🤣 It felt so powerful, and so rare. It’s like one of those things you have to see at least once in your life. The weather doesn’t always cooperate, so I was really happy to see so many whirlpools today. Time to return to land. we’re now on our way to tonight’s stay. Arrived at the hotel. We tried the local beer and fresh fish and slept deeply! Day3 Now we are going back to Kyoto 🚗 We bought ”Akashi Yaki” for breakfast. Akashiyaki is similar to takoyaki, but it’s softer and usually eaten by dipping it in a light dashi soup. Highly recommended if you have a chance! Now we came back to Kyoto. You can instantly sense you’re in Kyoto, just by looking at the scenery. It’s such a unique atmosphere! ✨ Returning a car, and… we rented our kimono~👘💕 （※I was too excited and forgot to take videos of our kimono style😂) I’ve always loved how wearing a kimono makes you feel instantly connected to the culture. We stopped for a short break at a Matcha tea house. We ordered matcha latte. 🍵 They whisk the matcha right in front of you.😮✨ 🫶💕 We also had matcha financier😋 Somehow, everything tastes better in kimono.😌 I was having so much fun that I completely forgot to take videos😂 So here are some photos instead!😉 We had such a great time sightseeing in a kimono! ✌️ The sun is setting. Today’s special event, dinner in the Gion area🍴 Gion is one of the most iconic districts in Kyoto. This is actually our first trip to Kyoto as a couple, And we’ve never had dinner in Gion before either. So we decided to explore it together. Everything was so tasty, and the people at the restaurant were really sweet. It turned into such a memorable time. Day4 The sound of the river makes for such a peaceful morning. I woke up a bit earlier today and decided to take a walk along the Kamo River. My husband isn’t much of a morning person, so I came out on my own for a little solo breakfast. This breakfast spot is the place I’ve been wanting to visit for a long time.😌 I ordered the saba! Classic one. It was amazingly delicious! I love waking up early when I travel. The streets are calm, the air feels fresh, and it gives me a moment to truly take in the place before the day gets busy. It’s like I get to keep a little secret part of the city just for myself. More people are starting to show up. Time to head to Arashiyama! The last destination is Arashiyama. Arashiyama is a beautiful area on the western edge of Kyoto. It’s famous for its scenic beauty, especially the bamboo grove, the river views, and the historic Togetsukyo Bridge. (※I forgot to take videos of us again😂) We got to try a Kaiseki meal during our stay like this. Kaiseki meal is a traditional Japanese multi-course dinner, often served at ryokan (Japanese style hotel.) Each dish is beautifully prepared and reflects the season, using fresh and local ingredients. (※Tofu is especially famous in Kyoto.) That was such a satisfying meal!😋 We had such a great dinner and ended the day with a deep sleep.😴 Last day Since our shinkansen is in the evening, we’ll enjoy Arashiyama little bit more👍 Arabica coffee☕️ We came to bamboo groove in Arashiyama. This place is very popular for tourists, locals, and students from school trips. If you come here early in the morning,
you can enjoy the quiet before the crowds arrive. （※That birdsong is so beautiful!） Let’s take a rest！ We ordered Kyoto beer! This beer is called Kyoto Beer, Yamada Nishiki flavor. It’s made with a special type of rice called Yamada Nishiki, which is often used for making high-quality sake in Japan. And the cool part is that they use Kyoto’s local water. Cheers🍻 After taking a nice, relaxing break at the café, we slowly made our way back toward Arashiyama Station. Even though Arashiyama is still part of Kyoto, it feels completely different from the city center. Arrived at Arashiyama station. Around Arashiyama Station, there are lots of cute cafes and souvenir shops. We bought cute snoopy sweets as souvenirs. (※I’ll take a video when we eat it at home!) One last sweet treat here before leaving Arashiyama! (※From Kitayama🫶) We’ve made it to the station… 🥹 I wish we could stay just a little longer!🥺🌱 But we’ll definitely come back to Arashiyama someday! 👍 Here comes our train🚃 See you Arashiyama〜👋 I love being at home, but traveling shows us a different side of ourselves. Spending this time together reminded me how precious it is to step away from routines and just enjoy each other’s company. It’s something I want to keep doing no matter our age.😌 We’re back at Kyoto Station. But our adventure isn’t over yet!😉 We’re having an early dinner to enjoy Kyoto right up until the last minute. We came to a famous Kyoto restaurant known for yuba. Have you heard of Yuba? Yuba is a traditional Japanese food made from the thin layer that forms on top when boiling soy milk. Kyoto is especially famous for it because of its high-quality tofu and fresh local water. We truly enjoyed every last moment of our trip… Now, it’s really time to head back🚄 Thank you for joining our journey🌱 I’m going to post more about daily life in Japan, so don’t forget to subscribe!☺️ Also, thank you very much to everyone who leaves comments! Your comments really encourage me! 😌🫶 The wind almost blew our napkin away!🤣 Where is the whirlpools…? A mom nearby say to her child,
‘Over there, over there!’ Thanks to that mom, I found it too.🤣
Thank you, kind mom! Now I learned how to find it without the mom👍 My phone just fell over! 😂 There was a Shinkansen coffee vending machine. All the drink names were based on Shinkansen trains, so we decided to try one! We had no idea how to pay, and the Shinkansen was coming, so we gave up 🤣 To be continued… Thank you for watching till the end🫶

[Vlog] Daily life in Japan
This video is about a trip to Kyoto, Aichi, Awaji Island, and Naruto Strait (Whirpools).🇯🇵

🌸 What’s in this video:
– A calm stay in Kyoto’s traditional townscape
– Exploring local eats and hidden gems in Aichi
– A slow life moment on Awaji Island
– The powerful whirlpools of Naruto Strait
– Slow travel, quiet mornings, and peaceful reflections

This video is perfect if you enjoy:
✅ Japanese slow life / Japan countryside
✅ Aesthetic & calm Japan vlogs
✅ Hidden travel spots in Japan
✅ Minimal, cozy lifestyle content

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🙋My name is Yuna.
I’m Japanese who was born in Nagoya and live in Tokyo with my husband.
I’ll be introducing our daily life, food and cultures in Japan.

🕊️ Calm Japan Diaries is a vlog channel that captures slow, ordinary, and quiet moments in Japan.
No voice, no music overload, just peaceful visuals and calm storytelling.

I would be very happy if you could subscribe to this channel, give a high rating, and leave a comment!

Thank you for watching!

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