Day trip from Kyoto, Japan #kyoto #kyototrip #fushimiinaritaisha #fushimiinarishrine #japan
This was my favorite day while in Kyoto, maybe my entire time in Japan, and I think you should steal this itinerary for a fun day trip idea. Our first stop was bright and early at the Fushimi Inari Shrine. We got here at about 7:30 a.m., and I do recommend getting there as early as possible if you want an easier time getting people free photos, or if you’re able to go all the way to the top for a few reasons. A lot of people don’t make it to the top, and there’s a separate pathway down, which is where you can easily get photos, even if the trail up is getting busier. The view is also really nice. you’ll be able to see more of the shrine, and this is where you’re going to see the majority of shrine cats who were all so sweet. We even saw a local feeding them, and honestly, the cats were kind of a highlight. There’s also a few souvenir shops, including one that sells really pretty postcards that apparently the owner’s mom creates. By the time we made it all the way down, let’s just say I’m so glad we got there early because it was so much busier. Then, we took a train out to Uji, which was such a cute area and a lot less busy than Kyoto. We visited the Bodoin Temple, which was very beautiful and peaceful. I loved the little pond and we saw so many turtles and it was fun to see one of each color of koish. There’s also a museum there that you can’t take photos in, but we saw some really amazing art and artifacts. Definitely recommend checking it out. Afterwards, we walked around the main street. Uji is said to have some of the best matcha in all of Japan. We stopped for a little matcha ice cream which was so good and there is no shortage of matcha here. There are so many shops and places to get treats and this is where we bought a lot of souvenirs for ourselves and others. We also took a walk along the water, which was so pretty, before heading to the train station to make our way to Fushimi, another super cute area that just felt way less crowded. We specifically came here to visit Sake Village to try their 18 sake flight. Fushimi is known as the sake district thanks to its pristine river and nearly 40 breweries. This was such a great way to try many sakees from this area. And there’s this cute little food court area with a bunch of different restaurants. And you can order from any of them right at your table from the sake market staff. We got some tempura coobe beef skewers, but the absolute best was this yaki ramen that I truly have never stopped thinking about. Then we found a nearby brewery to visit and they let us taste a few sakees and then the coolest thing was we bought a small bottle and they filled it from the wall and then added the heat seal right in front of us. And overall, it was just such a unique memory. Our final stop was to find this river boat we saw earlier in the day. We figured we just needed to get down to the river and we took this short pathway that seriously felt like we stepped into a Miyazaki movie. It honestly felt like a dream and we managed to find the boat stall and got tickets for the very last boat ride of the day. The entire tour was in Japanese, so we didn’t really know what they were saying, but it takes you to a little museum where you learn about the river, Aushima used to be a big trading area, and the bridge system, which was really interesting. They even had this little model to show you how it lets boats in. Of course, we had to go outside to see it up close, and then it was time to take the boat back. We headed back to Kyoto after this, and truly, this was the perfect day. I highly recommend adding this day trip to your Japan itinerary, especially if you need a little break from the crowds.
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