Our FIRST TIME in Kyoto, Japan SHOCKED Us 🇯🇵 | Is This JAPAN’S Most Overrated City?

Our FIRST TIME in Kyoto, Japan SHOCKED Us 🇯🇵 | Is This JAPAN’S Most Overrated City?

One Sweet Sake! Yes. Let’s do this. What’s 
the Japanese way of saying cheers? Kanpai! Kanpai! Do you know another thing 
about Japanese people? Yeah? Everywhere you go, they form orderly queues everywhere. I absolutely 
love it. There’s nobody managing them either. They just get into queues, especially at bus 
stops. Look at that. This looks so cool  I don’t You can give it a try. No, no. 
I want you to have this first. Here we are. Good morning from Kyoto. Hi. We are here in the 
bamboo forest in Arishiyama. Yes! on the outskirts of Kyoto. Guys, we’re in the bamboo 
forest. Probably Kyoto’s most photographed spot or one of the most iconic things about 
Kyoto is this bamboo forest. It’s so beautiful already. Okay, so the time is just after 9a.m. We actually tried to get here earlier, but we missed the train and the train came every 
half an hour. So, we were half an hour late from where we’re staying though, which is on 
the outskirts of Kyoto because we’re camping in Yoshi. So, we’re leaving the van on the outskirts 
of every city that we’re visiting. Yes. Easier that way. Kyoto is literally tiny streets and 
alleyways and stuff. So, Yoshi, our van is a big girl, right? We just literally walked like 10 minutes 
from the train station. And honestly, these roads   are so narrow and tiny, aren’t they? And guiding 
Yoshi through there would not be the most fun. So, we’ve parked up on the edge and then we’ve taken 
public transport around today. Now,   we’re strolling through and I am definitely going 
to say it’s going to pay off coming early because I think it will not be as busy. Hopefully, 
we’ve beaten some of the tour guides. You’ve got bamboo on both sides and it grows all the 
way up like so so so tall and then the light shines through. It’s just serene. I imagine if 
you come like early early early when it’s like really quiet it would be super peaceful. It 
is also said that bamboo represents purity, resilience and strength. So it plays a very uh 
important part in the Japanese culture. It is so magical hearing bamboo creek you know in 
this natural setting in this forest. Do you know if you wanted like some white noise? I feel 
like that would be so nice. Birds chirping bamboo creeking in the morning. This is pretty as well 
on the left. I think we have beaten the crowds. Look at this gorgeous architecture here. Wow. 
Kyoto used to be the ancient capital of Japan, but this technically is on the outskirts. 
It’s not exactly in Kyoto. Look at this. Now, this is what you guys see on Insta. Early in 
the morning is when you need to be here to beat the crowds. It’s still nowhere near as busy as 
it will get later on today, but have a look at this. This is absolutely magical. These are as 
well. Towering bamboos. We’ve got a car coming. I thought this was actually pedestrian noise. So 
did I. Maybe not. Do you know what? We definitely need to take some pictures right now, which is the 
perfect opportunity to plug our Insta. Go ahead,   check it out. If you’re not there yet, give 
us a follow. All the BTS makes it on Insta. Be right back. Let’s go. The city of Kyoto has, 
I think, about a population of about 2 million. And then the greater area is 7 million. Not about 
four 4 million. So double that. I got my numbers way off there. But that’s all right. Not so bad, 
right? But it’s a much much much smaller smaller smaller smaller place. So yeah, compared to 
Tokyo. Exactly. Teeny Tyler. These bamboo, right? Bamboo apparently has a lifespan 
of like 100red years. So like each stalk, right? Yeah. Is 100red years old. And actually 
they’re apparently not trees. There you go. They’re they’re grass or something. They’re like 
a Yeah, they’re not considered a tree. Yeah, there you go. Right. But look, now it’s empty. 
This is what I mean, guys. If you look up there, it’s buzzing. And then if you look down here, it’s 
now empty. Like it’s really coming in dibs and   jabs right now, but I would highly recommend 
if you want to come and enjoy this spot, definitely you got to come in the morning because 
the later it gets, the busier it gets. Or stick   around because they’re coming in groups. They 
all go together. But look, and then they all move away together. Exactly. So it’s like you can walk 
around to these bits and it’s dead. Oh, honestly,   the light as well right now is looking absolutely 
insane. I am so obsessed with this. Wow. Check that out. That’s the traditional way of 
being fied about on a little rick shaw if that’s what you call it. The human heavy. You’re carrying 
two people plus like the carriagey thing and it’s a little bit of an incline as well. This is 
what’s going on here. I think one of the tourist buses have pulled in finally because this town’s 
come to life. I was saying on our approach here, let me show you the quite quaint town that we 
walked through. Well, that is long gone. That   was a thing in the past because this place has 
got a lot of bikes. It’s got buses. It’s got hordes and hordes of people. Lovely. Lovely. 
But that means more shops are open as well, right? And there’s the Snoopy chocolate. Snoopy 
is Japanese, right? I think so. Charlie Brown. I mean, I don’t know if they’re Japanese or not. 
They’ve got a big following in Japan, though.   Got some drinks out here. Match soda. All right, 
I’ll have a matcha soda then. A matcha soda? I’ve heard matcha in Kyoto is like massive because 
there’s an area around Kyoto where they grow a   lot of matcha. Are they open? Are you open? Hello. 
Can we get one matcha soda, please? This is a cute little shop here. We got some oniris going on as 
well. Rice balls. Perfect. Happy days. We have 500 coins as well. Oh, do we? Yeah. Oh, there you go. 
See, we’ve been in Japan how long? And I’m just learning about the currency right now. I didn’t 
deal with the money. That’s Taz’s job. That’s his   job alone cuz uh you got more oniri and stuff. 
Yeah, I was just going to say egg yolk one. Oh, that’s different. I haven’t seen that one. That 
takes it a step further than all of the family   Martin 7-Eleven oniris. Right. Very quirky. I like 
that. I know. The same, huh? Oh, are they? Yes, same. I’m just very excited because they’re 
all put together. That’s why. All right, let’s   have the matcha. A few moments later. Mix it. 
Thank you. famous. Oh, look at that. All right, one sec. Are we ready for this? I’ve heard Yeah. 
Oh my god. I’ve never tasted anything like this before. You have to try it. Right. So, I’ve heard 
that actually the matcha that you get outside   of Japan is actually not real. I heard this. I 
don’t know. You guys can let me know if that’s true or not. So, in because there’s not enough 
um real matcha for what is actually consumed like worldwide apparently. So, it’s only real. Oh, I 
don’t like matcha by the way. I was going to say   I’m not a big fan of matcha. whatsoever. This 
might make me actually a believer. Okay. Yeah, it’s better than what it usually is. It tastes 
like ice cream soda. This I always think that   match just tastes a bit like grass. I don’t know. 
This doesn’t. No, this actually doesn’t. I agree with you. Not my favorite still. But that’s so 
much better than what we’ve had beforehand. Oh, can I have one of the cheese cutters? Yes, 
please. We got matcha. Uh 350. There we are. Oh, it smells really good in here as well. Yeah. So, 
we have a cheese cut over here and we’re going to give it a try. We’re going to see what it’s like. 
So, let’s do this. Starting off this morning. Thank you. Is Is this it? Yeah. Oh, very quick. 
Thank you. Thank you. So quick. I was thinking my guy’s going to go and like make something. He’s 
like, it’s already here. Literally, food in Japan   gets served so quick. But you’re going to try this 
though. Fast food is actually fast. This is tiny, right? For 350. That’s actually really hot. 
It’s not hot. Don’t worry. You can grab it.   Someone started already. What’s it like? H. It’s 
apparently an Irish Giama specialty. It’s a Namafu cheese cutlet. It’s quite salty again, but it’s 
literally just a block of cheese. All cheese.   Yeah. And it’s like um deep fried with some 
batter. That was tiny for 350. But then again, if that’s all cheese. Yeah. Imagine you’re just 
eating a big fat block of cheese. I was going   to say and fried as well. Mhm. Oh, all of that 
cholesterol. Not the healthiest of breakfast. I was going to say, do you know what redeems it? 
Matcha. Oh, yeah. Try this. Take a bite minus stick, though. Open that. That might take your eye 
out, but it’s not stringy at all. You’re literally eating fried cheese here. Jason, thank you. All 
right. Which way did we come? We came that way. The houses here look beautiful. Like would you 
say these are traditional style houses? So when we were in the countryside camping in Yoshi, oh 
rural Japan looks absolutely beautiful. So so gorgeous. Rice patties everywhere. So peaceful, so 
tranquil as well. So the doors over there and the   houses they open sideways like they slide. Whereas 
some of the houses here as well were like that. We’re making our way back to the train station now 
because we will be finally making our way to Kyoto   City and see what else is happening over there cuz 
quite a few places in the old heart of Japan. That was a capital up until 1858. Wow. Don’t quote me 
on it, but it was somewhere in the late 1800s. So quite recent in a way if you think about it. So we 
have to go to Kyoto station. Station name Kyoto. Hey, 480 yen, which is 250ish. Oh, is that the 
500 coin? Yeah. Oh, nice. That’s the 500. Smazzy. Looks like a pound coin. Yeah. So, that’s like 
Yeah. 2 pound 2 pound50, isn’t it? That great. Lovely. That’s all going through. Very nice. Thank 
you. And the tickets here look like cinema tickets as well from like back in the day. All right. 
So, we are now making our way ticket. We’ll show you the trains as well. the ones that 
we were saying. Lovely. Insert it here and it comes out right here. As easy as that. Do you know 
where we’re going? I think platform one and there should be one coming in about 4 minutes, which is 
perfect. Let’s go. But first, let’s show you what the trains look like. Let’s go. So, this is what 
the platform looks like here. The trains on the way. Nice and quiet. Got some aunties waiting 
here to make their way into Kyoto as well. So ours is the one flashing. Yeah. And it 
does say though that most of the trains do   not stop to the right side. So we need to 
go that side. Okay. Sorry. Yes. That way there. Perfect. It is on the way now. What’s the 
time you ask? The time is 20 to 11. Happy day. Interested to see what the layout’s like. H lovely. Oh, it’s big view. So, I think we will 
just stand. Yeah. This is pretty cool though. Like you can lean against this. It’s got like 
a little area that you can like perch on as   well. Yeah. Lovely. Not bad. Some of the 
seats here. They’re facing each other. So, this is on the JR line, I think. So, we have 
to go to Johto, which is seven stops. Well, now you know every day with me is a a school 
guy. Absolutely. So if we go into Kyoto and then in Kyoto we need to change to the 
metro and then we’ll be good to go. Metro and just like that we’re at station. That was 
less than half an hour. Yeah, that was like maybe 20 minutes. Not so bad at all to be quite honest 
with you. Lovely. Here we go. Off the train we go. It’s usually very fastpaced getting off the train, 
but we were on a bit of a go slow then. But here we go. We are on the platform at Kyoto Station. 
And now we just have to figure out where we’re going. So, let’s hope it’s not as big as Tokyo 
station. This is nowhere near as big as Station. I think that’s the biggest in Japan. So busy 
lines about here. Um, we’re going to be all right. You can’t really get lost in Kyojo, can you? 
Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. I already see daylight,   so that’s a good sign. A few moments later, we 
take our words back, guys. This is a pretty big station. We’re still walking and we’re still 
trying to find the metro uh exit. We We need to go underground exit. Or do we need to go this 
way? I think I guess we can go the same way, right? Yeah. Please. There we go. Through here. 
Pop it in like this. Go on. Take it. Let’s go. Huge. Look at that. It is right. Wow. All right. 
I was thinking tall as well. It was going to be tiny. It’s not. Don’t underestimate Kyoto as the 
seventh largest city, Mr. Taz. Very nice. I mean, after all, this is the former capital of Japan. 
So, exactly. Exactly. I want to just like step out, see what’s happening. Okay, let’s do 
it. See what’s going on here in Kyoto. Oo, what the vibe is like. Oh, tower. There we go. 
There is It’s actually called Kyoto Tower. Yeah, I just made that up. I just read that now. It’s 
not very original or creative, is it? It’s a tower and it’s in Kyoto. There we go. Right. Look 
at the station behind you now. Pretty ginormous, actually. Wow. That is quite a sight the 
minute you come out of the train station.   Not bad whatsoever. The clouds are here, but it’s 
not raining and I’ll have that no problem. There’s some options to eat. Do you know another thing 
about Japanese people? Yeah. Everywhere you go,   they form orderly cues everywhere. I absolutely 
love it. There’s nobody managing them either. They just get into queues, especially at bus stops. 
Look at that. I think the British and Japanese, they’re so similar in this way when it 
comes to forming cues. more Japanese than   the British actually because uh our air ticket 
and manners have left the building whereas Japan they still stand by there. So I am absolutely 
in awe of how systematic everything is here. Look at that. No one’s trying to be cheeky to 
jump the queue. No one’s in a hurry. That’s a long old queue though. Right. And this 
is for a bus stop. Green man, let’s go. A few moments later, green man again because guess 
what? Someone obviously took us the right way. What did I say when we were inside the station? 
We have to take the metro and this one said no,   we can walk. This always living gets us 
flipping lost every single time. So back we go towards the station. This is us. This will 
do. Lovely. Okay, if this is anything to go by, I have a feeling the next stop’s going to be 
quite an experience. And as I was saying earlier, it’s all at the foreigners actually who can’t 
form an orderly queue. Everyone there right now was just trying to just come out and there 
was not one Japanese person there. Here we are   to our next stop. This is literally the most 
iconic spot in Kyoto. I know I said it about bamboo forest as well, but this is definitely it. 
This is the I think there’s thousand red gates on like the mountain side. Yeah, I think so. I 
would hate to be driving here though. Yeah,   it does not look fun here. People are literally 
on the road taking photos, but I highly recommend not our first gate here at Inari Shrine. The 
gate behind us right now is one of the most recognizable landmarks here when you look up 
Japan. It’s Tokyo Tower, Sky Tree, Inari Gates, uh, Mount Fuji, obviously bamboo forest as 
well. So, Kyoto’s got some iconic landmarks. So, there’s over a thousand here. Did you say on the 
mountain apparently? Yeah, that’s what I heard. I   don’t know if there’s actually a thousand or 
not. Where’s that bit where there’s like so many gates all lined up together? I want to see 
that bit. This is another bucket list moment. It feels even bigger and even busier in person. 
But these are Tory gates as well. And so these are basically like Shinto shrines apparently. And 
they come in different colors as well, but red is the most popular I heard. So you’ll see red very 
often as we’ve been driving around Japan as well. Definitely recommend getting off the beaten path. 
It’s been like so obvious. We’ve seen so many   red ones, but we’ve also seen a couple black 
ones and like some gray ones. So there you go. So this is actually the most important and iconic 
Shinto shrine here in Kyoto. And this is on the side of Mount Inari. This shrine is actually 
dedicated to the god of rice, prosperity, agriculture. So this is the main gate and you 
would see stone foxes all around the shrine. These are known to be Nari’s messengers and they’re 
usually holding on to something. Usually a key. Oh yeah, that one. It’s got a key in its mouth, which 
is a key to the grainery, I believe. Quite cool, eh? Messengers. And they’re everywhere all around 
the shrine. There’s a lot of emphasis on the color red everywhere. So, I have a feeling the Nari 
part that you guys see on Instagram is behind this temple here. We got more stone foxes here. 
go up these steps and then maybe to the right or the left. Let’s have a look. Oh, so there’s 
steps involved, which means uh there’s going to be a lot of walking. More workout for my legs. 
Oh, I’ve already been walking 30,000 steps. Well, that’s a lie. Now, when at the start when we 
were in Tokyo, absolutely. Before we started   the road trip here in Japan. Yeah. But now in the 
cities, we’ve walked loads. In the countryside, not so much. park as well because we’ve been 
parking up Yoshi like in a nearby car park somewhere outside of the city. Take a train in cuz 
it’s silly driving the car into a city. But oh my gosh, look at that. W. So, also just a quick 
tip guys, this is actually free to enter and open 24/7 as well. So, you can come at any time 
of the day. Yes, it is. Yeah, apparently. I did not know that. already out of breath. Help. Get 
ready. Brace yourselves. Yeah, look. All of the cameras are out. All the cameras in the world. 
All right. Now, the question is, how on earth do people actually find this exactly the way you see 
it on Instagram? Empty. How? How? Libby, busy at work. This is cool. Look at this. I feel like we 
should definitely walk up a bit further because everybody’s going to be at the start. Let’s go. 
Let’s go. I’ll follow you. Lead the way. We’re   walking under the first Tory gates. Oh, wow. This 
is another very recognizable landmark. Oh, and did you know that apparently every gate is donated by 
an individual or a business? Each and every single   one of it. Apparently. So, yeah. Each and every 
single one. Wow. So, they must just keep adding to it. Must I had no idea about that either. Every 
single shot that I’ve seen of this place on Insta, it’s empty. How When do you guys actually get this 
place all to yourself? I feel like definitely if you came at sunrise, it would be much less busy. 
We’ve probably hit it up at the exact wrong time cuz it’s about 20 to 12 day. Yeah. All right. Peak 
time, baby. That’s what’s up. It’s organized chaos around here, but it’s a oneway system. We’re going 
up right now. And to the left is where you can come back down again. But this side is empty. This 
side obviously is busy cuz people are going up. So that just goes to show you guys. Don’t stick 
around at the start. Keep going. Go for a little   walk. It’s actually not so bad, is it? No, it’s 
actually really cool. This is low clearance. A little bit though. It is. Yeah. You’re tall. These 
ones aren’t as tall as other ones. There’s more. So there’s like a little stop here. Another shrine 
that looks like it’s over in the middle here. This place is called Okushia. Oh, there’s 
more. Yes. Happy days. Keep going. Oh, wow. Many hours later. Ooh, it’s looking spooky. No, it 
doesn’t actually. But it actually does look really spiritual and really peaceful. We’re getting more 
inside the forest. I feel it’s getting cooler as we’re going up as well. Can you feel the change 
in temperature? Yeah, because we’re going up a   mountain now. Nice. We’re walking by the stream 
on the side. It’s getting all mossy in here. Oh, all foresty. This bit is so quiet. So beautiful. 
You can literally have this to yourself even at half 12. That’s going to be a shot and a half. 
That looks wicked. Wo. Right. Don’t want to get in this photo. Uh top tip for you guys here is 
make sure you keep walking. Keep walking. Don’t stop at the first two. Maybe about like 300 
meters in. This is what you’d get because the crowds all stop way back. Yeah. Like at the first 
two sections really. I don’t even think we walked 10 minutes. Did we? No. No. All right. We made it 
up to a bit here. And there’s actually a sign just   behind these people here that says from here it’s 
40 minutes up to the top. So one way. There you go. I don’t think we’re going to go up to the top 
right now. But we do have some shops up here which   is very sweet. Very lovely. We’ve got obviously 
the magnets of the Tory gates of course. Oh, look at this temple here. That’s kind of cool as 
well. This uh smells really good as well with like the incense or something over here. We’ve got 
the candles all lit. And then again, there’s   those foxes with the squirrels in their mouth. 
Red toy gates to this side. This must be a kind of shrine. Standing under the toy gate as well, 
by the way. Oh, yeah. I didn’t mean to see that. It smells so good here with It does, doesn’t it? 
Sounds really nice. Let’s see if we can go this way. Be able to We have more toy gates. We do. And 
all the way up here as well. We’ve got a vending machine. Of course, can’t go anywhere without a 
vending machine. It won’t be Japan without vending   machines. Right. So, just as you move away from 
the quiet and the tranquility back at Inari down here, we’ve got a bustling food market. Oh my 
god, it smells amazing around here. Right. This is okonomiyaki. Hiroshima style okonomiyaki. So 
flour, cabbage, egg, ginger, noodles, tempurus, everything. Oh, happy. Perfect. So, shall we 
get one? Absolutely. This looks insane. Wow. This one’s with meat. That is without meat. 
No, no problem. No meat. Okay. Can we get one, please? Thank you. Perfect. That looks lovely. 
It smells amazing here as well. It smells really, really delicious. So I am absolutely starving. 
This looks Oh my gosh. Okono Miyaki is something that we have not been able to try so far. This 
is Hiroshima style. Yes, please. Hi. Thank you. That’s 700, right? Thank you. Oh, it is blazing 
hot. Oh, really? There we go. It’s got cabbage, noodles, sauces, ginger, other bits, tempura 
scrap. This looks insane. And we just found a little seat to perch on. Yeah, that was hard to 
do cuz that was a mission and a half. You can’t   even find one in space anywhere. The entire 
place is uh buzzing. But first things first, main priority. Did you just take a mouthful when 
I wasn’t looking? I had to. I’m so hungry right   now. I can already tell it’s got so much cheese 
in it. Cheese? Yeah. See that? Yes, I do. It’s got cheese. It’s got sauces. Very nice. Oh, I finally 
figured out as well what the bit on top is. Do   you know? Mhm. What? Like it’s flaky. I heard her 
say it today. Fish. Is it? Yeah. Apparently. Can you see that bit there? Yeah, that flaky bit is 
apparently fish. Guys, let me know if I’m right   or not. I thought that was onion shaving. So did 
I. Oh, that is nice. And she put um some kind of uh sauces on it, right? That is actually really 
good. This is what I always say. It’s all in the sauce. M 100%. This is good. Okay. Never tried 
that before. It was our first time. So, I thought, you know what? Let’s just go get another one. 
Right. We got more noodles out here. These are fried noodles for 500. I don’t know what’s in 
it, but it says it’s pushimi inari special. Okay, let’s see what it’s like. Thank you. One. Thank 
you. Ichi, help yourself to some. Thank you. All right, we got the chopsticks here. Happy day 
sorted. That’s done. Here we go. Get another. Thank you, my friend. We’re just going to sample 
more noodles. My fingers are absolutely flipping burning. Wow. Where’s Le? Wow. I need to put this 
down. These are different ones, by the way. So, I see you’ve helped yourself to that one already. 
Don’t pick this up. This is absolutely Is it   really on fire? Inferno level. Oh, did you get 
chopsticks for you? I did indeed. We got some carrying case. Don’t worry. I saved the space. How 
is it? It’s the sauce. I’m telling you. The food in Kyoto so far has been really good, hasn’t it? 
But everything we’ve had’s been really nice. It’s   fresh. Yeah. The guy literally made it in front 
of me, so that’s cool. Happy days. What have you got in your hands here then? How many did you get? 
These are not mine. See? Who Who does that? It’s you. You’re known Taz has the sweet tooth out 
of both of us. Such a neglair. And he asked me, “Will you eat some if I buy a packet 
of six?” I love Japanese desserts. Oh,   the cream. There’s something in the creamy, 
I’m telling you. Chef’s kiss. All right, sweat, which is actually an Aquarius this time. Getting 
the electrolytes back in and then getting the   calories back in. Absolutely. Why not? Here you 
go, my gorgeous. Have a look at that. Behold that beautiful sight. How many more to go? Five more. 
That’s You’re a fatty. M. It’s the cream. If you guys have been to Japan, you know what I’m talking 
about. Sounds so wrong when I say it. Anyway, Japanese cream is elite like on another level. Is 
it now? Yeah. So good. Time to head to our next stop. So, let’s go. All right. So, we just made it 
to the station, but we need to get some money out. So, you can actually come to these um ATMs with 
Seven Bank. They’re like they’re all in 7-Elevens as well, but they’re not just in 7-Elevens. And 
you can withdraw cash for free. They’re the best ones. Look at that. Every time you tap something, 
right, it feels like you’re playing the piano. And it creates this ripple effect as well. So 
soothing. You got like a little fish as well. It’s like you’re in an onsen or a spa or something, 
right? Very zen. Going to an adium is like quite an experience. Good. Okay, here we go. And this 
is free as well. So happy days. How much are we getting out? We get some money. They’re probably 
going to get about£10,000 out, which is about £50,   I think, on the current exchange rate. So, a pound 
at the moment is about £200. Actually, about 195 yen, something like that. So, not bad. Anyway, 
and you guys are withdrawing money, just make   sure it’s always in the local currency. Receipt 
first card. This will open up. Literally 50 quid. Just like that. 10,000. Imagine if he drops that. 
You drop it. You drop it like Shiki Market up and out of the metro station. We made it. Oh my 
goodness. How beautiful is this? We’re now in the area of Gillion, I think is how you say it. So, 
we decided that we would come down to this spot. And actually, there’s a market nearby as well. So, 
I’m excited to go and check that out. More food. More food. Super bright right now, though. But I 
am not complaining. The sun is here today. Woohoo. But this area is nice. Look at this building over 
here as well. This is very cool. This seems like   uh the Oxford Circus Region Street area. No. 
Of Kyoto. You got food halls, shopping malls, I forget. Takashimaya over there. We saw our first 
one in Singapore. We did. Yeah. If I’m not wrong. Yeah, because we went in there and everything was 
Japanese. So, we were a bit surprised. We got a   big Disney store out here. This is nice. Okay. 
I don’t know how I pictured Kyoto. In my head, I thought Kyoto was going to be tiny with like 
really narrow alleyways or really tight streets. I wanted to say the exact same thing. I thought 
the exact same. I thought it’d be tiny, you know, like uh quite like cultural and like um like 
lots of like ancient architecture and like that, but no, it’s not. This is a big city. Look 
at this. It’s not too busy with the roads, but that is amazing because that is also the 
hallmark of Japanese roads in the CBD area, the downtown area. It’s usually really, really 
well organized. The traffic’s not too congested.   Happy days, green, man. Let’s go. Let’s go, girl. 
Crossings here, even in Kyoto, are slightly, I would say, somewhat busy. Not too much like 
Osaka or Tokyo. That’s a whole different ball game all together. That is a massive food hall. Can 
you imagine all the food available there? Oh yes, dumb it. Don’t get me started. This is the area 
of Gillion, by the way. I think we’re on the the newer side of Gillon because I heard that this 
was meant to be really traditional. Like you could actually see geishas here. So geishas are 
like traditional Japanese artists trained in uh literature. They can sing. talented ar. Yeah. So, 
we thought we were probably going to come here, maybe see a geisha. That would be amazing. But 
so far, this is a very high-end, very modern. Oh, look here. We have um Japanese noodle shop. It’s a 
standup eating style Japanese noodle shop. People are actually still inside eating. They are. Yeah. 
I thought that standing up whilst you’re eating is actually quite bad for you, but I don’t know. 
Maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s not. Maybe that’s just the wife’s tail I’ve always heard. Just like that, 
we made it to Nishiki Market. Oh, this is huge. This goes on as far as you can see. I mean, this 
is one thing about Japan. They don’t play around with their markets. There’s a lot of good stuff 
here. And they’re big. They’re pretty pretty   big as well. So, let’s go see what we can see. 
Yeah, I’m expecting probably a mixture of food, a bit souvenirs, maybe some clothing. So far, 
oh, we’ve they love a bit of ice cream here. Oh my goodness. I’ve seen ice cream everywhere. No, 
I think it’s just normal. But we got some shops   coming up as well where you can buy your kimonos. 
Oh, look, there’s a Shilinu cafe. Oh my goodness, that is so cute. We got slots in here as well. 
It’s a big thing apparently in Japan having slots. We’ve seen buildings, massive houses, right? 
And what’s inside? All slots. Like warehouses, though. Like, we’re not even just talking big 
buildings. We’re talking warehouses. I thought it   was a casino at first, but it turns out they’re 
all slots in there. But another thing, this place is ideal for days when it’s raining outside 
because it’s got a cover. It is all covered. Happy days. But Kyoto so far has actually surprised me 
with actually how big it is. and how developed and modern it is as well. It’s not just bamboo forest 
or in aravi gates. There’s a modern contemporary side to Kyoto as well. There we are. Jackpot baby. 
We got food and everything now. Vagu. We got king crab. They’re big on king crabs here. Got yam and 
things going on. All right. This is the first time   I’m actually seeing yam in Japan. I have not 
seen yam so far. All right. This is a bit like the one that we’ve seen in Osaka. So, Osaka was 
really, really cool as well. Do you know what I’m looking for then? What? Let’s see if they’ve got 
somewhere where we can go and try some saki. Oh, of course. That would be all right. Yeah, I can 
do it. What have you just spotted? Is this a   matchive vending machine? No way. Is everything 
in here just matcha? Don’t know what that is, but that’s matcha shots. More matcha 77 something 
cy uji. Uji is where the green teas grown here in Japan, which is why uh Kyoto is also the 
ma capital of Japan. Yeah. Now we know the the meat croc here are really popular. I’ve seen 
them loads. But there’s more beef over here. Oh, and beef sushi as well. Wagyu beef sushi. That 
sounds nice. Yum. Are you having a look at this? Yeah, I’m just looking at like the sirloins 
and the vagu cut sirloin in here. Oh yeah,   this one. That looks good. Is that a raw beef that 
you can eat? Domestically produced? Probably. Yes, maybe. Interesting. We got more seafood, oysters, 
lobsters, sea urchins back there. Of course, a bit more matcha because if we hadn’t already seen 
enough matcha while we’re here in Toto, then we’ve seen about 500,000. I understand why it is the 
matcha capital. It is out. Check this. Wow. It’s like shoulder to shoulder. I was thinking like the 
one in the saka was like busy. This is uh So did I. Metal. Woo. Okay. Now it’s cleared up a little 
bit. Yeah. Now we can breathe. Maybe that bit just went a bit more narrow. I’m not sure why. Like 
pack sardines in a can flipping up. All right.   Trademark here on pedestrian streets especially 
like food markets that I’ve noticed is everyone eats mochi ramen saki. drink some beer. Have 
strawberries as well. I didn’t know Japan was big on strawberries. I reckon they grow in like quite 
locally produced. The temperature, the conditions here to grow like idea like that. Perfect. There 
was some uh sushi back there if you wanted to try   more sushi and some beer. That would be good. 
All right, Mr. Taz is going to sample this. We are just getting our make your own Zen Garden 
latte because why not? I mean, I don’t know what to think of that. Like a drinkable garden. What 
could possibly go wrong, right? It looks a bit   like this, right? Oh, look. They’ve done one as 
well. That’s the before. Is that That’s the after. Okay. We saw that. That was a bit quirky. We were 
like, we definitely have to do this. This is like   one of the quirks here in Japan. This is what 
we’re going for. Yeah. So, it’s actually just like this one here. And it’s got matcha, 
raspberry, esuma, mochi, and nuts. That’s actual like soil. I mean, that’s at the bottom. 
Yeah. That’s not soil. It’s got like flipping   sediments of rocks and pebbles. Yeah. They don’t 
put that in your actual cup. They do. They do. That’s the whole thing. That’s the reason they 
said this is an actual drinkable garden. This is real. I thought this was just like a for sure like 
a little dummy, you know? I mean, it is a sample, but it is actually legit as well. All right. 
You’re drinking this first, right? It’s a bit like this. Okay. Everything here is matcha inspired. 
So we already had a matcha soda this morning, didn’t we? We did. Yeah. We’re turning into matcha 
girls today cuz why not when you’re in the matcha   capital? Got to be done. A few moments later. 
Lovely. Thank you. Okay, get this. It is ready. That looks beautiful. Gorgeous. This looks so 
flipping cool. I don’t You can give it a try. No, no. I want you to have this first. Here we are. I 
don’t even want to put in Yeah. Okay. Here we go. I’ll let you do the honors. This looks exciting. 
This, by the way, is a mochi on the top. Is that   a mochi or a mushroom? No, mochi. Is it? Maybe 
it’s supposed to look like a mushroom, but it’s an actual mochi. So, that’s what it looks like, 
right? It’s like a field. It’s got mushrooms. It’s got like boulders and rocks. And these 
are nuts, are they? And that’s like moss. Uh, this is Yeah, I think so. It tells you what it is. 
Don’t mix it. Or maybe you’re supposed to mix it. I don’t know. Just have it. Oh my gosh. That’s 
actually a weirdly good. There’s mini mochi at the bottom. When you sip it, like fluffy and like 
marshmallowy, but it’s like a match to taste. That is insane. That is so bizarre. I actually love 
that. Wow. Everything here is literally matcha and matcha and more matcha. You can even get matcha 
and soas here. I’ve heard. There we go. Speaking   of more matches, got some matcha something 
something here. More matcha merch and produce. Nishiki limited matcha. 2,700 yen for whatever 
that is. What is that? Matcha chocolate bowl. This is how they do it. It comes out in a block 
and then they dice it up for you. Lovely. Lovely. What is that? Snoopy char. Oh, they love Snoopy 
here in Japan, don’t they? They do. They’ve got a like little those uh what are they called? Like 
the it looks like a fish usually and it’s filled inside like the cheesecake kind of thing kind 
of. Yeah. Have a look. This looks wicked. What is this? We got Snoopy. Snoopy yaki. Yeah. So they 
This is usually like in the $10 coin or something. Yeah. The 10 coin, right? All right. Do you want 
to try it? Should we? Right. Let’s go and see what   we can get. They’ve got loads of different snoopy 
bits over here. Exciting stuff. All right. You can get mandarin orange or you can get custard or 
you can get aduki paste, which is what? Red bean. I don’t know. Adzuki is probably Japanese for red 
bean. Which one do you want to go? They have loads of different bits over here. They’ve got like um 
par ice creams as well. They’ve got drinks. Hello. Can you get this one, please? This one. Here 
we are. Can I help you? Sure. No problem. Thank you. We can sit here and eat. Yeah. Okay. Can I 
pay my card? Thank you. Lovely. Here we are. So, there is also the rule of no walking uh no eating 
while walking. So, we will make sure that we abide by it. I mean, that’s a great rule. So, you’re 
not like uh making a mess everywhere you go.   Yes. Thank you. It’s really nice. What is on the 
inside though? It looks like pasty. M. It is. So, it’s pasty. Was it like moji? Cuz it looks like 
that jelly texture. It’s a bit thicker than that, actually. I don’t really know like how to say it, 
but it’s like a paste and it’s really citrusy. There’s like some little like jelly bits in 
it as well. It’s really nice though. And the   the kind of like the bun is like a crepe sort 
of texture. It’s a bit crispy on the outside, but it’s fluffy on the middle. Would you say 
it’s like a smoothie shape pancake with past? Yeah. In the middle like like a stuffing. 
You’re all welcome. And that’s it. Half of it’s gone instantly. So fresh, right? It’s really 
nice. The ladies behind us, it’s an open kitchen, so you can see them prepare it. Another thing 
in Japan that we’ve noticed, everywhere you go   order something, instant. By the time you’re done 
paying, even before you can collect your receipt, the order’s already there waiting for you. We 
literally are so surprised every time we’re like,   “That’s everything. It’s done already.” M like 
it’s fast food here. Like fast fast. Gives fast a whole new definition. They put the fast in fast 
food. This is actually banging. It’s really nice, isn’t it? What’s the name? Snoopyaki. Yeah, the 
Snoopy Zaki. Snoopy yaki. Oh my goodness. This place has so much food. There’s lots of like uh 
fresh bits. There’s also like some prepackaged bits. There’s loads of different like fresh stuff 
that you can take with you as well. And I think I’ve lost hands in the uh crowd over here. I got 
stuck a bit. Where are you? There you are. What have you seen? Of course you have. Would you like 
one? Yeah, of course. Yeah. Two, please. Hello. There we go. Some cake. Why not? Dry or sweet. 
What are we getting? Dry or sweet. So, I said, “Yeah, let’s let’s go for Okay. Thank you. I’ll 
see you soon. I’m coming back for more. Perfect. We can stand here. There we go. One nice little 
barrel over there. This is so flipping cool. So in a we paid a,000 for three sakis shot. This 
is 100 each. That must have been like expensive. Maybe it was. Yeah. Yeah, it was a different 
kind cuz there’s so many different varieties.   This is the Japanese version of a pot. Like look 
where we are. Yeah, it’s really nice. It’s like a what’s it called? An isakaya. That’s a traditional 
Japanese. I thought that was a Japanese muffin. And is a guy? Yeah. No, it’s a Japanese puff. 
Is it? Yeah. Okay. Cheers. Cheers. In Japanese. Ooh. What do you make of this? It’s decent, 
actually. It’s super sweet. I don’t think I like   the dry one. I like this one. It’s really nice. 
It’s super like crisp, light. What more could you want? What’s the Japanese way of saying cheers? 
Kai. Camp. Kai. Let’s do it again. Okay. Campai. Let’s go. Thank you. Ready? One, two, three. 
Campai. Cheers. Oh, nice. Can I get one more, please? Dry. I tried the sweet one already. 
Another one. Time for a dry one now. Lovely. I’ve got some more goods coming in. The 
spillage on that now. Why they have that little coaster? That makes a lot more sense. 
You’re starting for the dry one now. So, meanwhile, I haven’t even done half of mine. 
Actually, I’m probably about halfway through.   And you are like on your second one. I mean, it’s 
mellow. Oh my god. This is really good. Like, it’s easy. Feel the burn as it goes down. Uh, 
this is uh this is dry. I prepared the sweet one. Yeah. I mean, yeah, this is this is proper 
dry. It’s really good, though. All right. That was banging. I’m still not done yet cuz just over 
the road here. Are you going over there as well? Yes, please. 100 sweetaki. Yes. Let’s do 
this. Let’s go, my brother. Madam, would you like one? Yeah, let’s have one 
more. Okay. Uh, one more. How do you say two? Thank you. See, I have picked up a few words 
in Japanese. Here we are. That’s the right one. Thank you. Let’s go. Hey, there we go. So, 
Mr. T is carrying them over. Sorry. Listen, I had to do it. Don’t think I’m an AI. I’m not. 
This is like the Japanese culture. Two over there for you. I’m enjoying and appreciating 
the Japanese culture. Do you get me? Oh. Oh, this flowers. Oh, there the cherry 
blossom sake one out there. Actually, look. No. Sakura sake. There you go. Which one 
do you like more? This one or the other one? Um, I think I like this one more actually. This is 
nicer. Yeah, this is colder and this um smells and tastes like flowers. Now I understand. Can I 
tell you? We have seen so many people stumbling around the metros late at night, stumbling 
around all the cities late at night. Honestly,   I don’t know how they made it this point. 
Japanese people can hold their alcohol. They can hold that. Yes, they can. Which is insane. 
not seen one person being unruly, being Larry, being loud or throwing off. None like Japanese 
can over the UK. England. England. England. Oh, they’re from the wrong place. I thought 
you were from Australia. Not quite. They’re from Hawaii. Oh, you said 
Bonsai. Bonsai. Bonsai. Okuna. Hong Kong Maluna Maluna. There you go. There 
we go. Cheers. We will drink to that. Should I shot it now? Absolutely not. Cuz I’m going to 
get another one after that. Thank you. Thank you. Oh wow. This turned out to be a flipping pub 
crawl. It was meant to be first impressions of Kyoto. See what’s happening out here. You had 
a few shots here. I mean, not shots, but yeah, we’ve had three drinks of saki each. Thing is, 
it doesn’t feel like a lot when you’re drinking, but it does flipping like hit you 5 10 minutes 
after the drink. I think it’s hit already. Does it? I feel flushed. Me, too. Okay, this is an 
actual road. Let’s just make sure there’s no cars incoming. This wasn’t supposed to be a food vlog 
either, but I feel like it’s been a long Yeah,   I was going to say it’s not a food vlog. This 
is a fullon pub crawl. If I see another one, I’m going again. You know what it is? 50p shots. 
50p is like 75 cents, 80 cents. You can’t go wrong with that. Do you get me? Like back in the UK, if 
you’re doing shots, it’s like what? 56. I mean, yeah, you’re going to pay a penny for sure. 
Flipping hell. I’ve got the munchies. Okay,   give me one second. Munchies. I need to sort this 
uh feeling out. I’ll see you guys in a minute. Let’s go. Fast forward five more minutes. We are 
here on the side of the road. Beautiful up market district here in Kyoto. What are we doing, you 
ask? Oh my gosh. Outside Family Mark. What do I see you doing then? You got a flipping ash brown. 
Another ash brown. What have I got? Fried chicken. Fried chicken. Why are we doing this? Because we 
have the munchies. That flipping hit hard after 10 minutes. We quickly need a little fix. All we’ve 
done is eat today. We’re in Japan. Quickly get this down us and then we’ll be off to our next 
stop. Hopefully sober. Let’s go. We’re taking a bus to our next stop now. It’s very busy. Super 
excited. But at least we’ve got seats to see. This looks proper busy right now to be 
honest. And the next stop’s about like 3   km as well. So it is too hot to actually 
like walk it. Just to give you an idea about the bus and how busy it is. Welcome to 
Kyoto. Let’s do this. A few moments later, action. There’s more people going on. It’s a busy 
route, busy lines. We are now packed like proper sardines in here. Fortunately for 
us, we have seen not being fun. But hey, that was a great stop where we got on. Yeah, we 
were much further down because we walked so much   through Nishiki Market. So, we were like a while 
down and we were thinking, should we just walk back up and I’m glad we didn’t. All right, this 
is another stop still. Okay. I was going to say, how many more have we got? About two more, I 
think. All right, let’s go. Let’s go. Kyoto. That was an experience and a half though. 
It was a busy bus for sure. Wow. But yeah,   you pay at the end. So literally you just get off. 
It’s a flat fair no matter how far you go. It’s 230 per person and you drop your coin in at the 
front. It’s easy. Gives you change and everything. Yeah. Very nice. Right. Which way are we meant to 
go? Here we are. Uh that is a very good question.   We’ve come now to the area. We’re just slightly I 
think past Gon. Gion. I’m following Mr. Navigator up front. Here we are. We’ve definitely come away 
from like the bigger sort of mally kind of area, the more modern area. And now, oh, look, we’ve 
got kimonos for rent as well. So, you can dress up here is so confusing. That is hip. That’s brand 
new. That’s that contemporary stuff, right? That’s vintage one. And then right next to it, this looks 
traditional again. And this one here. Oh, yeah. Look at that. Very nice. That one traditional. 
This to my left, traditional. But that is what you’d probably wear on a night out. Yeah, we heard 
in this area it’s quite common about 5 6 p.m. to see geishas walking towards apparently evening 
appointments. I’m not too sure, but let’s do this. Regardless, I am so happy to be here in Kyoto. And 
this honestly has been worth it. It definitely has been busy, guys. Honestly, today much busier 
than other places, but not crazy busy. So, we’re all good in that sense. We have come now to 
the area of Nan Zaka Street which is basically in the area of Higashyama. Higashiama. There you 
go. That’s the one. And these streets basically actually date back to that period as well to the 
Higashiyama period. It’s basically a slope and it’s got along both sides. It’s got like a lot of 
traditional houses. It’s got tea houses still as well. And it’s now a pretty famous area for being 
one of the most photogenic streets in Kyoto. So I am looking forward to this again. An iconic spot. 
If you Google Kyoto, this is going to come up for sure. But along Oh, there’s donuts there. Along 
both sides, we’ve got like shops. We’ve got little cafes going on. I think as well in this area 
there’s lots of like matcha products as well. So you can grab your matcha. You can grab all your 
local souvenirs. Lots of handmade bits and bobs. Oh, look. There was a tea ceremony here as well, 
but it’s just for today. Make sure you don’t queue up here now because it’s done. Also, all of the 
houses that you see now that have been converted   into shops. These are all older commercial 
buildings from back in the day/ tea houses because this is one of the oldest pedestrian streets in 
the area as well. The reason it’s become popular   now is because it’s extremely photogenic. Yes. 
And again, if you look at the old side of Kyoto on the internet, this is what comes up with 
a big pagod in the back. And that is exactly where we’re headed right now as well. Have a look 
at the houses here. These are all the old ancient architecture tea houses. It was a pedestrian 
street back in the day. It is a pedestrian street   right now as well. But I have a feeling once we go 
up these steps, just around the corner is the view that we’ve actually come here for. So pretty which 
is you look through the tight alleyway and you see the pagoda. However, I see people here to my left 
just here taking photos behind me of the view. It looks better from down there slightly. Does it? 
Yeah. What’s going on here? All right. It’s just of the high street. There you go. Where we just 
walked through. But the main view is coming up here to the right. Give me one second. If I um 
Right. And if my bearings get me to the right spot, then it is coming up here. I am really 
tempted to take one of these rides. But I don’t know if I should or not because it is hot and I 
don’t want these boys pulling us both together because we love food. So we’re a bit heavyweight. 
Politely. I feel kind of bad. Yeah. Which is what I like. I am very tempted to do it, but maybe 
not. This is the view that we’ve come here for. You can already see the spire. Happy days. This 
is it. Are you excited for the big reveal? Of course I am. Yeah. This street’s actually so cute. 
I love it. It’s like all cobbled and stuff though,   isn’t it? Like it is probably back from the 
original period of the Hagyamas. It’s one of those moments when like you wish you had a time machine 
to go back and see what it was like in that period   like to see Okay, stop talking. What it would have 
looked like more looking. Oh, that’s this is what we’re here for. Look for old Kyoto on Google right 
now and this comes up. This is Nin Zaka. And the reason why everyone’s here is for this view. Is 
it as good in real life as you’ve seen it in the photos. Yeah, actually looks really wicked. Really 
cool. I really, really love it. This is definitely one of the most iconic spots here and one of of 
course the most photographed spots in Kyoto for sure. Oh wow, this is absolutely beautiful. 
Everybody’s trying to work their angles,   get their shots. I love, love, love it. Kyoto 
is like one of the most Instagrammable cities in Japan. Definitely, I reckon so. And I love that 
everybody’s dressed up in their kimonos as well,   getting their shots. It looks so super super 
cute. Look at this cat. He’s just chilling. Oh my goodness. That cat is just literally absolutely 
chilling. Look at that. So sweet. Right, this place is beginning to calm down a little bit 
as the light is making its way out on Kyoto. The sun is uh making an exit. Yeah, it’s kind of 
setting down. It’s actually been a long day, huh? Oh my gosh, it feels like it’s been going on 
forever. But it’s been the most fun. I’ve actually really enjoyed it. Look, we’re at Honestly, 
I’ve really enjoyed being here in Kyoto, exploring all the sites. It’s definitely been 
super cultural. It’s been a really nice like   insight into it. Honestly, it hasn’t been as busy 
as I thought as well. I was really worried that it would be really overcrowded. It would be really 
crazy, but so far so good. We’re just walking past this beautiful shrine or temple of sorts. And 
honestly guys, people have tied bits over here or like put their wishes or their good fortune on 
this one. And I think the bad fortune all goes on here. I’ve seen this a couple of times already, 
which I kind of like. You know, you leave it here in one central spot and it like draws it away 
from you, right? So, it keeps it away. Really, really cool. But honestly, I think that we are 
probably going to finish this one off at some   point today because we have been on the go all 
day long. I’ve absolutely loved Coyoto though. It’s been amazing. Everything and more. And it 
has actually lived up to the hype as well. Like, I’ve really enjoyed it. We’ve actually really 
enjoyed it and it is so lived up to the hype. I honestly recommend. I think that you can do Kyoto 
in 2 days for sure. It has been so cool. Very worth it. Sun is setting, things are closing. 
If you made it this far, then thank you very,   very much Argu. And we will see you at some 
point somewhere in the next one. Let’s go.

First time in Kyoto, Japan and we were completely shocked by what we saw!

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Join us as we enjoy some delicious street food and explore the beautiful sights that Kyoto has to offer. We uncover what to do in Kyoto, sampling Japanese food and experiencing the best things to do in Kyoto. This japan travel vlog will inspire your next adventure!

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