Guided Tour of Kyoto Japan’s Most Popular Attractions

Guided Tour of Kyoto Japan’s Most Popular Attractions

[Music] Well, Welcome back everybody. My name is Steven Stangalini. You’re locked into Subliminal Escapes. We always appreciate you being here. The Japan journey continues this time in Kyoto where with a little bit of help from Get Your Guide, we had one of the most memorable tours we’ve taken so far. This tour in Kyoto would include UNESCO world heritage sites including Kiomizu Dera Temple, Arvishyama, Sagano Bamboo Forest, Tenuji Temple, Golden Temple, Hushimi Anari Shrine. Some of these places, guys, are just beyond belief when you see them in person. Seeing them on Instagram doesn’t do it justice. You’ve got to go check them out for yourself. Now, one thing for sure, we could have easily done all this on our own and taken public transit from this one to that one and the next one, etc. But with a little bit of help from a guide, as I’ve mentioned in the last couple videos, it makes your vacation so much more seamless, so much more enjoyable. If you want to do the tour yourself via Get Your Guide, it’s still available on their website as one of the top tours. Full day UNESCO and historical sites bus tour. You can go to get your guide, type in Kyoto things to do. That’s one of the top things. We really enjoyed it. I would do it again in a heartbeat and I would recommend it to anybody going to Kyoto if they don’t want to venture out on their own. Guys, let’s see what this journey’s like. Let’s see if it lives up to the hype. My name is Steven Stangalini. You’re locked into Subliminal Escapes. Let’s go. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Good morning, guys, from Kyoto. We are about to embark on a tour through Get Your Guide in no way, shape, or form as a studio sponsored by Get Your Guide. We are going to see shrines, historical landmarks, to see exactly what Kyoto is about. Embark with us on this journey today. Still on our vacation in Japan, vacation of a lifetime. I can’t wait to show it to you guys, and I can’t wait to see everything that this wonderful part of Japan has to offer. [Music] Hey, [Music] hey, hey. All [Music] right, guys. We just boarded our bus for a tour in Kyoto. As I said before, lots of shrines, lots of temples, but we get a lunch with it. We go through a bamboo forest. We can’t wait. Babe, are you excited? It’s her birthday today. Let’s keep it going. After a brief bus ride, we made our way to Matsubara Dori, a path leading to the temple where we were surrounded by a lively street filled with shops selling all kinds of traditional Japanese goods, souvenirs, and cuisines. We eventually passed through the Neoan Gate, a towering red structure that marks the sacred entrance. Beyond it, a series of stone steps and paths guided us upward. The elevation brings cooler air and a glimpses of the city below. The temple’s name Kiomizu means pure water and we heard the sound of trickling streams nearby. So now we understand. Then we reached the main hall, famous for its massive wooden veranda that juts out over the hillside supported by a lattice of tall pillars built without nails. Standing there, we were met with a panoramic view of Kyoto, temple rooftops, forested hills, and the distant city skyline. I will tell you guys, there’s a palpable sense of awe, whether from the grandeur of the architecture or the sheer natural beauty surrounding us. We now understand why so many people flock to this spot. Not only for the tranquil beauty and even for the social media allure, but just when you are there, the pictures that we have right now and the video just don’t do it justice is something you have to see. Just like that. [Music] Guys, the views here are absolutely amazing. Michelle’s loving it. This is her birthday. We are in Kyoto. sacred grounds, beautiful shrines, beautiful temples, but it is crowded. It’s a little hot here. Absolutely epic. Beautiful. Having a good birthday. Awesome. It’s fantastic. It’s the best. As we continue to descend the winding paths that take us through lush greenery, smaller shrines and statues covered in moss and age, we found ourselves very lucky to be able to be part of this wonderful scenery and this wonderful environment. The tranquility here and the spirituality is something that I can’t even put into words. You have to see for yourself. After a brief bus ride, we made our way to Arshiyama, a small lovely town where we had a brief lunch and then made our way to the Sagano Bamboo Forest. I will say guys, if you are looking for a tour to do while in Kyoto, put this on the top of your list. [Music] Play. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Hey. Hey, hey, hey. [Applause] [Music] After walking down the path through the Sagano Bamboo Forest, we made our way to the Tinuji Temple [Music] right at the edge of the bamboo grove. Cove lies Tin Ruji, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Kyoto’s most important Zen temples. It was founded in the 14th century and remains active today. After entering, you step into one of Kyoto’s most exquisite Zen gardens, originally designed by the famous landscape artist Muso Suski. There’s a large reflective pond, pine trees, and carefully placed rocks and moss that create harmony with the surrounding mountains. You can stroll through the temple corridors and around the garden, or simply sit and enjoy the view. It’s a space that encourages stillness, the tranquil beauty, serenity, and peacefulness of this tour. Again, no words, no video can put it in perspective. It’s something you definitely have to check out for yourself. After checking out Tin Ruji Temple, we made our way to our next stop, Kako Gi, officially known as Rokuan Gi or Golden Pavilion, Golden Temple. The moment we enter the temple grounds and catch our first glimpse of the Golden Pavilion, it almost in fact it doesn’t look real. The two top floors are covered entirely in gold leaf, reflecting brilliantly in the mirror-like Kyokoqi pond below. The path winds around the pond and offers multiple angles of the temple, each more photogenic than the last. We also saw smaller shrines and tea gardens along the way. [Music] Next, we make our way to Fashimi and Nari Shrine. This is the famous shrine with thousands of vermilion Tory gates climbing up the forested slopes of Mount Anari. The atmosphere here is lively near the base where you’ll see fox statues in Nari’s messengers, small food stalls, and visitors praying at the main shrine. But as you ascend the Tory path, the noise falls away. The further you go, the fewer people you see, and the trail becomes more peaceful. Being that it was such a hot day, we made it about as far as we could, which was just to the entrance of the gates. Took a couple pictures and then we headed back. [Music] After a brief bus ride back to where we started at Kyoto station in downtown Kyoto, we made our way to Tinden Machino to celebrate Michelle’s birthday for a traditional tempura Japanese dinner. And let me tell you guys, this meal was absolutely fantastic. If you think you know tempura back in the United States, think again. [Music] This is tempura. [Music] So, where’s the stuff they pour over the dashi? Not yet. That’s uh Yeah. So, we’re here at the place where they specialize in tempora. What is this? That one’s dessert. What is it? That was one heck of a birthday for Michelle. I tell you, a birthday like that, seeing as much as we did, enjoying the delicious tempura we had at the end of the day. Was absolutely one of the best vacations we’ve taken. One of the most memorable days during a vacation that we’ve taken. It’s one for the books. Even though the weather was extremely hot that day and it was very difficult and challenging at times to stay focused, it was worth it. It was worth it to see the things that we saw. It was worth it to mingle with the people on the journey. The lunch that was provided was really delicious. It gave us time to take the edge off, meet people from all over the world coming to Japan for the very same reasons we were, and just overall it was fun. I I tell you, if I went back, I would do the tour all over again. Just because you saw it once doesn’t mean it would be boring or something like that. I would definitely do it again. Guys, the next episode of Subliminal Escapes, we make our way from Kyoto on yet another train to Osaka. When we chose this itinerary, as I mentioned in some of our earlier videos, coming from the United States, we came into Tokyo into Narita airport, explored Tokyo, took a day trip to Canazawa, came back down via the Shinkansen to Kyoto, spent 2 days in Kyoto. Now we’re on our way to Osaka, and then we go on a whole another adventure. We go to Taipei, Taiwan from Osaka, which when you guys see the footage from this vacation. Man, Taipei is somewhere special. But this next episode is our adventures in Osaka. We spend 2 days there. What’s it going to be like exploring Dobbori? What kind of food are we going to find in what is known as the food capital of Japan? Guys, come along in this next adventure. Let’s see what it’s like in Osaka. And eventually, we make our way to Taipei, Taiwan. Let’s see what that has to offer. You’ve been locked into two subliminal escapes. My name is Steven Stangalini. We appreciate you being here. Have a good night, everybody. Thanks again.

Our Japan Adventure Continues! This is our 7th Day in Japan, and in this video we explore some of Kyoto’s Top Attractions via a guided tour. This tour takes us to many famous places in ancient Kyoto such as Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Arashiyama, Sagano Bamboo Forest, Tenryuji Temple, Golden Temple, and Fushimi Inari Shrine. Let’s see if these popular attractions and World Heritage and UNESCO Sites live up to the hype!