O S A K A , J A P A N | 8 D 7 N (part1)
Planning for Japan was quite challenging and complicated. Especially when it came to terms of transportation, the twoskinnypigs did not want to turn into the twolostpigs, so a lot hard work was put into pre-planning this trip.
Todai, Ramen Street, Isetan 10F, Kyoto Station
Price : FOC
Location : Japan, ć612-0882 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Fushimi-ku, Fukakusa Yabunouchicho
Price: Averagely 300 yen to 600 yen per sushi
Location: Japan, ć604-8013 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, äøäŗ¬åŗå ęēŗåę”äøć«ę¾ę¬ēŗ160
Operating Hours : 1700pm-2400am
Here's an outline of the twoskinnypigs 8D7N Japan Trip.
DAY 1
Kansai Airport, Osaka > Kyoto
- Upon arrival at the airport, the Main Train Station Terminal is located directly opposite Kansai International Airport. You can reach the train station by taking the interconnecting bridge found at level 1 and 2. At the main train terminal, purchase your Japan passes or train tickets. In our case, the twoskinnypigs decided to take the ICOCA & HARUKA card package which costs a total of 3600yen ( 1500yen ICOCA card credit + 500yen ICOCA card deposit + 1600yen one-way non-reserved seat ticket to Kyoto by HARUKA Express). Entire journey took us approximately 75minutes to reach Kyoto Station.
Kyoto
- At Kyoto, the twoskinnypigs purchased the Kyoto City 1-Day Pass for the next day from the automatic ticketing machine found at the bus stop, which is exactly in front of the train station. It is a green color machine that issues tickets 24/7. The Kyoto City 1-Day Pass is priced at 500yen, and includes all the green colored buses in Kyoto, which is nearly all the buses. This would be the cheapest and most convenient way to travel around Kyoto. Each bus stop displays which bus will be arriving soon and also the whereabouts of the bus. Remember to clock in your ticket only at the first time you board the bus, at other times you are just required to show your pass to the bus driver. The pass will expire at 2400am the day you clock in your ticket and not after 24 hours. Hence each day you will require a new ticket.
- Planned to have our dinner at Isetan but most of the shops are close by 8pm. So if your arriving at night, you might need to look elsewhere
DAY 2
Hakata-Ikkosha, Ramen Street, Isetan 10F, Kyoto Station
- Do take note that most ramen eateries have an automated machine located infront of the restaurant, which requires you to select & pay for your food prior to sitting down. Do remember to take
the small token/ticket that comes out of the machine. Soon, a hot sizzling bowl of rich, creamy pork broth was set upon our eyes. The twoskinnypigs sat there mind blown after the first sip of the rich pork soup. A rather unique taste that was ultimately delicious to our taste buds.
the small token/ticket that comes out of the machine. Soon, a hot sizzling bowl of rich, creamy pork broth was set upon our eyes. The twoskinnypigs sat there mind blown after the first sip of the rich pork soup. A rather unique taste that was ultimately delicious to our taste buds.
Todai, Ramen Street, Isetan 10F, Kyoto Station
- This particular shop caught the twoskinnypigs attention from the very beginning due to the extremely long queue. This pork broth was much different from Hakata-Ikkosha. The pork broth soup was slightly sweet, brownish and a tad salty - probably the soy sauce. It is recommended to add a raw egg into the ramen, but you are allowed to add as many as you wish. Most ramen eateries provide free iced green tea/water.
Fushimi Inari Shrine, Inaritaisha-Mae bus stop
- From Kyoto station, the twoskinnypigs boarded the "nan5" / 105 bus to Inaritaisha-Mae bus stop. Then, as two blind piglets we followed the crowd towards the shrine. It was a pleasant 15 minutes walk with plenty of eye catching scenery along the way.
the walk from the station to the shrine
crossing the JR Inari station, 5 minutes into the walk
we are getting closer
Some kind of Japanese mua chee like dessert. 500yen
This beef steak on a stick (500yen) was abit tough but good.
Squid balls 500yen
Location : Japan, ć612-0882 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Fushimi-ku, Fukakusa Yabunouchicho
Operating hours : 24hours but shop vendors close at 5pm
Kappa Sushi, Kawaramachi Marutamachi bus stop
- As mentioned earlier, we assumed that most parts of Kyoto would be closed by 8pm. Surprisingly to us, this part of Kyoto was very much alive. Here, the twoskinnypigs decided to settle down in a small narrow alley nearby the Kamo river for some fresh sushi. The place is pretty hard to find, so do ask around.
Here, the twoskinnypigs decided to try their hand-pressed sushi at the sushi bar. The whole meal was rather overwhelming. The sashimi pieces were extremely fresh and raw, a little too much for the twoskinnypigs to deal with & in the end we asked if they could flame our sashimi. Guess we are better off with conveyor belt or smoked sushi. So, if your up for super fresh yet decently priced sushi, this would be a good place to come.
Kappa Sushi, Kawaramachi Marutamachi bus stop
- As mentioned earlier, we assumed that most parts of Kyoto would be closed by 8pm. Surprisingly to us, this part of Kyoto was very much alive. Here, the twoskinnypigs decided to settle down in a small narrow alley nearby the Kamo river for some fresh sushi. The place is pretty hard to find, so do ask around.
Here, the twoskinnypigs decided to try their hand-pressed sushi at the sushi bar. The whole meal was rather overwhelming. The sashimi pieces were extremely fresh and raw, a little too much for the twoskinnypigs to deal with & in the end we asked if they could flame our sashimi. Guess we are better off with conveyor belt or smoked sushi. So, if your up for super fresh yet decently priced sushi, this would be a good place to come.
Blue Fin Tuna - Cod Fish Roe - Salmon - Marinated Squid
Couldn't much deal with the raw-ness so the twoskinnypigs decided to set our sushi on fire
Tamago sushi (egg)
Unagi (Eel)
Price: Averagely 300 yen to 600 yen per sushi
Location: Japan, ć604-8013 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, äøäŗ¬åŗå ęēŗåę”äøć«ę¾ę¬ēŗ160
Operating Hours : 1700pm-2400am
Torikizoku Yakitori, Kawaramachi Marutamachi bus stop
- Also known as Japanese styled chicken skewers, this all-chicken satay sticks eatery was definitely a mouth watering experience. The entire restaurant smelled of delicious charcoal grilled smoked chicken, even the menu looked good to be eaten. For only 280yen a set (2 pieces of skewers), we began our midnight feast. Recommended to be eaten with a mug of local beer.
Chicken Herb Skewers, 280yen
Original Chicken Skewers, 280yen
Price : 280yen per set, consist of 2 skewers
Location : Japan, ć600-8006 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, Tachiuri Nakanocho, 104ā1
Operating Hours : 1700pm - 0200am
Day 3
Okamoto Kimono, Gion
- Arriving as early as the shop opened their doors, we were told that early birds get a better selection of kimonos to rent. The twoskinnypigs made their advanced online booking via their website, which is recommended to avoid any disappointments as specific time slots are allocated for each customer. It is important to take note on which outlet you are making your booking as you are only allowed to rent and return your rented kimonos to the same outlet.
The twoskinnypigs collected their kimonos from their outlet in Gion. This particular outlet in Gion is actually quite secluded and it is quite a walk uphill. However, they had a vast selection of kimonos and beautiful scenery.
Price : Male kimono 4000yen , Female Kimono 3000-5000yen
Website: https://www.okamoto-kimono.com/
Location : Washio-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Operating Hours : 0900am-2000pm
Kiyomizudera Temple, Gojazaka/Kiyomizu-michi bus stop
- From the bus stop it was an estimated 10 minutes stroll uphill towards the temple. The hill was not that steep and still bearable with proper pavements. However, the walk obviously did not take just 10 minutes as there were so many things to see along the way up. Left and right, small alleys were crowded with different varieties of shops selling clothes, souveniers, food and snacks. The best part was all the food and snacks shops were distributing free testers to try. And there the twoskinnypigs went munching away!
Upon reaching the temple, we were quite disappointed as the main entrance of the temple was under construction and it was really hard to capture a good picture with tourists everywhere.
Anyway, we highly recommend this dessert / chocolate / snack shop. But first, you'll need to keep a lookout for the sign board or rather, this lantern. It is pretty tiny so do look out and not miss it!
Higashimaya District, Kyoto
- On the way back from the temple, the twoskinnypigs took a detour down a lovely shady lane with beautifully designed Japanese architecture lined side by side. It was quite late when we took the detour so most of the shops was about to close. A must to visit.
Katsukura, Kawaramachi bus stop, Kyoto
- The twoskinnypigs immediately fell in love with their pork katsu at first sight. If you were to order the sets, each set came with a bottomless cabbage & miso soup refill. On the table they had instructions on how to grind your sesame along with which sauces to mix together to achieve the perfect dipping sesame sauce.
We ordered the tenderloin pork cutlet set of 120grams. Soon, we were served with golden crispy tender pork katsu with a side of thinly sliced fresh japanese cabbage (refillable) and a scoop of creamy mash potato (non-refillable).
Price: 900yen - 1700yen depending on portion size and cuts of meat
Location: Japan, ć604-8143 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, ę±ę“é¢éåę”äøć«
Operating Hours: 1100am-2200pm
DAY 4
Kura Sushi, Minami-Ku Kyoto
- Handpressed sushi checked, so this time we headed for a different type of sushi - Conveyor belt sushi. Only priced at RM4 per plate, they had a good selection of sushi, decent and fresh.
Location : Japan, ć612-8373 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Fushimi-ku, Moricho
Operating Hours : 1020am-2400am
Kyoto Station > Uji
Took an early JR train towards Uji Station. The main reason why we decided to head to Uji was because of their Green Tea. We took the local train instead of the express train, hence it took abit more time - about 30 minutes.
Byodoin Temple, Uji
We decided to walk towards this temple since we were clueless which direction to head towards, and to our surprise, this road was the correct road to take as there were many tiny shops and stalls to see along the way. Uji is a pretty small place to begin with so do not worry about getting lost.
Nahamura Tokichi, Uji
The main store cafe is 5 minutes from the JR train station. Whereas the Byodo-in store cafe is further 15 minutes away in the direction towards Byodoin Temple. It is advisable to get your seat numbering first before you browse elsewhere as the queue can get pretty extreme - 2 hours minimum. We went to the Byodo-in store cafe as the queue there was much more reasonable, taking us 1 hour to get a seat.
The luxurious grass green color of my meal was just so aesthetically pleasing to my eyes. Food tasted simple, yet very delicious. Probably one of the best Matcha ice cream I have tasted.
Uji > Osaka
Ichiran Ramen
Finally I get to try this ramen. We wanted to experience the single cubicles but sadly to our disappointment it was not open. So nevermind, we are going to eat anyway :D
Day 5
Universal Studios Japan, Osaka
- It would be better to purchase your tickets online before heading there to avoid the long queue. The twoskinnypigs bought theirs via Klook. The price of the ticketes are merely the same. A QR code will be provided after your payment is successful and with that code, you can just walk through the automatic gates at the entrance just by scanning it, or you could print your ticket out as well.
- First stop, Harry Potter. YAAAAAS. Since it is not a peak season, we did not need to collect any additional free coupons to enter the Wizardly World of Harry Potter nor did we have to queue to enter.
TAMAYA, Dotonburi
Day 7
Kuromon Market
Kushikatsu, Shinsekai
Headed to Shinsekai in the evening on the hunt for more food. And boy were we correct... The buildings and the sunset was amazing while walking along the streets of Shinsekai. Paired with a wonderful meal - do not underestimate the pictures of plain fried food. One of the best and well remembered meals of the entire trip.
Ok, twoskinnypigs is too lazy to continue writing... so enjoy the pictures!
Day 3
Okamoto Kimono, Gion
- Arriving as early as the shop opened their doors, we were told that early birds get a better selection of kimonos to rent. The twoskinnypigs made their advanced online booking via their website, which is recommended to avoid any disappointments as specific time slots are allocated for each customer. It is important to take note on which outlet you are making your booking as you are only allowed to rent and return your rented kimonos to the same outlet.
The twoskinnypigs collected their kimonos from their outlet in Gion. This particular outlet in Gion is actually quite secluded and it is quite a walk uphill. However, they had a vast selection of kimonos and beautiful scenery.
Price : Male kimono 4000yen , Female Kimono 3000-5000yen
Website: https://www.okamoto-kimono.com/
Location : Washio-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
Operating Hours : 0900am-2000pm
Kiyomizudera Temple, Gojazaka/Kiyomizu-michi bus stop
- From the bus stop it was an estimated 10 minutes stroll uphill towards the temple. The hill was not that steep and still bearable with proper pavements. However, the walk obviously did not take just 10 minutes as there were so many things to see along the way up. Left and right, small alleys were crowded with different varieties of shops selling clothes, souveniers, food and snacks. The best part was all the food and snacks shops were distributing free testers to try. And there the twoskinnypigs went munching away!
Anyway, we highly recommend this dessert / chocolate / snack shop. But first, you'll need to keep a lookout for the sign board or rather, this lantern. It is pretty tiny so do look out and not miss it!
Higashimaya District, Kyoto
- On the way back from the temple, the twoskinnypigs took a detour down a lovely shady lane with beautifully designed Japanese architecture lined side by side. It was quite late when we took the detour so most of the shops was about to close. A must to visit.
Katsukura, Kawaramachi bus stop, Kyoto
- The twoskinnypigs immediately fell in love with their pork katsu at first sight. If you were to order the sets, each set came with a bottomless cabbage & miso soup refill. On the table they had instructions on how to grind your sesame along with which sauces to mix together to achieve the perfect dipping sesame sauce.
We ordered the tenderloin pork cutlet set of 120grams. Soon, we were served with golden crispy tender pork katsu with a side of thinly sliced fresh japanese cabbage (refillable) and a scoop of creamy mash potato (non-refillable).
Price: 900yen - 1700yen depending on portion size and cuts of meat
Location: Japan, ć604-8143 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, ę±ę“é¢éåę”äøć«
Operating Hours: 1100am-2200pm
DAY 4
Kura Sushi, Minami-Ku Kyoto
- Handpressed sushi checked, so this time we headed for a different type of sushi - Conveyor belt sushi. Only priced at RM4 per plate, they had a good selection of sushi, decent and fresh.
Location : Japan, ć612-8373 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Fushimi-ku, Moricho
Operating Hours : 1020am-2400am
Kyoto Station > Uji
Took an early JR train towards Uji Station. The main reason why we decided to head to Uji was because of their Green Tea. We took the local train instead of the express train, hence it took abit more time - about 30 minutes.
Byodoin Temple, Uji
We decided to walk towards this temple since we were clueless which direction to head towards, and to our surprise, this road was the correct road to take as there were many tiny shops and stalls to see along the way. Uji is a pretty small place to begin with so do not worry about getting lost.
Nahamura Tokichi, Uji
The main store cafe is 5 minutes from the JR train station. Whereas the Byodo-in store cafe is further 15 minutes away in the direction towards Byodoin Temple. It is advisable to get your seat numbering first before you browse elsewhere as the queue can get pretty extreme - 2 hours minimum. We went to the Byodo-in store cafe as the queue there was much more reasonable, taking us 1 hour to get a seat.
The luxurious grass green color of my meal was just so aesthetically pleasing to my eyes. Food tasted simple, yet very delicious. Probably one of the best Matcha ice cream I have tasted.
Uji > Osaka
Ichiran Ramen
Finally I get to try this ramen. We wanted to experience the single cubicles but sadly to our disappointment it was not open. So nevermind, we are going to eat anyway :D
Day 5
Universal Studios Japan, Osaka
- It would be better to purchase your tickets online before heading there to avoid the long queue. The twoskinnypigs bought theirs via Klook. The price of the ticketes are merely the same. A QR code will be provided after your payment is successful and with that code, you can just walk through the automatic gates at the entrance just by scanning it, or you could print your ticket out as well.
- First stop, Harry Potter. YAAAAAS. Since it is not a peak season, we did not need to collect any additional free coupons to enter the Wizardly World of Harry Potter nor did we have to queue to enter.
TAMAYA, Dotonburi
The twoskinnypigs decided to go for a feast after a tiring day at the theme park - Japanese Steamboat it is! Yay, finally get to try fresh beef in Japan and wow was it good. Although the soup was rather plain, but the meat was amazing.
Day 7
Kuromon Market
Kushikatsu, Shinsekai
Headed to Shinsekai in the evening on the hunt for more food. And boy were we correct... The buildings and the sunset was amazing while walking along the streets of Shinsekai. Paired with a wonderful meal - do not underestimate the pictures of plain fried food. One of the best and well remembered meals of the entire trip.
This is the place to go for awesome fried fritters!
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