Day 7 [1st June]: Kyoto

As planned, I visited Kyoto on a Saturday so that I can hop on the sightseeing bus that only operates during the weekends. The bus ticket for 京都ひるバス costs ¥2,000 for unlimited rides on the bus for the whole day. The first bus starts at 8:40am and the last bus arrives back in Kyoto station at about 6pm. The tour guide on board takes about some of the places in Kyoto during the bus ride, but it is only in Japanese though. The duration of the complete route takes 1 hour and 38 minutes.

I soon realised it is quite difficult to optimise the day's itinerary after checking out the bus timetable since there is only one bus per hour. I alighted at Kinkaku-ji, which is 34 minutes into the bus ride from Kyoto Station. When I reached the popular tourist spot, I was so glad I chose this as one of my destinations for the day. It's certainly the prettiest temple I saw in Japan so far. The pretty golden temple in the lake area sure stopped a lot of tourists in their tracks to take beautiful photos of it.

After my short visit, I went back to the bus stop quickly in hope of catching the earliest bus in the timetable possible. Next, I stopped for a quick visit to Shimogano Shrine.

Next, I took the sightseeing bus back to Kyoto Station and went to Wakura in Kyoto Yodobashi for lunch. Wakura is recommended in the tourist brochure for their yakiniku (grilled meat). I had grilled fish, fried chicken and also gyoza for my delightful lunch.

In the afternoon, I took the sightseeing bus to Kiyozumi Temple. According to the maps, it seems that the attraction is located more than 1km from the main road. However, the walk was quite enjoyable as there were many interesting snack and souvenir shops along the way. The street was also pretty crowded and very lively.

 

What greeted me at the destination were the red-painted buildings and also a great view from the top. I was even able to see Kyoto Tower at a distance. At the top, there were 2 stones which are believed to be "love stones". If you are able to walk from one stone to another stone blindfolded, it is believed that you will find your true love soon. Many visitors were trying the task as it seems to be quite fun and amusing.

After the long visit, I took the sightseeing bus to Kyoto Station. While waiting for the bus, I noticed that there is a public city bus that serves several popular tourist spots and drops at the main road outside Kiyozumi Temple as well. Apparently, that is a cheaper transport option compared to the sightseeing bus that I took.

From Kyoto Station, I took the train to Osaka Station and then the subway to Namba to get my dinner. I wanted to find a restaurant that serves puffer fish (otherwise known as blowfish or Fugu ふぐ) as recommended in the tourist brochure. However, I did not manage to find it after walking rounds and rounds in the area. I settled for one restaurant called Zuboraya (づぼらや) which a large puffer fish as decoration outside the restaurant. I was so curious to try out puffer fish so I ordered puffer fish sashimi and also nabe (hotpot). The meal was good but I felt that puffer fish didn't really taste that special. In fact, it tastes like those common fishes used for fish soups.

After dinner, I went to Spa World again as it's a new day of the month and men get to enjoy the European-themed pools for June.

P.S: For more photos from Kyoto, check out here.