Osaka is Japan's second largest metropolitan area after Tokyo. It has been the economic powerhouse of the Kansai Region for many centuries.
It’s very easy to travel between Tokyo and Osaka by shinkansen (bullet train), it takes around 2 hours and 30 minutes and costs around 14,720 yen. You can also go to Osaka by night bus while sleeping. In this article, I will share our 3 days Kansai trip by public transportation.
Day#1
Love in Osaka
We traveled to Osaka in the mid of September, 2020 from Tokyo by night bus. You can reserve your highway bus ticket from here.
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| Tennoji Park |
We arrived at Shin-imamiya around 7 AM. Then we took our breakfast from convenient store. From Shin-imamiya, we went to Tennoji Park by walking. It takes around 20 minutes by walk. The entry of this park is free while the various museums and the zoo have an admission charge. The park includes spacious lawn, traditional Japanese garden called Keitakuen, Chausuyama Burial Mound, Osaka Municipal Museum of Art and Tennoji Zoo.
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| Tennoji Zoo |
After relaxing at Tennoji Park, we went to Morinomiya Station from Tennoji Station by train (Osaka Loop Line). As we are a backpack traveler, either we carry our backpack or keep it in the locker.
Osaka Castle (Osakajo) is certainly one of the most famous landmarks in Osaka, Japan. The entire Osaka Castle Park covers about two square kilometers with lots of green space. The admission fee for the castle tower is 600 yen. The Castle Tower opening hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (entrance until 16:30); extended hours during various holidays and special exhibitions.
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| Osaka Castle |
The top floor is the observation deck (50 meters above from the ground), where one can enjoy the panoramic views of the spacious Osaka Castle Park, modern high-rise buildings, the Osaka plain, and the mountains in the distance.
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| View from the top floor of Castle Tower |
We left Osaka Castle around 1 PM and head towards Nara from Morinomiya Station.
Love in Nara
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| Inside Nara Station |
From Morinomiya Station, it takes around 51 minutes to reach Nara Station by train (Osaka Loop Line and Yamatoji Line). We went to Nara Park by walking, it takes around 25 minutes from Nara Station to Nara Park by walk. You can go by bus or rent a bi-cycle from Nara Station.
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Nara Park Nara Park is a massive park at the foot of Mt. Wakakusa full of very friendly deer. While some caution is advised, it is possible to walk up to the deer and take a photograph with them or feed them with deer crackers on sale along the side of the road.
We walked through the Nara park and visited the shrines and temples. You can also ride a Rickshaw through the beautiful Nara Park watching green landscape and deer along the way.
The temples and shrines of Nara are much older than the oft-rebuilt buildings in Kyoto, and much more unique. We visited Kofuku-ji Temples, Todai-ji Temples, and Ukimi-do Hall. If you are a hiking lover, you can go to the top of Mount Wakakusa (342 meter) and enjoy the beautiful view of Nara Park. We reserved our hotel in Kyoto. So in the evening, we left Nara and head towards Kyoto. It takes around 52 minutes from Nara Station to Kyoto Station by train (Nara Line Rapid Kyoto). After a long tiring day, we reached at Hotel (Bright Hotel Kiyomizu near Kiyomizu Dera) at around 9 PM. Day#2 Love in Kyoto |
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| Kyoto Tower |
In Day 2, we decided to visit Kiyomizu-dera in the morning by walking. From our hotel it was 20 minutes walk to the temple. You can go by city bus (Route 206 or 100) from JR Kyoto station to to either Gojozaka or Kiyomizu-michi bus stop. From there, it is a 10-minute walk uphill to the temple. You can buy One Day Bus Pass (Adult: 600 yen, Children: 300 yen) from any Kyoto City Bus. This card will beneficial for you if you plan to take the bus 3 times or more in 1 day.
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| Three Story Pagoda at Kiyomizu-dera |
Kiyomizu-dera is one of the famous temples in Kyoto. The three story pagoda at Kiyomizu-dera is one of the tallest of its kind in Japan, standing at 31 meters high. This entrance cost is 300 yen for high school students and adults to the main part of Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Middle school students and under have to pay only 200 yen.
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| Kyomizu-dera |
The temple also offers a spectacular view of the Kyoto city. There are two streets Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka to Kiyomizu-dera from Gion. These streets are lined with shops, many of which specialize in souvenirs or snacks.
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| Sannenzaka |
One of the best ways to visit Kiyomizu-dera is to go up through the cemetery and back down by Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka.
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| Cemetery Road to visit Kiyomizu-dera |
Kiyomizu-dera temple is currently undergoing renovations on the main hall and stage area, but visitors are still permitted to enter the hall. Construction is expected to be completed in spring 2021.
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| View from the Watch Tower |
After visiting Kiyomizu-dera, we went to Nijo Castle by city bus. Nijo Castle and Ninomaru Palace is definitely a worth visit while staying in Kyoto. The Ninomaru garden is simply stunning.
Ninomaru Garden
The admission fee is 620 yen; an additional fee of 410 yen is required to enter the Ninomaru Palace. The opening hours: 8:45 to 17:00 (October to June), 8:00 to 18:00 (July and August) and 8:00 to 17:00 (September). Admission ends one hour before closing time. So, plan your visit accordingly.
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| Kinkakuji-Temple |
After visiting Nijo Castle, we went to Kinkaku-ji Temple by bus. Kinkaku-ji the famed “Golden Pavilion,” is Kyoto’s most iconic sight. The admission fee is 400 yen for adults and for Junior high and elementary school students is 300 yen. The opening hours: 9am-5pm.
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Kinkaku-ji Temple Undergoing Renovations N.B: Kinkaku-ji will be covered up by scaffolding from September to December 2020 for renovation works. It was almost evening, we decided to go Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine by bus from Kinkaku-ji temple. It is especially beautiful at night, and this post features night photos and tips. Visiting Fushimi Inari after sunset is one of the best travel hacks for Japan, as you can avoid crowds at Fushimi Inari by visiting in the evening.
Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine (伏見稲荷大社) is a popular Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto that is open 24 hours. It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings.
You can hike Mt. Inari (233 meter) and the pilgrimage circle around the shrines. It’s also the best way to see all of Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine.
After a long tiring day, we took our dinner at Namaste Restaurant and back to the hotel. Day#3 Love in Kyoto This is our last day in Kyoto. In the early morning, we checked out from the hotel and went to Kyoto Station by bus to keep our bags in the locker. This day, we also bought a City Bus Pass. From Kyoto Station, we went to Kyoto Imperial Palace by city bus 205. |
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| Kyoto Imperial Palace |
Kyoto’s Imperial Palace (known as Gosho in Japanese) is the Emperor’s official residence in Kyoto. Our favorite part of the palace was the Oikeniwa Garden, a strolling garden featuring a large pond and the Keyakibashi bridge.
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Oikeniwa Garden From Kyoto Imperial Palace, we went to Arashiyama by city bus. We had a plan to wear Kimono before going to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. So, we rented a Kimono from Yumekyoto Arashiyama Kimono. The shop offers rental kimono plan, starting price from 2900 yen. We took Standard plan, it costs around 7480 yen including hair style. The staff helped us to wear Kimono. It takes around 30 minutes for dressing and hair setting. The staff was so kind, she took few photos of ours. We were so excited to visit Arashiyama Bamboo Forest by wearing Kimono for the first time.
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The charming old fashioned trains wind their way through the mountains at a relatively slow pace, taking about 25 minutes to make the seven kilometer journey and giving you a pleasant view of the scenery through the forested ravine and into rural Kameoka. The one-way fare is 630 yen. Tickets can be purchased at Torokko Saga Station, or at JR ticket offices in the Kansai Region. It is recommended to purchase your tickets early to ensure your seat during the peak season.
After 1 hour (Round Trip) romantic train ride, we reached at Saga-Arashiyama Station. Then we took some snacks from the convenient stores and went to the Yume Kimono Rental Shop to return Kimono. After returning kimono, we head towards Kyoto station by bus and took our bags from the locker. At 10 PM, we started our journey to Tokyo by night bus.
This is the end of our Kyoto Trip, the city of love. Hope you enjoy this article. After returning to Tokyo, we head towards Hokkaido in the next day to make another trip "Love in Hokkaido". 😍
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