This was probably the busiest day during our trip since there was just so much to be explored in the Eastern part of Kyoto. From Kyoto Station, we bought a one-day bus pass for 500 yen since most sites we wanted to visit were accessible via bus. I was really hoping to discover weird flavors of KitKat, but surprisingly, I didn't see that much. Too bad the KitKat store is only in Tokyo since I was hoping to find strange flavors like wasabi or soy sauce. We only saw matcha (Green tea), cinnamon and hojicha (Roasted green tea) flavors in Kyoto Station. I've never tried the hojicha flavor before, but it was quite good! The matcha flavor is only Ok for me since I prefer the sakura matcha (Cherry blossom) more, while the cinnamon wasn't really my cup of tea since first and foremost, I'm not a fan of cinnamon lol
Sweater: Forever 21 // Dress: H&M
Our first stop was Ginkaku-ji Temple or also known as the Temple of the Silver Pavilion. As seen in the photo above, Ginkaku-ji Temple, although the name suggests, isn't even silver at all HAHAHA! Personally, I really enjoyed going around the place since it was peaceful and full of lush greenery. It was just a brief walk around the temple grounds, but the dry sand and moss gardens were truly beautiful.
We had lunch at a nearby restaurant, then got dessert after. The cherry blossom cream puff was just... heavenly!!! I wish I could sell some here in Manila, I'm sure many Filipinos would enjoy it. Speaking of cherry blossoms, we walked along Philosopher's Path in Higashiyama District after. The place seemed like a dream, with hundreds of cherry blossom trees lined up in this 2 kilometer canal path. No wonder we saw a lot of couples having their prenup photos being taken in the area, the path was just lovely.
WARNING: It is NOT advisable to walk from Ginkaku-ji Temple to Kiyomizu-dera Temple!!! The woman in the Kyoto Station tourist information office advised us to walk, so we did... for 3 FREAKING HOURS. Our feet died!!! On the bright side, we saw several temples on the way, such as the grand Chion-in Temple below.
Good thing Kiyomizu-dera Temple was still open when we arrived since we got there almost near its closing time. The Temple of Pure Water in Otowa Mountain, Kyoto is one of, if not, the most popular temple destination in Japan. There were so much people that day that it was quite hard to enjoy the experience. Nevertheless, the view of Kyoto from the mountain was breathtaking.
Our last stop was Gion District since my mum wanted to see a real geisha. Luckily, we were able to catch 2 geisha women but they walk so fast! We went home right away since my dad wanted to eat in his favorite restaurant near our hotel that had the best takoyaki and okonomiyaki. It was probably my favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant during the whole trip. I love Japanese food forever and ever.
Cheers,
Michelle
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