Our last trip to the Kansai region in Japan was in October 2018. We spent eleven wonderful days there, exploring the sights and enjoying the food in Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto.
For those who’ve been, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s hardly enough time to truly experience all it has to offer. Especially since we adopt a leisurely travel pace, and don’t cover as much ground vs more dynamic tourists.
We barely scratched the surface during our previous trip, which is why we’re heading back to Osaka and Kyoto again next year. To return to some favourite spots, as well as to visit new and interesting places.
Food, as always, will be our primary focus and the main objective is to eat as many local dishes as humanly possible. It’s not going to be easy, but we’re definitely going to ganbarimasu!
Washoku (和食)
Even after five long years, The Wife still cannot forget the yuzu nabe we had at Yuzugen 柚子元 (Tabelog, Google Maps) in Kyoto’s Pontocho Alley. A bubbling hot pot filled with a magical yuzu concoction, together with fresh slices of snapper, pork and various vegetables.
The chef carefully tends to his huge stockpot throughout the night. Continuously feeding it cut halves of yuzu, large jugs of what must be fresh yuzu juice plus a mysterious liquid from another smaller bottle. It was so oishii that we’re planning to eat there not just once, but twice, during our trip.
Another dish that we’re eagerly anticipating is kushikatsu, or deep-fried skewers of meat and vegetables. Not from chain stores like Kushikatsu Daruma, but in a neighbourhood joint with more character.
Specifically, Tengu てんぐ (Tabelog, Google Maps) in Osaka’s Shinsekai, recommended by Tommy, a Kansai native, in one of his YouTube videos. It looks like a salaryman hangout, which is exactly what we’re looking for.
Given our extremely limited Japanese vocabulary, communication might be a challenge. But I think we should be able to manage by simply pointing to what we want, followed by a polite “kudasai” or “onegaishimasu”.
Of course, these two places represent just the tip of the massive iceberg that is Japanese cuisine. So, I’ve identified places where we can have our fill of ramen, sushi, sashimi, sukiyaki, oyakodon, yasai, soba, tonkatsu and whatever else I can hunt down before we fly.
Nihonshu (日本酒)
I’ve been drinking sake, or more precisely nihonshu, for many years now. But it was only recently that I started taking it seriously, and cataloguing all the drinks I had.
Grade, rice varietal, prefecture, milling ratio, ABV (alcohol by volume), SMV (sake meter value), acidity and brewing style were diligently recorded. I soon realised that out of all 47 prefectures in Japan, I had already tried nihonshu from 17 of them.
Suddenly, “Gotta catch ’em all!” started playing in my mind, and drinking from the length and breadth of Japan inexplicably became one of my goals in life.
The easiest, and cheapest, way to make serious inroads into this objective is to drink as much as possible in Japan. With that in mind, I started searching for different places where I could try and/or buy a wide variety of sake in Kansai.
These include sake bars like Yamanaka Sake 山中酒の店 (Tabelog, Google Maps), izakayas like Kyoto Sakagurakan 京都酒蔵館 (Tabelog, Google Maps) and bottle shops like Yamamoto Sake Shop 酒のやまもと (Tabelog, Google Maps).
Since we’re also making a day trip to Uji to see Byodoin Temple and have matcha at the Tsujiri 辻利 main store, we’ll make a pit stop at the Fushimi Sake District on our way back to Kyoto.
I’ll be well prepared, since I’ve already identified the prefectures I’ve covered (green boxes) and those that I haven’t (white boxes) in the graphic below. All I have to do is whip it out, point and watch as my blood alcohol level slowly rises.
Historic Kyoto (京都)
Kyoto used to be the imperial capital of Japan, and historic buildings can be found throughout the city. During our previous trip, we managed to visit Arashiyama, Fushimi Inari Taisha and the Imperial Palace grounds.
This time round, we’re planning to cover Higashiyama ward and take a slow and leisurely stroll from Yasaka Jinja to Kiyomizudera, passing though Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka along the way.
Google says that it’s only a 23 minute walk, but we’ll be stopping at many places as we go. I figure it will likely take us a few hours to cover the distance.
Likewise for our journey from Nanzenji to Ginkaguji (a.k.a. Silver Pavilion, or officially known as Jishoji) via the scenic Philosopher’s Path.
It won’t be sakura season when we’re there, so the path won’t be at its peak beauty. But the flipside is that it won’t be filled with throngs of people either.
We’ll skip Kinkakuji (a.k.a. Golden Pavilion) since it’s located in a fairly remote area. But we’ll probably visit Nijo Castle, since it’s just beside Nijojo-mae Station on the Tozai Line.
Other Highlights
We’re huge fans of Studio Ghibli and managed to get tickets to visit the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo back in the winter of 2017. Our next target is the Ghibli Park in Aichi prefecture, once it’s fully developed and open to overseas tourists.
In the meantime, we’ll just have to settle for merch from Studio Ghibli Stores and it just so happens that there are two in Higashiyama ward alone.
Both are on our walking route from Yasaka Jinja to Kiyomizudera, and there’s a non-negligible chance that we might not even make it all the way to our target destination.
Of all the hotels we’ve stayed at before, the Ritz Carlton Tokyo is possibly our favourite. I burnt through a huge chunk of my Marriott Bonvoy balance to redeem our room nights there, but it was well worth the points.
We didn’t get access to the legendary Club Lounge though, which provides several rounds of complimentary food and drink presentations throughout the day and night.
I wanted to experience it at least once, so I decided to burn even more Bonvoy points for one night at the Ritz Carlton Osaka, this time with Club Lounge access.
The photos and descriptions of the lounge offerings are very enticing, including a fancy afternoon high tea, pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres and post-dinner night cap. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will live up to the sky-high expectations.
To end our vacation on a high note, we’ll be spending our last night in Kyoto at Shiraume Ryokan.
We loved everything about our previous stay there. From the leisurely bath in the reserved ofuro, to the beautiful 39 sqm room overlooking the Shirakawa stream, to the delicious kaiseki dinner that was served in our room and the elaborate breakfast the next morning.
Itinerary
So, there you have it, our much anticipated return visit to Kansai after six long years. Our flights are booked and hotel rooms are reserved. All that’s left is to count down the days until we finally set foot in Japan again.
Kansai Winter 2024
Gion to Ginkakuji via the Philosopher’s Path
The 5.7-kilometre walk was quite an achievement for us, and easily one of the longest we’ve ever completed while on vacation.
Elegant tofu kaiseki at Rengetsujaya in Higashiyama
Tofu may seem like a humble ingredient but centuries — no, millennia — of refinement in Kyoto has elevated it to a delicacy.
There’s no such thing as too much yuzu at Yuzugen Pontocho
Yuzu sake, yuzu daikon, yuzu kosho, yuzu gyoza, yuzu nabe, yuzu ramen. When you’re a yuzu addict, it’s never enough.
Relaxing day trip to Uji from Kyoto
Uji feels like the kind of place that’s best enjoyed on a slower pace, and that’s exactly what we did. Here are the places we visited during the six hours that we were there.
You can never have too much matcha in Uji
As they say in Japan: “When in Uji, drink matcha.” So we travelled to the mecca of matcha, to see if it was possible to overdose on the magical green powder.
The Wife walked into Ousu no Sato and almost didn’t make it out
I could tell that she was very pleased with her purchases, and I was pleased that she was pleased.
A peaceful stroll in the Byōdō-in temple grounds
There are two main reasons why tourists travel to Uji. The first is for matcha, and the second is to see the temple stamped on all Japanese ¥10 coins.
Heartwarming matcha soba by the old folks of Torikiku
The broth had a clear citrusy note of sudachi that shone through, plus something else that we couldn’t quite identify. Whatever it was, it made the dashi taste extra special.
Katsukura: Sometimes, all you need is some deep-fried pork
Whenever we find ourselves in Japan, our number one pick for crispy and juicy tonkatsu is invariably Katsukura from Kyoto.
Kawaii temari sushi for breakfast at OMO5 Kyoto Gion
Apparently, its petite size and easy-to-bite form factor makes it the ideal choice for geishas who don’t want to smudge their makeup.
Waking up to the smell of freshly-baked bread
The next morning, as dawn approached and sunlight started peeking through the blinds, we were awoken by an enticing and unmistakable scent.
OMO5 Kyoto Gion is great, but not so good on the knees
It’s right in the heart of the historic geisha district and offers a good combination of price, location and size. But if you have bad knees, stay clear of the Double Zashiki Tatami Room.
Catching the Kyo-train Garaku from Osaka to Kyoto
There are many ways to travel between the two cities by train, but the most beautiful and elegant one must surely be the Kyo-train Garaku rapid limited express.
Nihonshu bingo at Yamanaka Sake Ekimaru in Umeda
We were only halfway through our Japan trip, and I had already managed to move my progress bar from 36% to 53%. Crossing the halfway mark felt like a significant milestone.
The complete Club Level experience at Ritz Carlton Osaka
When travelling to a foreign land, hotels are usually just places to spend the night. But sometimes, they can be destinations in their own right.
Ritz Carlton Osaka: Camping out at the Club Lounge for all our meals
I had booked one night in a club level room, which included access to the legendary club lounge. And for the next 24 hours, all our meals were sorted.
Fancy champagne high tea at Ritz Carlton Osaka
Checking into a hotel is typically a mundane affair, except when you book a room with Club Lounge access at the Ritz Carlton in Osaka.
Sushi Sakaba Sashisu was so good, we had to go twice
Whenever hippos get hungry, they sneak off to the nearest izakaya and scarf down some nigiri sushi, together with copious amounts of sake.
The oishii asagohan at Yawaragi in Shinsaibashi
At night, Yawaragi is your typical salaryman izakaya. But at the break of dawn, it transforms into an atypical breakfast spot, famous for tamago dashimaki prepared à la minute.
Going down the gachapon rabbit hole at #C-pla+
I sumimasen-ed my way inside and found a sea of gachapon machines. Wall-to-wall and three storeys high, there must have been hundreds of them packed into that small space.
