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.
