the kansai trio

Two days in Nara were a little vacation from our travels. A smaller town with a beautiful park and too many deer to count, we had a wonderful time walking around enjoying the gardens and the most picturesque Starbucks I’ve ever seen. We stayed in a Nara Ryokan, a slightly pricier traditional stay with our very own room and bathroom and a shared onsen (can you tell how much I love bath culture?). We even got our very own kimonos for the two-night stay. Nara is known for the numerous deer that reside in the park, patiently waiting for a tasty treat from tourists. The deer have been trained to bow their heads when receiving food, and it was something I had to see to believe. But sure enough, they all knew the trick to get you to give up your crackers. Every morning, we grabbed a 7-Eleven breakfast and headed to Starbucks for the views and the matcha. I have to give a shoutout to the Starbucks iced matcha lattes because I’m addicted. It was a gorgeous day, and we ditched our coats for the first time while we strolled the streets. We walked around a garden with historical tea houses and spotted the first cherry blossoms to bloom. For lunch, I found a well-known ramen restaurant that I was dying to try, with rave reviews. Ordering our bowls, we had an option to add different levels of spice, and of course, we had to add a little kick. So, we chose the lowest addition of spiciness. We were in way over our heads because our ramen was an inedible level of hot. I ate as much as I could stomach because the flavor was still delicious. We had a restful two days, and it was time to move on to Osaka.

Back in the bustling city, we exited the train and walked to our hostel, the Pax, in Osaka. By far the coolest hostel we’ve stayed in, the Pax had a lovely café and bar downstairs with a comfy loft, a slide, great music, and friendly staff. We hung out our first day, playing chess and drinking beer (I finally beat Tristan in a game). We met Quinn, who was at the end of a 5-month trip in Japan. We grabbed some Indian curry and headed into town for the river views and a few drinks. Tristan went into his first-ever Don Quijote, a massive, overstimulating store that sells anything you could possibly be looking for. We wandered each floor, and after getting sucked into the beauty aisle, I bought some highly recommended face masks. Osaka is known as the stomach of Japan, so our plans mostly revolved around lunch and dinner. Osaka’s main dish is Takoyaki, fried octopus balls, which I hate to say I was not a fan of. We snacked on some dream-worthy gyoza, had bánh mì (a Vietnamese sandwich) for lunch, and tried both an Italian restaurant and a taco bar for dinner. Everything was fantastic. In between meal times, we visited the aquarium because I was dying to see their famous whale sharks, and the shark exhibit did not disappoint. Then we visited Osaka Castle and got our touristy fill, walking up the seven floors of the castle for a panoramic view of the city.

Kobe is only a 40-minute train ride away, and Quinn gave us a recommendation for some Kobe beef fried rice, so we wanted to make a day out of it. We arrived around 11 AM, and a quick Google search of “what to do while in Kobe” brought us to Chinatown. We could smell the food before we could see the brightly colored gates, and it had our stomachs growling. We ditched our plans for Kobe beef and had soup dumplings, bao buns, and candied strawberries for dessert—definitely one of my favorite meals. Our second plan was to head up into the hills for a little gondola ride. After an insanely inclined two-mile hike, we found out the gondola was closed, so we continued walking instead for some good views. Tristan played basketball with some kids, and we admired the city below. Then it was time to head back into Osaka for a Thai massage I had scheduled. This was one of the best massages I’ve had, and if I had more money, I would visit them every week. For our last night in Osaka, we had dinner and drinks at a Peruvian bar. The Peruvian chicken was to die for, then we went out dancing. We woke up a bit sluggish but ready to see what Kyoto had in store for us.

Kyoto was magical. I was skeptical at first because I know it’s pretty touristy, and the crowds can be overwhelming, but we really had the best time here and ended up extending our stay. We stayed at K’s House, and I would rate this as our comfiest hostel. The beds were nice, and we shared a two-person bunk room with clean and spacious bathrooms. We were exhausted the first night and went for some ramen down the street, which so far was Tristan’s favorite meal. He had a creamy ramen with chicken, which basically resembled chicken alfredo and looked delicious. It was cold and rainy our whole stay, but that kind of set the vibe for visiting all the temples, and I felt like I was in a movie. We enjoyed our daily 7-Eleven egg sandwich and hash brown breakfast with a Starbucks matcha and braved the rain. We got on the wrong bus and ended up walking most of the way, but found ourselves in a quiet park and followed a path to a Buddhist temple completely void of tourists. We walked the grounds in quiet awe and admiration. The rain started again, and we headed for a lunch spot. With most places closed, we found a small restaurant and had a wonderful lunch with a friendly chef. After lunch, it was time to find the crowds and visit the Kiyomizu-dera temple and walk the Sannenzaka. The videos depicting dense crowds weren’t kidding, and in the rain, everyone had an umbrella taking up more space. But I will say it was worth it and still recommend it—it’s popular for a reason. There are a multitude of shops along the way, and we stopped for matcha, pickles, and to buy a fan, all while taking in the views and dodging umbrellas. When we made it to the top, we were rewarded with expansive views of the city and some cherry blossom trees. Dinner was a special treat. We finally ate wagyu beef, grilling it ourselves and moaning at every bite as it melted in our mouths like butter. For day two, Tristan and I went our separate ways, so I could visit Uji, a village known for matcha, and Tristan could visit more temples. Uji was a quaint town truly dedicated to matcha. There was matcha ramen, matcha gyoza, every matcha sweet you could think of, and of course, matcha tea and lattes. I ate, drank, and took a hike around the park to visit Uji’s temples and walk along the river. Tristan called me to tell me about his wonderful day visiting the Torii Gates, and I rode the train back to meet him for a snack and to admire some cherry blossoms. We stopped at food stalls for $15 surf and turf and soaked up the sun while it tried to peek through the clouds. Three days was the perfect amount of time to see Kyoto, and we left feeling satisfied.

As always let me know your thoughts, questions, and anything else you want to share!