Our Final Week in the Land of the Rising Sun

Japan – Kyoto – Fushimi Inari-taisha

We had a pretty busy final week in Japan. We were still in Kyoto for the first part of the week spending time at Nijo Castle, the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, and Fushimi Inari-taisha. Then we headed to Osaka for a reunion with a Japanese couple we met in Laos on the Mekong River cruise. The Yamamoto’s were so excited that we were coming to Japan and insisted that we stay with them for a night. Despite the language barrier (he speaks very little English while she speaks none), we were able to make plans via email to meet up at Osaka station. The 78 year old, retired chocolate company accountant and his wife gave us a memorable glimpse of life in Japan. They took us to a rotating sushi restaurant for dinner, shared (and mimed) travel stories, looked at photos, drank beer/sake/shochu, had us sleep on futons on tatami mats, prepared a delicious breakfast, gave us a walking tour of the area, showed us how to pray for safe travel at a shrine, and guided us around Osaka Castle before dropping us off at our hotel in Osaka. We are so happy that we were able to visit them.

1. Go

Train – 140 km. We rode trains in and around Kyoto, then to Osaka and out to the Yamamoto’s house, and finally from Osaka to the airport hotel.
Car – 60 km. Yamamoto-san drove us around in his tiny car with zero headroom. His wife giggled at us the whole time.
Foot – 88,000 steps in 7 days (approx. 44 miles)

2. See

For our last few days in Kyoto, we made sure to visit Nijo Castle which we could see from our apartment. The grounds were just as impressive as the buildings. There were a few trees starting to bloom, but the most interesting tree by far was the sago palm tree wrapped with straw for protection in winter. It looked like something out of a cartoon. They were scattered throughout the grounds giving it a surreal look.

Japan – Kyoto – Nijo Castle

Japan – Kyoto – Nijo Castle – sago palm tree wrapped with straw

Japan – Kyoto – Nijo Castle

For our final two days in Kyoto, we decided to go on walks through some epic landscapes. The first was through the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. It was very peaceful but we kept expecting ninja to fly above our heads.

Japan – Kyoto – Arishiyama Bamboo Grove

Japan – Kyoto – Arishiyama

Japan – Kyoto – Arishiyama Bamboo Grove

The second walk was at Fushimi Inari-taisha through thousands of vermillion torii (Shinto shrine gates). We hiked up the mountain behind the shrine for views of the city. It turned out to be more of a hike than we anticipated, but we were so mesmerized that we barely noticed the steps adding up.

Japan – Kyoto – Fushimi Inari-taisha

Yamamoto-san took us to see Osaka Castle before dropping us off at our hotel. It was a little crowded, but the views from the top are worth it. Each floor has a little museum with art and information about the castle and it’s occupants. We didn’t get to see most of it due to the crowds, but we saw enough to get a taste. The building itself was impressive and it turned out to be a beautiful day.

Japan – Osaka – View from Osaka Castle

Japan – Osaka – Osaka Castle

Japan – Osaka – Osaka Castle Park

For our one day in Osaka we chose to do a small walking tour from Dotonbori Street to Tennoji station. Dotonbori Street reminded us of parts of Taipei with all the street food and bright lights. We were there a little too early for lunch, but lines were already forming outside some places. We wandered down a manga shop road and through Shinsekai area in old town. We were surprised at how different Osaka felt compared to Tokyo and Kyoto. It felt a lot more run down and dirty, which is something we hadn’t really seen in Japan yet.

Japan – Osaka – Dotonbori

Japan – Osaka – Tsutenkaku Tower underside

3. Eat

At our Airbnb apartment in Kyoto, we continued to cook in most of the time. We even had frying pan, so we made pancakes twice – major comfort food for us. While out and about, we had ramen and sushi.

Japan – Kyoto – Rotating sushi damage

Japan – Kyoto – Pancakes!

Japan – Kyoto – Ramen

The Yamamoto’s fed us very well! We loaded up on snacks before we arrived because we were a little worried they wouldn’t feed us much, but we were very, very wrong. We arrived mid-afternoon and were treated to cake and tea while we got reacquainted. Then we went out for an early dinner at a rotating sushi restaurant where we tried lots of new types of sushi (we have no idea what they are called since there was no English). Then back at the house, we had edamame, fried chicken, and cheese strips to accompany our drinks. For breakfast, we had a huge spread with salmon, omelette, soup, rice, spinach, seaweed, juice, and tea. We had a small, early lunch of tako-yaki (battered octopus pieces) and toasted bread with tomato.

Japan – Osaka – Rotating sushi with the Yamamoto’s

Japan – Osaka – Breakfast at Yamamoto’s house

4. Drink

Not only did the Yamamoto’s feed us well, they served plenty of drinks. After returning from dinner, we started with a little beer, then moved on to warm sake, followed by a taste of shochu, and then more sake. We showed them some of our photos from Japan and a handful from earlier in the trip. They had been to New Zealand a few years ago, so they showed us some of their photos. We talked about our trips in Southeast Asia where we first met. They were on a month-long independent tour of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. Keep in mind that they are both under five feet tall and nearly 80 years old and they did that trip on their own!

Japan – Osaka – Beer, sake, and shochu with Yamamoto-san

5. Sleep

The Yamamoto’s have a beautiful traditional home. Like most Japanese homes, there is little insulation, so only a few key rooms are heated. They also had an automatic toilet, which they showed us how to work and were shocked when we told them that they are not common in the USA. The ceilings were surprisingly high, but the doors were only about six feet. They thought it was so funny that Pat had to duck going through the doors. They set up futons for us in their tradition living room. They were very concerned about the futon not being long enough (they weren’t), so they extended the length by adding pillows to the end. Our height was a constant source of amusement – we are probably the tallest people they’ve had visit their home. Yamamoto-san would often laugh and say, “we are the small couple, and you are the BIG couple” with lots of hand gestures to show just how big we are. 🙂 After leaving the Yamamoto’s we spent one night in Osaka at a really basic hostel, then one night at an airport hotel with a free shuttle to the airport in the morning.

Japan – Osaka – Yamamoto Home

Japan – Osaka – View of KIX airport from our hotel room

6. Move

We had a few great walks this week. The most strenuous was the hike through the torii up Inari Mountain. In all, the hike was 4 km. It probably took us longer than it should because we couldn’t stop taking pictures of all the stone foxes (actual foxes made of stone, not good-looking people) and orange torii.

Japan – Kyoto – Fushimi Inari-taisha

Yamamoto-san took us on a morning walking from his home. We stopped at a shrine where he showed us how to pray for safe travel. It was a bluebird morning and we couldn’t help but feel as if we had stepped into a Miyazaki film, which was only enhanced when we saw Totoro waiting for the bus.

Japan – Osaka – Morning walk with Yamamoto-san

7. Etcetera

We cannot thank the Yamamoto’s enough for generously opening their home to us. We loved learning about Japanese life and getting to know this outstanding couple. I only hope that we are still taking month-long adventures at nearly eighty years old.