Morning on Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka

I kept seeing posts through cherry-blossom season showing how crowded Sannenzaka was, with lines so thick people couldn’t walk through. It was a bit scary.
Since we were staying on Ninenzaka, we needed to make the most of that advantage.

I was still jet-lagged and decided I would get up at 6:00 a.m., but I ended up sleeping until around 6:30. I dawdled getting ready, and when I finally headed out, it was almost 7:00. I love the morning atmosphere, but unfortunately I’m not an early-sleeper.

Ninenzaka was built in 807. If you enter it from Sannenzaka, you can go straight all the way to the road linking Kiyomizu-dera and Kōtaiji. Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka are a very famous district in Kyoto, packed with old wooden houses and traditional Japanese shops.

If we had gone out at 6:00, it probably would have been empty. By 7:00, there were already some people. Everyone was also trying hard for a better experience.

That famous tree! We had only been away for just over a week, and it had already fallen.

There were few people in the morning, but the shops were all still closed.

Morning at Kiyomizu-dera

After Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka, we reached Kiyomizu-dera.

Kiyomizu-dera was founded in 778, before Kyoto became the capital, and is a temple with a long history. It sits on the eastern side of Kyoto on the slope of Otowa Mountain. The temple has burned down several times since it was first established. Most of the present buildings are from the early Edo period (1631-1633), rebuilt by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa shogun. The main hall of the temple is a National Treasure, and it also includes the Nio gate, west gate, three-story pagoda, and bell tower as important cultural assets. In 1994, Kiyomizu-dera was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.

The famous Kiyomizu Stage is supported by many massive zelkova columns about 12 meters tall, set side by side. It was built using a “hanging” technique with no nails, and the floor is made of more than 410 cypress boards. It is a large wooden structure that seems to jut out from the main hall over the cliff, making this one of the best spots to take in views of Kyoto.

The Otowa Waterfall inside Kiyomizu Temple has three source streams, representing longevity, academic success, and smooth love. When making a wish, you can choose only one stream and drink just one sip, otherwise the wish is said not to come true. There are several structures on the temple grounds, including the three-story pagoda and Zui-kōdō. A 100-yen admission ticket gets you into the basement of the hall, where you can experience the famous "Womb Walk," symbolizing prayer inside the bodhisattva’s womb. In addition, Kiyomizu Temple opens for evening visits at certain times of the year. The waterfall that gave Kiyomizu its name, "Otowa no Taki," has been quietly flowing from mountain springs since the temple was founded, while the lush green grounds are dotted with 15 brightly colored temples and towers. Its beauty in cherry blossom season, fresh spring greenery, and autumn colors is widely known as one of Kyoto’s iconic scenes.

One teammate wandered in and randomly started taking shots.

Jishu Shrine is a shrine in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. Its main deity is Ōkuninushi, a well-known Shinto shrine in Japan for finding one’s match and praying for love luck. In 1994, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site as part of Kiyomizu-dera under “Cultural Heritage of the Ancient Capital of Kyoto.” Jishu Shrine is located behind Kiyomizu-dera’s Main Stage, so if you are visiting Kiyomizu-dera, don’t skip this small stop. It is a place to pray for good relationships, and the most famous feature is its two "fate stones." If you start from one of them and can reach the other while blindfolded, you may receive divine blessing.

Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka around 8 to 9 p.m.

We headed back to the hotel for dinner. By then it was around 8:30 to 9:00 p.m., and the crowd had started to grow.

Passing the front of a store with a long line, we thought it was some trendy place, but it turned out to be Starbucks.

I took another shot of this tree.

Kyoto Park Hyatt Breakfast

Back to the hotel for breakfast. The flowers in the hotel are changed every day, which doesn’t feel very eco-friendly.

Even non-guests are charged for Kyoto Park Hyatt’s Japanese breakfast, 3,000 yen per person. On the first day, I planned to try Western-style breakfast first; if it wasn’t good, I’d pay extra the second day and switch. It ended up being very good—so we had Western breakfast for three days.

The buffet area is also set up like a mainland-style spread: aside from porridge, most of it is cold food. The difference is that kids can also get hot food for free. With three portions, it’s easy to feel full. It’s much better than the stingy Roku. Of course, for the most generous breakfast, I’d have to give it to the Kyoto Ritz I stayed at last year, where the platinum card covers free Japanese breakfast for the whole family.

After breakfast, the restaurant opens to the public. Breakfast itself is only for hotel guests.

The fried noodles were really good—full of wok aroma. The downside is they were a bit salty. Recommended. We ordered it for three days.

The Eggs Benedict was average, so we ordered it only once.

The pancakes were tasty, my child said.

The fruit at Kyoto Park Hyatt is very good, especially the strawberries, honeydew and mango. They looked like carefully selected varieties. So far, this is an experience I haven’t had in other hotels in Japan.

Afterward, we tidied up in the room and kept going out.

Okazaki Sakura Corridor Jukokubune

The most popular cherry blossom boat in Kyoto is the Fushimi Jukokubune. Because I initially didn’t expect to be able to do cherry blossom viewing, by the time I found out about it, tickets were already sold out. I found this Okazaki Sakura Corridor Jukokubune from a sakura guide. The river looked slightly wider than Fushimi’s, and the experience was excellent and beautiful.

And there was no need to buy tickets in advance. We took a taxi to the site, bought tickets on the spot (cash only), and got on the boat after waiting 15 minutes.

Safety was well taken care of, and everyone was required to wear a life jacket.

When passing through the bridge, the boat canopy automatically lowered. After passing the bridge section, it lifted back up, which was pretty fun.

There is a guide at the front of the boat, but he doesn’t speak English very well.

A bird!

One circle takes only about half an hour, and the duration is just right.

After getting off, photos from the bridge are also beautiful.

Heian Shrine

After getting off, it only takes a few hundred meters on foot to reach Heian Shrine. You can even see the giant torii gate from the boat.

The exterior of Heian Shrine has a bit of a Korean feel.

Heian Shrine was built in 1895 to commemorate the 1,100th anniversary of Kyoto becoming Japan’s ancient capital, Heian. It enshrines the first and last emperors who ruled while the capital was in Kyoto. Behind the main hall is the Heian Shrine Garden, centered on four ponds and blending garden styles from different eras. It is a representative example of the Meiji-period chisen-kaidō-shiki (pond-and-stream) style and is a nationally designated scenic site. One of Kyoto’s three major festivals, Jidai Matsuri, is held here every year on October 22, when processions of people in period costumes and horse-drawn carriage teams recreate the atmosphere of the old capital.

Heian Shrine is famous for its "Yaezakura (double-flowered red weeping cherry)."

There is a crane in the grounds, strolling around so freely.

In the corridor we sat for a break and fed the fish. It felt incredibly relaxing.

As we passed the prayer structure on the way out, a strange blessing ceremony suddenly appeared.

Yamamoto Menzou

After leaving Heian Shrine, everyone in our family was hungry, so we looked for somewhere to eat. One nearby place with a better reputation is Yamamoto Menzou, which I already have on my list. The restaurant is known for its udon. It’s very busy, and you need to call early in the morning to reserve a seat; otherwise, you can only buy takeout at the takeout window. We were being casual about lunch and didn’t make a reservation. We walked by and took a chance—sure enough, the whole day’s reservations were already full. The takeout window is another storefront separated by one shop in between (the store in the middle: are you being polite?).

Takeout was also packed. After we ordered, we waited for a long time. Next to the takeout window there was a small area with a few standing seats, and they were all full as well. The staff suggested we eat in the park nearby. We didn’t even make it to the park and ended up sitting at a bus stop to eat, which felt a bit awkward.

On the other hand, the restaurant recommended finishing the noodles within 10 minutes of getting them. Just walking to the nearby park took several minutes.

We ordered plain noodle soup, a newly introduced curry udon, and fried chicken. When we opened everything, we were genuinely shocked at how big the portions were. We had expected ordinary Japanese portions that disappear after a few bites. Plus, the noodles were very firm and substantial, so after just a few bites we already felt full. Also, the portions were huge but there was basically just one sauce, and after a while it got kind of boring. Since it was hard to get, we basically forced ourselves to eat it all, and by dinnertime we were not hungry at all.The udon with plain broth was quite mild and simple, while the curry udon, coated all over in curry sauce, was more flavorful. The fried chicken felt a bit average, both in texture and taste.

After we were done eating, it was still the same thing: this is probably the high point for udon, but udon as a category has a pretty low ceiling, so there’s not much room for extra flair. If you want to try it, I’d still suggest making a reservation and going when the experience is better. Eating it at the station, I was constantly worried the curry would splash onto my clothes.

Nanzenji

It’s actually only one stop from Heian Jingu to Nanzenji, but we still took the bus to save our energy.

On the way to the main gate, there was birdsong and blossoms everywhere.

Nanzenji is a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan, and the head temple of the Nanzenji branch of the Rinzai Zen school. It was founded in the Shōō era (1291) by Emperor Kameyama, with the first abbot being Daming National Master Wuguan Pumen. Because it was the earliest Zen temple in Japan built at the imperial court’s wish, it ranks among Kyoto’s Five Mountains and is one of the top Zen temples in Japan.

Many cherry blossoms had fallen at Nanzenji.

Inclined Railway

All the spots that day were within walking distance. After leaving Nanzenji, it was only a short walk to the Inclined Railway.

The Koshō Incline is a former railway line no longer in service that has become one of Kyoto’s best cherry-blossom viewing spots. It is near Kōshō Station.

It’s an abandoned railway, with a fountain at the far end, and it reminded me of a scene from The Last of Us, a game I really like.

The kid loved jumping on the stepping stones.

And there was also walking on the tracks.

We walked a short distance and were about to leave, but on the way out we discovered another section where the cherry blossoms looked even better. At that point, we could only go around through a tunnel and come back onto the railway from the other side.

Before going into that tunnel, I instinctively held my breath, because in the U.S., tunnels like this one can have all sorts of strange smells. This one, thankfully, was fine.

My First Time Riding the Subway in Kyoto

I've complained about Kyoto transportation several times before. The subway lines are a bit of a mystery, and it doesn’t cover many of the top attractions. So across two trips totaling 7-8 days, this was the only time we took the subway in Kyoto. It was mainly because there happened to be a subway station near the funicular. We didn’t notice the urinous smell under the gate, but we did at the subway entrance.

The restaurant for the day was tucked away in an alley on the busiest street right by the entrance to Yasaka Shrine. We still had to walk a bit after getting off the subway.

Kyoto also has its unclean moments. Just look at the trash on this street.

The Longest Meal in History: Gibier MIYAMA

Gibier MIYAMA is tucked away in the middle of the crowd, hidden in a small side alley on the busiest street at the Yasaka Shrine entrance. It is an Italian-style creative wild-game restaurant.

It was also our first attempt at a high-end Western restaurant in Japan.

The child had a separate seat, but there was no children’s menu. We shared plates with the adults. The restaurant’s setup had real mood and atmosphere. It blends Japanese and Western styles, with a chef’s set-menu format where the chef cooks in the middle and serves everyone from there.

The waitstaff’s English was very bad—among the upscale Western restaurants we’ve been to, this was the worst service we’ve experienced. In contrast, the chef himself spoke much better English.

At that point, I searched this restaurant on Xiaohongshu, and my spirits sank a little. They said it used to be a self-service setup where you could eat as much as you wanted. Portions were enormous. Yet we still hadn’t digested our noon udon.

Japanese + Italian + game + innovation: the menu was genuinely hard to understand. Even Google Translate wasn’t very useful. In the end, I still had to type Japanese and ask ChatGPT to understand a bit more.

The menu had a few fixed pairings, then four or five options on the left and four or five on the right. We felt like we came at the wrong season—none of the wild-game meats I was hoping for, like bear or venison, were available.

The first dishes were basically a big stack of carb bombs. They were all quite unique, and all fairly firm.

Of course, I had to order my favorite pepper.

At that point, another bread dish came, and it was overwhelming.

Since I couldn’t eat it all, I ordered pickled tomatoes.

The tilefish with sea urchin was still very Japanese-style.

A dish I didn’t quite understand: duck paste.

Our teammate ordered eel.

Fried meatballs.

Roasted duck and cheese.

The desserts were all pretty average and on the sweeter side.

This place was pretty good except for dessert, but we probably won’t be coming back.

First, the whole meal took four hours. We were seated at 6:00 p.m. and finished at 10:00 p.m. Our kid dozed off in the stroller after the first few dishes. My friend and I were so sleepy from waiting, too.

The restaurant only has about a dozen seats. Every dish is a complicated process, but there was only one chef working. Even watching him, I felt exhausted, and the pace was naturally slow.

Another issue was service. The waitress’s English was poor—understandable—but her service attitude was also average. The dishes my friend and I ordered were written together on one note, so the chef often didn’t know whether to serve mine or my friend’s. Of the four dishes I ordered on the left, one dish was missing.

When we noticed, the waitress didn’t understand what we said, and I didn’t have the heart to keep talking to the chef, who was obviously very busy. Anyway, we were already too full, so that was that.

Walking back to the hotel in the evening

The restaurant is within walking distance, so we took our time and strolled back to the hotel to settle our stomachs.

Yasaka Shrine at night.

It was especially quiet at night—hard to imagine how busy it gets in the daytime.

Photographs have been prohibited in Ishibashikoji because excessive commercial shooting disrupts residents’ lives.

While walking through the lane, we still quietly took two shots without flash.

Today’s origami was a frog.

About the Author

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