This article is reposted from a WeChat group reader’s WeChat public account, Lanren 33’s Food, Drink, and Fun. Original link.

Shinkansen

Leaving Disney, next stop: Kyoto～

Our plan was to take a taxi from Maihama Station if we happened to see the taxi stand on the way out; if not, we would keep taking the subway. So yes, we ended up taking the subway.

After getting off at Tokyo Station, we followed the signs and walked for what felt like forever before finally reaching the Shinkansen entrance. It was a Tuesday, and there were still quite a lot of people.

We tried to buy tickets from this machine, but none of our U.S. credit cards worked, so we had to pay with cash.

I previously shared a Shinkansen ticket-buying strategy in A Spring Break Japan Trip That Made Us Never Want to Leave - Very Necessary Pre-Trip Prep, but that was really based on my own lessons learned. My thinking was that since we had already tapped our Suica when taking the subway, for the Shinkansen we only needed to buy the limited express ticket, and we could keep using Suica for the base fare ticket.

Reality proved that I was still too naive. We could not tap through at the Shinkansen entrance. The staff asked how we had gotten to Tokyo Station, and I said we used Suica. The staff immediately directed us to the staffed counter to rebuy tickets. We then had to wait in line at the staffed counter for quite a while, and they also had to cancel the Suica record before we finally got new base fare tickets + limited express tickets.

At the ticket gate, you need to insert both the base fare ticket and the limited express ticket at the same time. This was the first time we had ever seen that design.

Again, let me emphasize this one more time: if you do not want to buy tickets in an app, remember to buy both the base fare ticket and the limited express ticket.

After that, we boarded smoothly. This ticket can be used on any departure, so just check the next departure on Google Maps or a transfer-planning app, then go to the corresponding platform. Then find the non-reserved seating cars. We took the Nozomi, which is the fastest Shinkansen service and also runs very frequently. Non-reserved seats are in cars 1-3. Once we got on, we found three seats together in car 3.

The seat pitch on the Nozomi is generous, so a regular suitcase can just sit in front of your legs. If the total of the length, width, and height exceeds 160cm, it counts as oversized luggage, and you need to buy a reserved seat and reserve luggage rack space. U.S. TSA rules say that regular checked luggage cannot exceed 158cm when you add length, width, and height together, so regular checked bags do not count as oversized luggage, and you do not need to do anything special.

The seating layout is 3-2, so you can choose where to sit based on your family size. The Shinkansen is very quiet. You can eat and drink items that do not have a strong smell—usually this is not allowed on regular subway trains. We did not see any attendants pushing snack carts on the Nozomi. No one checked tickets either.

We arrived at the first stop, Yokohama, very quickly.

The Mount Fuji visibility rating that day was 10, and we could see Mount Fuji very clearly from the Shinkansen.

I had originally thought Mount Fuji would be similar to Rainier, but once I actually saw it, it felt very different. It was huge and awe-inspiring, with a very Japanese feel. Watching it from the high-speed Shinkansen made my heart feel calm and peaceful.

The next stop was Nagoya.

The trouble buying tickets at Tokyo Station really lit a fire in me. During this Shinkansen ride, I bought our return tickets and linked them to Suica, planning to redeem myself on the way back. Of course, seeing that it was easy to find seats in the non-reserved cars also gave me confidence.

In just two short hours, we arrived in Kyoto. Our little country bumpkin, who had never taken high-speed rail before, kept asking from the beginning, “When is the train finally going to go really fast?”

Kyoto Ritz Carlton Kyoto

For our time in Kyoto, we stayed at Ritz Carlton Kyoto. I booked it last year, before Marriott dynamic award pricing, for 120k points per night. During our stay, the cash rate for this hotel had surged to $2,400 per night, so redeeming points felt much better.

The hotel is not in the most popular tourist area, but near the Kamogawa River. Public transportation would require several transfers, so taking a taxi is more convenient. As soon as we exited the station, we saw the taxi stand. There were two lines: one line specifically for foreigners, with drivers who spoke English, and that line was longer; and one line for locals, with drivers who did not speak English, and that line was shorter. Out of my distrust of how widely English is spoken in Japan, plus my confidence in my very broken Japanese, we chose the local line. It seemed to move a bit faster than the other side.

Taxis in Kyoto are a bit more expensive than in Tokyo. Even the starting fare is higher. We passed by a kindergarten, so I snapped a quick photo.

After a ten-something-minute ride, we arrived at the hotel.

We have stayed at quite a few hotels, including several Ritz properties in the U.S., but this one was stunning the moment we walked in. The courtyard had gently flowing water and touches of greenery, and it was so calm and peaceful that you almost felt reluctant to speak loudly.

As soon as we entered, a white staff member who spoke Japanese came to greet us and took us directly to the room for check-in. I told him this was the first time we had encountered in-room check-in, and he said Ritz should all be like this. I said, haha, not the ones in the U.S.

The room was the basic room I had booked, with basically no view. Right across from us was a residential building, and it was quite close. This was the only thing I was not too satisfied with at this hotel. I asked whether there were any upgrades. The staff member checked for a while and said only large suites were available, but they would require a paid upgrade, and asked whether I wanted to learn more. Thinking about the hotel’s jaw-dropping cash rates, I quickly said no, no, thank you.

I then asked whether we could add a rollaway bed. The staff member said it probably would not work for this room type. I asked him to check again. After he finished checking us in and left, he went to the front desk to ask and said it was possible. They would add it during evening turndown service.

The room itself was also stunning—the decor had Kyoto’s traditional, rustic charm, blending in with the city’s style, while still feeling very high-end.

Maybe it’s also because I’m partial to natural wood tones, which is why I liked this hotel’s decor so much. My favorite part was the design of the bathroom area.

There was also a built-in TV in the bathroom mirror.

The complimentary snacks—before I knew it, the kid had already finished them.

By the time we got settled, it was already lunchtime, so we headed out to eat. Using the Tabelog app to find a restaurant was honestly not very user-friendly, and it made us dawdle for a while before going out. The web version is still better.

This angle of the lobby was also quite pretty, with a piano under the staircase. But it didn’t feel quite as Japanese.

This area felt very Japanese, and it was also on the route we had to take to go out. Just passing by put me in a good mood.

The other side of the courtyard was beautiful too. The kid really liked this side and had to come play with the water here every day.

One more shot～

There was a rickshaw in the corner of the courtyard.

Ramen

In the end, we decided to go get ramen near Shijo, which was a direct bus ride away.

There were still a few lingering cherry blossoms on the treetops. The cherry blossoms came very early this year.

There are drink vending machines everywhere in Japan, so you really don’t need to bring water when you go out—you can buy drinks anywhere. I’m really curious why, with all the vending machines we bought drinks from in Japan, we never once ran into anything being sold out. In other places, sold-out items are pretty common.

Kyoto has quite a lot of bus service. Maybe because our hotel wasn’t close to a subway station, we never had a chance to take the subway during our days in Kyoto.

We used Suica on the bus as well. Many years ago, Suica could only be used in the Kanto region, but now IC cards are basically accepted nationwide. The Kyoto buses we took were all flat fare, so you only needed to tap once, either when boarding or when getting off.

The Shijo area was much livelier than the area around our hotel.

Across the street there was a Sanrio store—the company with characters like Hello Kitty and Gudetama.

The ramen shop was on a small side street. In just a few hundred meters, we passed several quaint temples and shrines. Speaking of which, I just remembered that the guy who checked us in at the hotel asked what our goal was for visiting Kyoto. I said we didn’t really have one. He said some people say they want to visit every temple in Kyoto, and that that was his dream too—after all, Kyoto has thousands of temples...

We had originally wanted to go to “麺屋 猪一,” which had a 3.7 on Tabelog. But when we arrived, there were already several groups waiting, and the end of the line had been blocked off. They said they weren’t accepting any new people in line that day...

So we turned around and went back to a ramen shop we had passed on the way, “麺匠 一粒万倍 寺町店.” When we went, this place still had a score somewhere in the 3.5 range on Tabelog, but when I checked today, how is it only in the 3.3 range now...

This ramen shop was the kind where you order from a machine at the entrance, which was pretty fun. I had been a little nervous that I wouldn’t understand it or know how to order, but it turned out fine. Ordering went smoothly; I just wasn’t quite sure what I had ordered, like opening a blind box...

Fortunately, everything was pretty good! One bowl was their signature chicken-broth ramen, which my teammate said was decent.

The other was a very rich tsukemen with a strong shrimp-paste flavor. The tsukemen noodles were thick and on the firm side, with a nice chew.

Overall, this place was pretty good as a filling lunch, and better than ramen in the U.S. If you happen to pass by, it’s worth eating there, but there’s no need to make a special trip for it.

After eating our fill, we continued with the original plan and headed to Kinkaku-ji. There was a direct bus, but we waited a long time for this one to arrive. There was a drugstore next to the bus stop, so we went in for a quick browse. Prices for things like Anessa sunscreen were basically about half of what they cost in the U.S., and tax-free too...

The bus ride took about thirty to forty minutes, and the three of us all took a short nap. After getting off, we saw a real estate company, and my teammate joked that Japan was so nice we should buy an apartment here.

Kinkaku-ji

The Kinkaku-ji area had more of a suburban feel.

It was just a short walk of a few minutes from the bus stop.

On the way, we ran into some girls wearing kimono.

After another turn, we saw the sign for Kinkaku-ji. Kinkaku-ji is actually officially named Rokuon-ji.

It was already 3 p.m. when we arrived, but there were still lots of visitors. It looked like quite a few tour groups were there.

The ticket was very pretty. The ticket itself also served as a protective charm, which felt very auspicious.

The offertory box is where you put your donation money.

Next up: Kinkaku-ji from every possible angle. Before this, when I saw photos of Kinkaku-ji, I thought the golden look was mostly post-processing, so I did not have very high expectations. My first reaction when I saw it in person was: wow, it really is that glittering and golden! Of course, it is still best to come on a sunny day; on a cloudy day the effect might be a bit less impressive.

There was a small courtyard that visitors were not allowed to enter. Someone nearby had hired a guide who was explaining things, so I listened in for a bit...

Continuing forward, there were a few small viewing spots. Kinkaku-ji was the place where we saw the most Indian tourists during our whole trip, taking photos in large groups.

White Snake Mound...

Here, a tour guide told their group, "This is your last chance to see Kinkaku-ji, take your photos now!"

Along the way there was also a small courtyard where you could sit down and have tea.

People were lining up to offer incense and ring the bell. Since we are not religious, we did not go up and just watched from a distance for a while... If you want to collect goshuin, the spot is next to this area, and it closes at 4 p.m.

Then we headed down the hill. After coming down, there was a gift shop, an ice cream shop, a place to have tea, and things like that.

The gift shop had quite a lot of Kyoto-style products, and it was pretty worth browsing. I wanted to buy ice cream, but the matcha ice cream window was closed. As a fallback, I grabbed a Uji matcha ice cream bar from the freezer. It was not good; even our kid, who loves ice cream the most, only took two bites before handing it to me.

Outside the gift shop was the bus parking lot. There were a lot of buses in the lot, so Kinkaku-ji really is a popular stop for tour groups.

Our family, with our terrible stamina, was all pretty tired, and my spouse asked to take a taxi back. Luckily, there was a taxi stand right outside the attraction. When we got back to the hotel, we noticed a yaezakura cherry tree in full bloom in the garden, adding a splash of pink to all the greenery.

Back at the Hotel

The light and shadows in the garden at night were beautiful too.

The hallway was also gorgeous.

Turndown service had already been done in the room, with all kinds of snacks left for us, plus Pierre Herme macarons, the kids' favorite. Each kid also received a Ritz Kids passport and could ask for stickers at different places around the hotel. The stickers included things like Shinkansen trains, with a very Japanese feel. The kids loved them and kept wearing the passports around their necks. After collecting stickers, they could go to the front desk to get ice cream. They were so happy.

There were also little snacks for the adults on the bed.

Could those paper cranes have been folded by hand?... The restaurant reservation we had made earlier through the hotel concierge was also placed in an envelope, and the stationery had that antique-looking frosted rice-paper texture.

My spouse, who used to not care much for coffee, actually fell in love with the hotel's coffee. After we got home, he bought the exact same coffee machine as the one at the hotel, saying it was his way of remembering Kyoto...

The sink area.

The kids' toothbrush sets were already prepared inside.

The amenities were diptyque.

After resting for a bit, we went to see the night cherry blossom exhibition. The night cherry blossom exhibition was put on by naked flower, which also has one in Tokyo. The Kyoto one was at Nijo Castle. This was not originally on our itinerary, because I had not expected that we would still be able to catch cherry blossoms. Before departure, I saw tickets for sale on klook, so I bought them.

The hallway was beautiful too.

Night Cherry Blossom Exhibition

We took a taxi when heading out. Bell service helped call the car and told the driver where we were going. This driver was pretty chatty, and I managed to talk with him a bit in my very broken Japanese.

The cherry blossoms had already all fallen, so there were not many people at the nighttime cherry blossom exhibit.

Our kid, who had been wearing the Ritz Kids passport the whole time, was very happy at Nijo Castle because there were pebbles to kick and throw...

Right after entering, there was a projection mapping show. It was beautiful, the atmosphere was fantastic, and the kid loved watching it.

There was a big cat mascot interacting with the kids the whole time. Our kid loves cats the most, so they went right up and gave it a big hug.

The cherry blossoms had all fallen, but the yaezakura were right in full bloom. They looked beautiful under the lights.

There were quite a few interactive installations like this, and both the kid and I had a great time playing with them.

Let me smell whether the flowers are fragrant.

At the entrance, you could scan a QR code and fill out some information to get a free cup of green tea. We thought it was in this little courtyard and accidentally wandered in, but the courtyard was especially beautiful.

The light show near the exit was also so beautiful.

We ran into the cat again, and the kid had a round of high fives with it.

In the end, we picked up the hot tea near the exit. There were a few stalls selling things, plus a few large light-and-shadow screens that were fun for taking photos.

Yakitori Dinner

We booked dinner at くちばしモダン, a yakitori restaurant with a 3.68 rating on Tabelog. This was another reservation I had impulsively made for 8:30 PM earlier, and by the time I wanted to change it before the trip, it was no longer possible, which probably means the place is pretty popular. I booked this one through AutoReserve. I mentioned in the trip-planning post that I do not really recommend AutoReserve; when I wanted to change the time, I could not even log in, and I had to ask the hotel concierge to help check with them. It is still better to book through the hotel concierge.

We took a taxi to the restaurant, which was in a small alley. The restaurant was tiny, with a few counter seats and four or five tables. The staff were all young guys. They did not speak much Japanese, but they were very friendly.

Because it is an izakaya, the restaurant requires every adult to order at least one drink. As usual, my partner started with a glass of plum wine. In Japan we ordered a drink every day. Since I do not like alcohol, most of the time I ordered plum wine and drank it like juice. My partner ordered whatever he felt like.

That day I ordered yuzu sake, which was pretty good.

It seemed like this place only offered set menus, so of course we ordered the largest one.

The first dish was a thick soup. We thought this one was okay, but a little too rich.

The small dish was light and refreshing. It was too late, and the kid had already fallen asleep lying on my partner's lap. The staff even asked whether we wanted to move to a larger table so the kid could sleep more comfortably.

Then the yakitori officially began. The first skewer, chicken neck, was a blockbuster. It was so good. The meat was so tender it was bursting with juices, and the seasoning was just right. I had never imagined that simple grilled chicken could be this delicious. I instantly fell in love with this restaurant.

Because I had fallen in love with it, I started taking photos of the restaurant interior.

The second serving of chicken skin was crispy on the outside and tender inside. So good.

The grilled vegetables were great too; we polished them off.

This one was a bit like poached chicken: tender, silky, and delicious.

Every single course was so, so good. Forgive me: before this I had only had yakitori in the U.S., so I had a huge misunderstanding of what yakitori could be. This restaurant completely changed my view of yakitori.

This dish was chicken dipped in raw egg. Because it was so substantial, even I, someone who loves raw egg, actually found this one just okay.

This one paired with horseradish was also perfect. Although every dish looked somewhat similar, the flavors and textures were all quite different. After finishing one course, I kept looking forward to the next.

The chicken heart was also excellent. My partner and I both had blissful expressions the entire time.

By the time the grilled chicken wings arrived, I was already too full to keep eating. The portion of wings was also especially large, so I gave half to my partner.

For this dish, we even finished the salad and mushrooms...

The reason I had given the chicken wings to my partner earlier was to save room for one of the items I had been looking forward to most at this meal, and even on the whole trip: chochin. Starting from the chicken wings, I kept asking the server when the chochin would come, and he kept saying it was coming soon.

Chochin is chicken ovary together with the unlaid, immature eggs inside. When grilled, the chicken ovary and the immature eggs are skewered together on a bamboo skewer, resembling a hand-held lantern, which is where the name chochin comes from. The moment you bite into it, the juices immediately burst in your mouth; inside is fresh egg liquid, packed with nutrients. After eating the yolk, you bite into the entire ovary, and the very springy texture becomes more fragrant the more you chew.

As someone who loves trying unusual ingredients, chochin had been on my list for a long time. Unfortunately, you can hardly find any restaurants in the entire U.S. that serve chochin, let alone authentic versions.

The chochin here had no off smell at all. With one bite, the yolk burst in my mouth and spread throughout. It was pure happiness.

Another life wish fulfilled!

For the final carb course, I chose rice mixed with raw egg, while my partner chose rice with chicken soup. We were both unbearably full, but still forced down quite a bit more.

The chicken soup in the chicken soup rice was also excellent and very savory.

Although our kiddo fell asleep right at the beginning, this restaurant was also kid-friendly. There were very few raw items, the kiddo could order à la carte, and the staff also took good care of the child.

If Ginza Kitafuku wins with its ingredients and is reliably delicious, then this yakitori restaurant was unexpectedly and stunningly delicious. And compared with the crab feast, the price was much more approachable. It made me start wondering: are all yakitori restaurants in Japan this excellent, and had I simply been gaslit by American izakayas before? In any case, this is a restaurant that I think is worth making a special trip for, and I recommend it to my friends on WeChat Moments.

The more places you visit, the less often you feel surprised, so I really did not expect the first day in Kyoto to have several wow moments. I fell in love with Kyoto so easily.

About the Author

This article is reposted from the WeChat public account of a reader from our WeChat group: Lazy 33’s Food, Drink, and Fun. The account publishes great original articles, so if you are interested, feel free to follow it.

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