Summary of Kyoto, bamboo forest and monkey park

Sharing my latest Japan posts! We had the most magical time in Kyoto and I’m excited to share the details with you if you’re considering adding this to your travel bucket list!

More posts from our amazing time in Seoul and Tokyo:

Summary of Seoul

The ultimate Korean spa experience

Summary of Tokyo and why I love Japan

and Tokyo eats + gf chooses

Summary of Kyoto, bamboo forest and monkey park

So many of our friends had told us to take the bullet train to explore the nearby areas while in Tokyo. Okinawa, Nara, Kyoto and Osaka were highly recommended. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I was intimidated by planning this trip and adding another leg of the trip felt a little too much for my brain. One of my friends told us that we would regret going to Tokyo and not seeing Kyoto, so we decided to do it… and it ended up being my personal highlight of the trip.

While Tokyo is bustling with bright lights and tall buildings, Kyoto feels like a more cinematic, relaxed Japan. Think lantern-lit streets, temples and geishas.

The bullet train was SUCH a cool experience – we were going 200 miles an hour and it was so nice and so much more pleasant/smooth than traveling by plane –

(Mt.Fuji!!)

and before we knew it we were checked into our hotel in Kyoto.

We stayed at the Gion Elite Terrace which I booked through Amex travel (<— our referral link) and highly recommend. We would definitely stay there again. The lobby was stocked with amenities, tea, hot cocoa and coffee and the rooms were super clean and modern. The girls had to flip a coin to see who could sleep in the loft... P won.

There was also an oxygen bath that infused the water with tiny oxygen bubbles. They claim to help eliminate free radicals (great for anti-aging), improve skin texture, keep your skin warm after a bath (you’re not cold afterwards), and help with sleep. I found all of these things to be true. I was considering buying one with the bathroom remodel and mold remediation we are doing, but it’s a random 27k. It’s cheaper for me to fly back to Japan and use it there lol.

We spent our first night exploring. Gion is absolutely breathtaking and we walked across the bridge and saw TONS of cute shops and restaurants.

(the dress is here!)

(Saw a nutria in the river which is apparently an invasive species but we all loved it)

Dinner was at Pontocho Shabushabu Sukiyaki Kiraku which I found on Tabelog. This is a restaurant review service used by locals (this was popular in Korea too) and a friend told us that anything above 3.0 would be excellent. They didn’t let us down.

Shabu shabu is like a Japanese hotpot with a boiling pot of broth on the table and vegetables and meat to cook. There are different dipping sauces and multiple dishes. We had wagyu and kobe beef, lots of delicious vegetables, and then they made noodles for Liv and the pilot and egg soup for me and P (gluten free option) using the broth.

The next day we woke up early and headed to the Bamboo Park which was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip.

We were surrounded by bamboo. It was so lush and green and peaceful. We took a trip to the Arashiyama Monkey Park where the monkeys roam freely around you. One kept walking inches from my feet!

The rest of the day was spent shopping and lunch was at Engine Ramen. They have a gluten free ramen option and that was it. SO delicious and filling. I will be dreaming about this bowl of ramen until we get back!

The next day we headed back to Ginza where we spent another night and day before ending the trip.

I still have Japression and do what I can to find little bits of Japan here. I think one of the things I love most about trips like this is not necessarily the location (although in this case the location was truly breathtaking), but the uninterrupted time with family, the ability to slow down, more walking and time in nature. Less time scrolling, more time enjoying. I feel like I’m ranting about how much it changed my life, but this trip really affected me on a soul level. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced and it was meaningful to see how traditional and current can coexist, the way everyone in Japan seems to take immense pride in what they do, the community acting for the good of others instead of selfishness. It was a lot to absorb. We have been home for a month and I still think about it every day.

Thanks for reading about our adventures!! What did you do this summer? Are there fun trips on the horizon?

xo

Gina