megan: Kyoto, Japan 2015 (Day 2) Part I: Kinkaku-ji, Arashiyama, Sagano Scenic Railway

Given that we only had 2 further days in Kyoto and had a lot to fit in, we headed straight out early in the morning at 7am. Which means wake up call was at 6am and it was such a hassle waking up in the cold. Not that I'm complaining, but the temperature was dropping day by day.

First cultural visit was Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) and we took a bus from opposite the hotel to the temple located in the north-west of the city. We bought the Kyoto Bus One Day Pass from our hotel for ¥500 where we can can travel any number of times within the red border.

It was about 15 minutes to 9 when we reached, there were quite a number of people there already even though the gates have not been open. I guess a lot of people make Kinkaku-ji as their first stop, so maybe the crowd is more manageable in the afternoon. Just maybe!

Kinkaku-ji became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. There are actually a TON of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kyoto (17 to be exact). So many that they had to create a separate list called the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.

Among the list are Kamigamo Jinja, Shimogamo Jinja, To-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, Enryaku-ji, Daigo-ji, Ninna-ji, Byodo-in, Ujigami Jinja, Kozan-ji, Koke-dera, Tenryu-ji, Ginkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji, Nishi Hongan-ji, and Nijo-jo.

When in Kinkaku-ji, you can never miss its crystal clear reflection in the pond. I can't deal with this blinding beauty and I realized how lucky I am to see this place with my very own eyes! Photos will never do this place justice.

A quick background on Kinkaku-ji: It is a Zen temple with two floors completely covered in gold leaf. It was formerly a retirement villa for Ashikaga Yoshimitsu until his death in 1408.

What the entrance ticket looked like. Admission was ¥400!

Prayer candles for different wishes — schoolwork accomplishment, family and safety, one's heart
desire, a gift of marriage, etc.

We continued around the lake, past the temples and through the gardens towards the exit, past a few
more temple buildings and some vending machines of course. Had churros which I got from a bakery in Kyoto Station for breakfast as we were making our way to the next sightseeing attraction.

Next stop was Arashiyama. It is also one of the most visited world heritage site in Kyoto. Unlike Kinkaku-ji, Arashiyama is a cluster of famous tourist spots like Togetsukyo Bridge, Tenryu-ji, Bamboo Grove, Sagano Scenic Romantic Train Ride, etc. We I was very excited to reach Arashiyama, it's such a lovely place; you can sit by the riverbank, walk around the local market, stroll on the bridge, and snap pictures everywhere!

To get to Arashiyama from Kinkaku-ji, we walked towards the nearest bus stop and took the bus to Kitanohakubaicho Station where we took the Keifuku Randen Tram. I think it took about 20 minutes before we arrived at Arashiyama Randen Station.

First of all, of course, we went to the Bamboo Forest also known as the Bamboo Grove. Even with so many travelers around us, it was really peaceful.

The entire place is so zen. It is the most serene walk that I've had in my entire life, believe me. Walking on a path with bamboo tress on both your sides, we wanted to continue that walk for so long! After exiting the Bamboo Grove, we made our way to the famous Togetsukyo Bridge.

And we kinda got lost on the way, but encountered this beautiful scenery.

In the end, we relied on Apple Maps to lead us the way to the bridge.

So! We've reached the famous Togetsukyo Bridge. It is also called the moon crossing bridge. Actually, I'm not really sure why this bridge is famous, but since we're here, why not? Nonetheless, here's the photos. Been here, done here!

And we headed for lunch at a nearby restaurant. I don't know if it had anything to do with the face that I was practically starving, but it tasted really good to me!

Walked to the Saga Trokko Station which is right beside the JR Saga-Arashiyama Station for the Sagano Romantic Train Ride. It is a sightseeing train that runs along the Hozugawa River between Arashiyama and Kameoka. The train itself is an old vintage train with one open car and four closed cars. We obviously wanted to sit in the open car but because we reserved seats and bought our tickets earlier at the JR Office at Kansai International Airport, we could only sit in the closed car as the open car is a non-reserved car. The train ride takes about 20-25 minutes and it's a 7km long journey.

Tickets are priced at ¥620 per person one way.

The train stops at 3 stations (Arashiyama Trokko, Hozukyo Trokko, and Kameoka Trokko). At the last stop, you have a few options to choose from to get back to Arashiyama;
1. Take the thrilling Hozugawa River Cruise for 2 hours at ¥4100 per person
2. Walk about 10 minutes to Umahori Station and take a JR Sagano Line back
3. Take the same sightseeing train back