It's our second day in Japan.
The weather is perfect to tour around this amazing country.
Nagoya Castle was Japan’s first castle to be designated a National Treasure. Even after the war, it was deemed historically important enough to be designated a National Historic Site.
So my kids and I went to see this National Treasure.
The Nagoya Omotenashi Bushota offers visitors the opportunity to take photos and sit and talk with them while the ninja group entertains visitors with performances of ninja skills. The Bushota also occasionally gives tours around Nagoya Castle sadly We missed the ninja tricks and their performance.
We did not see the Main Castle because of the additional long walks. I had to reward my 2 kids with Japanese Ice cream for us to see the Castle grounds.
We were satisfied with the lush green surroundings of the castle grounds.
Entrance fees for Nagoya Castle are 500 yen.
Access: From Nagoya Station, take the Sakuradori Subway Line to Hisayaodori Station (5 minutes) and change to the Meijo Subway Line to Shiyakusho Station (2 minutes). The total one-way journey takes about ten minutes and costs 240 yen. From the nearest exit, it is a three-minute walk to the castle's east gate.
We wrapped our 2nd day at Nagoya seeing Nagoya TV Tower since this was near the Nagoya Castle.
This was our place for 2 days in Nagoya. My 2 daughters love this huge traditional Japanese tatami room in Airbnb. We got coupon discounts as first time Airbnb users. If you want to get a discount coupon for your first time Airbnb booking you can use my invite code (Airbnb discount)Here is the breakdown of our Airbnb Room Accommodation in Nagoya (2 nights).
₱2462.06 × 2 nights ₱4924.12
Cleaning fees ₱2413.79
Service fee ₱912.89
Coupon discount (₱2133.17)
Total ₱6117.63
I love Airbnb because it is much cheaper compared to a hotel room. Plus the rooms are more spacious and beautiful.
On the 3rd day, We transferred from Nagoya to Kyoto. The bus ride was 4 hrs since it was more convenient for us due to our baggage. We arrived in Kyoto late in the afternoon. If you are planning to visit Japan exclude Nagoya if you intend to visit Kyoto and Osaka. Considering the distance of Nagoya from Kyoto or Osaka you might plan to have a different itinerary for Nagoya alone.
Kyoto is the former capital of Japan if you want to visit the heart of Japan. Kyoto is a must destination. I really love Kyoto its breezy air, beautiful gardens, and magnificent palaces. We were lucky our Airbnb accommodation was near a local train station with easy access to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest.
The train stops and substations. You can access other favorite tourist destinations with the Randen Train. You can visit 5 destinations with this line and train ride.
We arrived at a nice train station in Arashiyama. Since this is a tourist favorite you can expect a lot of shops and restaurants within the area.
Isn't this a nice train station? Look at the bamboo ceiling and bamboo pillars they look great.
Did you spot the colorful pillars? Those were designed with kimono details.
You can freshen up, recharge and eat in the food kiosks available in the train station. After the station, you need to walk a lot to arrive at the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest.
These are the interesting things We saw before arriving at the bamboo forest.
I am guessing this place is a restaurant or a tea shop. Look at the cute animal porcelain figurines on the photo.
Food stalls are available to feed hungry tummies.
This a Rilakkuma Honey Stand. I am imagining that inside this cafe and restaurant is filled with Rilakkuma cute things. Seeing from the outside this place looks amazingly cute. They offer amazingly cute food bento meals and desserts. They also sell teas and non-food items such as mugs and wallets.
These are some of the sample food of Rilkkuma Honey Stand. Kawai!!! they say in Japan. These food are so cute I bet they taste good too.
We passed by Tenryu-ji Temple which is also near the bamboo forest. We skipped this to save time and entrance fees.
Anika and Alexis with their Lola Josie happily posed for their camera shots. We were still at the beginning of our Kyoto adventure so the kids are on high spirits and energy.
The Nonomiya Shrine, found within the bamboo grove at Arashiyama, is a Shinto shrine that is known as a place to receive blessings for love. It is popular among couples or people seeking a lover and it is associated with enmusubi (the connection between a man and a woman). People believe that coming to shrines like Nonomiya Shrine will ensure a happy relationship through divine blessings from gods. Here you can buy lucky love charms which are sold for 1,000 yen. From Osaka info
When you see the green trees lined up you are getting near the bamboo forest. This place is very refreshing. Look at the wonderful lush green surroundings. Walking here is so invigorating, you won't feel tired because of the cool weather and the lovely green trees.
After long walks, We finally arrived at the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Look how tall and proud the bamboo trees are. This place is one of the favorite tourist destinations in Kyoto. You need to visit this place early in the morning to avoid the tourist crowd.
If you do not want to walk you can ride a rickshaw and tour the Arashiyama area. I saw a lot of good reviews about the Arashiyam Rickshaw Tour.
For the Arashiyama 30-Minute Tour you will get to see: - Togetsukyo Bridge - Bamboo Grove - Nonomiya Shrine - Rakushisha - Togetsukyo Bridge
Address: 61 Bunkicho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0028, Japan
Entrance Fee: free
Some of the stores selling cute Japanese souvenirs near the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest.
This restaurant serves really good tasting ramen at an affordable price.
We had to fill up our tummy and take a much-needed rest before going to our next destination the Kinkakuji Temple.
Alexis and I were last from our group. We were walking inside a residential area to see The Kinkakuji Temple.
I was mesmerized by the magnificence of Kinkakuji Golden Temple.
This impressive zen temple is top with two floors that are completely covered with gold leaf. It is lovely situated overlooking a giant pond.
Alexis all smiling for the camera while Anika might be feeling her aching feet due to our never-ending voyage.
Address: 1 Kinkakujicho, Kita Ward, Kyoto, 603-8361, Japan
Entrance Fee: 400 yen (adult) 300 yen (child)
Our last Kyoto adventure for the day was seeing one of the famous spots in Kyoto.
Foxes statues scattered all around this mountain top Shrine. Where the Hollywood movie"Memoirs of a Geisha" was shot on location with the thousands orange tori gates.
Japan's iconic Hello Kitty. My 2 daughters totally love Hello Kitty giant plush toy wearing the traditional kimono dress. We found one Hello Kitty shop selling cute and adorable Hello Kitty things on our way to Fushimi Inari Shrine.
When there is a flock of tourists there are food stalls. Who wants Takoyaki?
The Main Gate of the Fushimi Inari Shrine.
You need to reserve your energy to trail the uphill Fushimi Inari Shrine where you can see the thousands of vermilion tori gates line up or you can try a mini hike on some of the few gates.
Ringing the bells for good luck
Address: 68 Fukakusa Yabunouchicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, 612-0882, Japan
Entrance fee: free
We finished touring Fushimi Inari late in the afternoon. 5 pm in Japan is already late and dark especially if you are in high-level places such as Kyoto. My youngest daughter was exhausted from our Day 1 Kyoto Tour I had to carry her downstairs from Fushimi Inari to go back to our Airbnb accommodation. That was really physically challenging for me. Traveling is not just fun and exciting. Somehow traveling to a different country will teach you so many lessons in life. Traveling to Japan made my kids experience hauling their own luggage, running and chasing the train. My eldest daughter outgrew her fear of the escalator because she was in charge of carrying her own luggage and she needed to constantly ride the escalator with luggage. Our Japan adventure was truly memorable.
We stayed in a 2 floor Airbnb house. This place was conveniently located near a local train station plus it has complete amenities complimented with a lovely huge space.
Unlike in Nagoya where we got a large family room. Here in Kyoto, we were lucky to book a whole house just for ourselves.
This house has 3 bedrooms with 8 tatami beds that perfectly fit our family.
Here is our link to the Kyoto Airbnb where we stayed for 2 days.
If you want to get a coupon discount for your first time booking in Airbnb get my Airbnb Coupon Discount
Traveling to new places is a fun and exciting experience for your whole family. You just need to plan ahead, make a few adjustments and save money before you travel. Traveling is more fun if you know you had saved and prepared enough for your family's enjoyment and leisure.
Happy Holidays Everyone.
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