Spring Break!

I took a trip down to Osaka and Kyoto for spring break! It was perfect timing for the sakura blooms, but with the blooms come the crowds. Since this is the first spring in a few years that Japan has been open to tourists, it was CROWDED everywhere. I felt like a sardine on the buses and trains. I was blessed with gorgeous weather which made the trip even better. This was my first solo vacation and luckily, nothing went terribly wrong!

OSAKA – day 1
I arrived in Osaka around 1pm and had to rush around in the rain to drop off my suitcase at my hotel and then hustle to the aquarium in time for my reservation at 3:30! I avoided a 190 minute line by making a reservation beforehand… whew. I didn’t know how much I loved whale sharks until I saw them in person. Afterwards, I headed to the famous area of Dotonbori in search of the famous street food: okonomiyaki. After waiting on a two hour waiting list, I finally ate. It was late when I finally checked into my hotel and I fell asleep quickly. In the morning, I ate sakura taiyaki for breakfast because, why not? I’m on vacation! I checked out of my hotel and hopped on a train bound for Kyoto.

KYOTO – day 2
Upon arriving in Kyoto, I had to rush to my hotel (again) to drop off my luggage and meet my friends in Arashiyama for a kimono rental! I made it just in time (1:28 for a 1:30 reservation) where I was sucked into a beautiful kimono along with toe socks and a hairdo. We then hiked to the top of a mountain to see the free-range monkeys. Hiking in kimono flip flops? Interesting choice, but we didn’t stop there. We inched back down the mountain and headed for the Sagano Bamboo forest which was very cool, but not as green as I pictured. We had about 45 minutes to kill before our kimono rental time was up, so we did some snacking and shopping. I found a Miffy store! Eeek! It felt very nice to put on my normal clothes and sneakers when we were finished in the kimonos. We had a fancy kaiseki dinner and then took the train back to our hotels. Busy day!

KYOTO – day 3
I headed to the Fushimi Inari Shrine early to try and avoid the crowds, but I think everyone had that same idea. Luckily it was less crowded as I climbed higher and higher. There were thousands and thousands of these vermillion tori gates and the photos cannot capture how it felt to walk underneath them. Hiking to the top of the mountain worked up my appetite, so I found some street food which I think was thinly sliced chicken around a rice ball topped with mayo and green onions.
*I’ll finish this post later – it’s my bedtime!

KYOTO – day 4

Back to Sendai – day 5