Day #3 – Our Visit To Kyoto
A Visit To Kiyomizu-Dera Temple And Our Lunch At Gion Tamejiro Kiyomizusaka
The first place that we visited was the Kiyomizu-Dera Temple, a well-known heritage site. This was a big place and you can see many other temple structures within. There was also a good view of the city as we walked higher up.
We headed down to the crowded Kiyomizu-Zaka Street after the temple visit. There were many long, narrow and downward winding paths around and each leading to many different foods, souvenirs and snacks outlets alongside.
We chanced upon this Gion Tamejiro Restaurant (located at the Second Level) because of their Advertised Duck Meat Iced Noodles which was their Summer Special. There was a long queue and some were waiting at the staircase. There was also a sign that required us to make at least one order person. There was also a wide range of Yatsuhashi (a sweet Japanese Confectionery item) being sold at the First Level – feel free to try.
So our orders were:
- Duck Meat Noodles (Iced & Summer Special) at 1,000 yen
- Clear Soup Chicken Noodles at 980 yen
Our Experiences:
We would recommend that you eat the Yatsuhashi (the triangular piece in the image) first before attacking your noodles or you can try taking a bite of the noodles along with a spoonful of soup first (remember the taste) followed by eating the Yatsuhashi and feel the difference.
Overall, the food taste was very good. The noodles texture was chewy yet thin and the soup was good for both. The meats were good too with a tasty layer of fats on the Chicken meat and you could feel the Duck Meat melting in your mouth. The egg was just so-so though.
It was at this place we experience that the people take their time to seat customers. There may be available seats but their priority was to serve those who were seated before attending to new customers. Luckily there were only two groups of people in front of us. Many who came later left as they did not want to wait. They have four outlets in Kyoto and one at the Tokyo Station.
Things To Shop And Try
The Temple area was big and with many things to see, try and shop. A few noticeable ones were:
- Pickled Cucumber – we didn’t try but we did see many walking around with one in hand
- Cinnamon Puff with Vanilla and Green Tea Cream from Kiyomizu Kyoami – nice combination but there was a grumpy person serving us at the counter
- Chili Powder – they let us try on the spot and the spiciness was definitely there
- Green Tea Powder – many outlets to try but the one in the picture was good especially when it is served cold
Our Unexpected 2 Hours 5KM Hike Up Fushimi Inari-taisha
One activity that we did not plan for was the 5km hike up Fushimi Inari-taisha which was well-known for the thousands of Torri Gate. So if you are going there, please wear good and comfortable walking shoes, bring few bottles of water and prepare yourself not to give up!
About The Hike
We were not dressed for the hike (but luckily we were wearing shoes) but managed to conquer a total of 14 checkpoints after climbing up many flights of steps with no access to toilets and most shops were closed. The air was fresh (you could feel the difference) so that was one motivating factor to go on. It was hard to take photos as you will be fighting with many others – you could just snap and go.
Checkpoint #6 was a good spot to take scenic photos. Checkpoint #7 was very misleading and was just a big temple area with dog statues and many small Torri gates at the end of the path. Many gave up along the way but we focused on charging ahead (feel free to motivate each other along the way) with many in-between chatters of “why are we not at the top yet?” Do not be fooled by the partial maps that are displayed along the way. One must always keep the full picture (the actual distance you have to cover) in mind.
We confirmed that we had reached the top after we saw the “山顶“ sign. What was demoralizing was that Mt Inari was just 233m above sea level but we had to walk more than 2 hours up. But nonetheless, it was a good walk and you are encouraged to do so too!
Our Dinner At Hanamaruken Namba Houzenji and Bites At Acchichi Honpo
With the hike, that marked the end of our Day Trip at Kyoto and we headed back to Namba for our dinner.
We tried Hanamaruken Namba Houzenji which was well mentioned online for its Ramen and they are opened 24 hours.
Our Orders:
- Slow-cooked Pork Rib Ramen, Yakimeshi (Fried Rice) and Gyoza – Set
- Double Happiness Ramen (two different types of Pork) – Ala Carte
Our Experience:
The queue was quite long and one thing we did not like was that smoking was allowed just outside of the queue area. Once you are in, the air inside smelled of the broth so get prepared to smell the same when you are out. They cooked right after your order and they served fast. The servings were big and our order of 2 bowls of Ramen and 1 plate of Fried Rice were a little too much to handle. Overall, the broth was thick, tasty but could be a little salty. Noodle was tender and chewy. The rice tasted a little too salty as well. The Pork Rib was well cooked and melted with each bite. The two other smaller pieces of pork tasted good too.
Our Takoyaki At Acchichi Honpo
As we walked back to our Hotel through the Tombori Riverwalk where you get to squeeze with many people to take photo of the famous Glico Man and find one of the many Ichiran Ramen outlets, we saw this queue for Takoyaki at this corner outlet known as Acchichi Honpo. We joined the long fast-moving queue and ordered one set of it.
Taste:
Crispy on the outside and very soft in the inside but somehow tasted a little bland. The Octopus piece was quite a big chunk so we guessed that was the main highlight.
With this meal, we ended our Third Day of our Osaka Trip.