My wife and I just had a wonderful family vacation to Kyoto and Osaka, spending quality bonding time with our older son. He had just completed his uni education in Jun and was back home for 2 months until he starts his career working in HK.
We had planned this short getaway with him as he previously could not make it to the last South Korean vacation with our younger son in late May till early Jun because of his final exams. Hence we figured that we should do a separate trip with him when he is back home. Our younger son had just started his new uni term in Jul and so he had to skip this Japan trip.
We aim to spend 4 nights in Kyoto and then another 4 in Osaka. That would help us soak in the vibes of these 2 unique Japanese cities. Scoot was the preferred choice of transport this time as they had timings that suited us – an early flight in (6 am) and a late flight out (5 pm).
The trip was mostly free and easy with minimal activities booked in advance as we wanted it to be as spontaneous as possible. I was always a sticker for holiday planning to the last-minute details when the kids were younger. But as we all grew older, my Nazi-style of holiday organization had toned down given that the family prefers some flexibility in the schedule. My wife would take care of accommodation bookings as she is very particular about the room conditions. I will fire up an Excel/Google spreadsheet months before the trip to begin planning and slotting the details of each day into the master agenda.
Free walking tours are something that I found in our Europe vacations that I became hooked on. The tour guides worked on the concept of a tip-based reward at the end of the walk, rather than the upfront fee type we are so used to. I felt that these free-walking tour guides work much harder to earn their tips rather than going through the motion every time. This concept has spread to America and Asia and I book them whenever I can find them in the cities we visit.
Day 1 – 21 Jul: We had to leave for the airport at 0345 for our early morning 0615 flight to Osaka which took about 6.5 hours. The Scoot budget airline plane was really basic in amenities. No entertainment at all, no screens nor USB ports provided on the seat even for the Scoot Plus we paid extra for. Just a bigger seat:-( And no access to the airport lounge too. Luckily we had Priority Pass from a bank which we could use to grab some breakfast before the flight. Reminder to self: avoid using them again, especially for long-haul flights.
We reached KIX Kansai airport and had to figure out how we could get to Kyoto as the Japanese transit system is very foreigner-unfriendly and complicated. Cabs are expensive and cost a few hundred dollars just to get to the city. Managed to reach our Kyoto hotel (Nohga Kiyomizu Kyoto) after about 2.5 hours and also walked about 1 km with our luggage as the last train did not stop at our station LOL… They have Rapid, Non-Rapid and Normal trains that stop at selected or all stations.
Day 2 – 22 Jul: We started the morning with a free walking tour in Kyoto. It was a 2.5 hours city introduction to the areas around the central parts. Thereafter, we had to cool down to get used to the mid-day sun and temperature of 35 degrees Celsius heat.
In the evening, we booked a dinner at one of the 6 three Michelin stars restaurants that served Kyoto Kaiseki food – Isshisouden Nakamura. They used only the freshest of ingredients of the day and it was mainly conger eel dishes that evening. The chef personally thanked us when we were leaving. He is a 6th generation chef and his family had operated this restaurant for over 180 years.
Day 3 – 23 Jul: A free and easy day using the Sagano Romantic Train to visit the areas around the Arashiyama mountains to check out the temples and the bamboo garden forest. We visited the Nishiki markets and had a nice evening dinner in our hotel room watching the latest K-pop series A2K.
Day 4 – 24 Jul, Mon: It was the start of our adventure to experience a one-night stay in a glamping location called Grax. The journey there was via taxi and then a train to the free shuttle pick-up point and it took about 2 hours. We had our tentage with a balcony with a hammock to chill. We had ordered a premium BBQ dinner which we could cook and watch the sun setting.
It was an eventful evening of cooking our dinner before heading to the onsen to wash up. Breakfast was also a self-cooked bacon and eggs meal in the cooling morning breeze.
Day 5 – 25 Jul, Tue: We had to check out at 10 am and made our way towards Osaka via the free shuttle bus to the train station. It was easier this time around as we got better at understanding the complicated train system and schedule. Reached our Courtyard Honmachi Osaka hotel and managed to do an early afternoon check-in. We immediately headed to the popular Dotonbori shopping district to spend our afternoon. Lunch at the Ikinari steak house which we always like and managed to book a luxurious crab dinner at the iconic restaurant.
Day 6 – 26 Jul, Wed: Went to the hotel gym and had an early Japanese curry lunch before visiting the huge multi-storied gaming building called Round1 Stadium. In the evening, we attended a Hanshin Tigers baseball game versus the Yomiuri Giants at the Hanshin Koshien stadium. We had KFC takeaway for dinner at our seats in the full-capacity event of 45,000 attendees. The Tigers won and scored decisively into the 7th innings right after we left early to beat the crowd LOL…
Day 7 – 27 Jul, Thurs: Another free and easy day as we journeyed to the Nakanoshima-Koen Park and then to shop at Tenjimbashi-suji Street. Early lunch at our fav self-BBQ seafood chain Isomaru. The weather was too hot and we had a coffee break at a new Instagramable cafe before heading back to the hotel for a rest. In the evening we took a leisurely walk to the Dotonburi area as we had booked a shabu shabu buffet dinner.
Day 8 – 28 Jul, Fri: This was the most strenuous day as we attacked the Universal Studio Osaka park early in the morning. Running around in the hot 36 degrees sunny weather like mad men, we managed to conquer and complete about 9 rides and shows by late afternoon.
Heading back to the hotel after a long exhaustive day, we found a nice basement Izakaya dinner place that was next to our hotel. Since it was our last night in Japan, we ordered lots of drinks and Japanese finger food to end the vacation with a bang.
Day 9 – 29 Jul, Sat: Time to head home. We had a lazy morning in our hotel room. I managed to go to the gym and then had a meal at a popular breakfast place. We took the train to KIX for our 1645 flight home, reaching Changi airport just before 2200.
A great family bonding short holiday with our older son where we had the opportunity to have in-depth discussions about his career aspirations as he embark on the next phase of his life working in HK. Wonderful quality time indeed.
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