I took a desperately-needed shower in the morning at our hotel and then we hopped on the bullet train to make our way to Kyoto. At Kyoto station, stashed our luggage in a big coin locker and then headed to Arashiyama.
Arashiyama
We first got to Steak Otsuka around 8:55am and were able to put our name down on the list. I think we were maybe 7th or 8th to write our names down. After that we grabbed some breakfast from 7eleven headed out to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove.
Arashiyama Bamboo grove
The bamboo grove does have at least two sections and if you’re coming from the Saga-Arashiyama JR station, the first bit you walk through is not nearly as dense or cool-looking as the second portion. So don’t spend too much time taking pictures in the first part. Overall, walking through this bamboo grove was mostly quick and easy. Even at 9am, there were plenty of tourists so if you want pictures without too many others, go extra early. I really enjoyed taking pictures here and it was something cool to do while waiting for Steak Otsuka to open.
Kameyama Park
Once we reached the end of the bamboo groves, we took a break to eat the salmon onigiri and egg salad sandwich from 7eleven for breakfast. Then
we decided to just wander around the nearby neighborhoods and ended up walking through Kameyama park. There were so many signs about not making eye contact with monkeys in the park, haha. We kept following the trails and eventually ended up
We kept on following the trails and eventually ended up at an overlook that had an amazing view of Katsura River. The overlook also came with an older gentleman who yelled out “OYYY” into the valley and got back a prompt reply from elsewhere–that was so much fun.
Steak Otsuka
At some point, we made our way back to Steak Otsuka a little before 11am but didn’t quite make the first seating despite being pretty early on the sign-in sheet. It wasn’t too long before we got called to be seated and we were directed towards the counters. We both got the Murasawa steak and it wasn’t meat–it was just meat-flavored butter.
I definitely think it’s important for people who go here to realize that the A5 wagyu is so marbled with fat that it’s not going to be like normal steak. If you want meat, try a different cut or grade! But if you want this “fairy-rare, phantom beef”, get the Murasawa and prepare for like half the meat to melt and disappear in your mouth. I really enjoyed it but I’m a big fan of butter, fat, and oil. I still can’t really wrap my head around the fact that there are like only 80 of these specific cows that get shipped each year?
We actually started heading back after eating because of food coma symptoms but at the JR station, we stopped by the 7eleven and saw some weird souvenirs that inspired us to go back and explore more. More specifically, I saw these charms and magnets with a white human-like figure on all fours that looked so ugly but cute at the same time. Once I googled who he was, I was ready to leave the station and find the bridge that he was a mascot of.
Togetsu-kyo Bridge
Surprise highlight of the day was definitely this bridge and finding out who the mascot it. You should google it and marvel at the brilliance of the mascot design. I ended up needing to buy at least one souvenir of Wataru, the bridge mascot.
Once we crossed the bridge, we got to an area with shops and restaurants. That’s where we then bought a Wataru flashlight (the light comes out of his butt) and a music box.
Kyoto Station
After we finished exploring Arashiyama, we headed back to Kyoto Station to do a bit of exploring before we headed to our hotel/inn.
Nakamura Tokichi
We tried to go to Nakamura Tokichi but the cafe had a 90min wait time but no wait for the little gift shop…. so we ended up buying the little pints of hojicha and matcha ice cream as well as one of the matcha cakes. We took them up to the Sky Garden and devoured the food while keeping watch on the some birds that were eyeing us.
We both preferred the hojicha flavor but the match was intense and good too. The cake was a good addition just to break up the spoonfuls of ice cream.
Sky Garden
Getting to the sky garden, we finally realized there was a whole department store in this station. In addition, the steps have lights and they do light shows on the steps! We didn’t catch the whole thing but they basically use the lights like pixels and are able to make big complex images like moving trains or the Japanese flags. Definitely realized that to see it well, you have to be at the very bottom.
Kyoto style small inn Iru
It took some help from the tourist info office, but we figured out what bus to take to get to our inn and headed there for the night. The room seemed very traditional with futon beds, tatami mats, and paper-thin sliding doors. There were maybe 8 or 9 rooms total! And shared toilets, showers, and sink again. It was also pretty dang cold at night but somehow the futons were enough to keep us warm. We ate a ramen restaurant right next to the inn per recommendation by the innkeeper–it was a bit salty for me but we were very hungry at that point. Also tried some pudding from Lawson because, seriously, Japan’s convenience stores are on point.
Tomorrow, we go to Fushimi-Inari!
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