KANSAI 🇯🇵 Japan at its best

This short trip to Kansai, Japan was one of our latest trips before leaving Korea.

Jordi already had been there two times before. One in 2009 with friends, and another time in 2013 with his parents and his brother. Both on summer time.

This time, since Hyekyong had never been there, we wanted to try that in winter. We had some days off and decided to visit Nara, Koyasan, and Osaka. We discarded Kyoto because we already had been there before one or two times.

Before starting our big trip, and knowing we would not go to Japan in a while, Jordi wanted Hyekyong to experience the magical and beautiful Koyasan. But that will come later. First, we landed in Kansai International Airport (KIX). This time, we prepared quite well in advance. We didn’t have much time there and we wanted to get the best out of it. So, first we decided the places to go: Nara, Koya Mountain and Osaka city. We booked the accommodations with Booking and checked some places to eat on Tripadvisor. We marked on a map the restaurants and type of food around the areas we would be visiting. This way we would save time deciding what to eat and trying to find the places.

The first day we landed early in the morning and thanks to the Kansai Thru Pass that we bought before at Tourbaksa we could take most of the train, subway and bus lines in the Kansai area. From KIX the easiest way to Nara is via Namba Station in Osaka. The we transfer to the Kintetsu-Nara line and that was it! We used Google Maps to plan our schedule. Japan transportation is very punctual and reliable, and Google showing all the timetables in advance makes it easier and convenient to plan in advance and not to worry about rushing or missing a train.

P.S: The booking.com links on this post will give you some discount and will give us some discount too. Use them and we both win! Thank you!

Koyasan (Mount Koya)

From Nara to Koyasan, a nice train trip up the mountains

The second day we took the train at Nara station and went back to Namba Station to transfer to the Nankai Railway Koya Line. We were lucky that that line was also included in the Kansai Thru Pass ticket. Therefore we didn’t have to worry about more ticket prices. The trip takes about 2 hours to Gokurakubashi station. Deep in the mountain. And at the end of that Koya Line we took the cable-car that goes up to Koyasan bus terminal. A small bus stop with some buses heading to the town.

Our train to KoyasanWaiting time before the tunnelThe trip up with the cable car is pretty short

The village in mount Koya seems mostly populated by monks. The place was where the monk Kukai a.k.a. Kobo Daishi founded the Shingon buddhist clan monastic center for studies and practices of esoteric buddhism. Kobo Daishi/Kukai was buried up there in the mountain. Since then, a big buddhist cemetery was built all around his mausoleum and bringing a kind of sacred wave to the mountain. Becoming the start and end of Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage place for Buddhists. In addition, Koyasan also has some craft and artisan shops, very few restaurants in the main street and some school. One day, spending the night there, should be enough to see all the sightseeing and cultural heritage it has to offer. Before starting walking around we left our bags at our temple lodge, the beautiful Fukuchi-in, where Jordi already stayed with his family in 2013.

Exploring Koyasan

After having some simple lunch we went to the entrance of the town, the big gate Daimon. A big gate 25.1 meters high that marks the entrance to the town. Around there there is also the Danjo Garan Complex. A must visit place to catch some of the spirituality that surrounds the whole town. We spent more time that we expected since it is a very calm and not crowded area. We really love that from Koyasan. Great temples surrounded by beautiful nature and just a few visitors walking around. But the best was yet to come. We left the visit to the Okunoin cemetery for the last. For the night. After checking-in at the temple lodge and having a very delicious (and interesting to the sight, nose and palate) dinner consisting of Shojin Ryori (vegetarian Buddhist cuisine), including local specialty, sesame tofu, we hurried to Okunoin with the bus. We calculated well the time so we could be on time before the temple closed the gates for the 9pm curfew.

The night walk in Okunoin

We got off the bus at the main entrance of Okunoin (Okunoin-mae). It was a dark and cold January night. The moon wasn’t full, but it was bright enough to guide us through the slightly illuminated cemetery. We were completely alone, no other visitors, it was just us, surrounded by thousands of tombs and gravestones.

We gotta admit, at some point we got a little scared walking into that darkness hearing some animals and the wind through the dense tree foliage. We were carrying a flashlight, but tried to have it off most of the time so our eyes could get used to that darkness.

A few hundred meters from the south entrance we arrived in front of the Kobo Daishi mausoleum, next to the crystal-clean water Tama River. We could feel that a mysterious atmosphere surrounded the place and the fact that taking photos is not allowed beyond the bridge adds an even more spiritual calm. We walked around the two buildings and appreciated the details of the wood walls, the beauty of the lamps and admired the whole scenery. It was just the two of us. Nobody else around.

Scary but not scared

We kept walking and followed the long trail. Stairs up, stairs down, some bridge, long walks, all surrounded by some of the tallest cedar trees we had ever seen.

When people ask us about Koyasan, we usually say that it’s like being in one of those spiritual forests in a Studio Ghibli-Hayao Miyazaki’s animation movies. The calm, the sacredness, the majestuous nature. It all adds up providing an unforgettable experience. And sometimes even it might make you wanna go and relive it again.

We speeded up our steps towards the end because we were worried for the temple-lodge curfew and being locked out. But we had no problem. And we didn’t even need the bus, we just walked enjoying the empty, serene and peaceful streets of the village.

Back at the temple-lodge, it was time to enjoy a hot bath. Fukuchiin has an indoor and an outdoor onsen. So, we split for a while and relax in the men’s and women’s bathrooms respectively. The feeling of being in a hot bath outdoors in a cold January night is one of the most relaxing experiences we’ve ever had.

The early morning walk in Okunoin was a refreshing experience

It was still early for us to go to sleep, but we were planning to visit again the cemetery early morning in the next day. So we tried to sleep early. We set our alarms and left around 5am, while there was the morning meditation ceremony in the temple. Still dark, we took the opposite route from the previous night and this time we walked to the first gate, throught the Ichinohashi bridge and strolled along the path while taking some photos and seeing the sky becoming brighter. Like the previous night, we were the only ones, no one else around. The birds started singing and the whole place got a different feeling with the first morning light.

When we were arriving at the main gate, we started seeing some visitors. It was around 6am, time to catch one of the first buses back to the temple-lodge.

Back at the Fukuchiin we had a very nice breakfast. We weren’t sure what we were eating, although it sure tasted nice and healthy.

Leaving Koyasan

Once done and packed it was time to visit a little more. We went to Kongobuji temple, the Kobo Daishi and Shingon sect headquarters. We were expecting an audioguide. But following the pamphlet and the fact that we were the only ones there at that moment, we easily immersed and felt like traveling back in time to see the temple daily life.

The Banryutei Rock Garden is the largest rock garden in japan (2.349 square meters). The design is a pair of dragons emerging from a sea of clouds to protect the Okuden.The dragons are made of 140 pieces of granite brought from Shikoku and the white sand is from Kyoto.

Finally, the village of Koyasan still had some more things to offer and we still got some time. We checked the gardens of some other temples and went back to pick our bags to leave. We were on the way to the station but we stopped at the Tokugawa Mausoleum, a pretty small and since it’s a bit far from the rest of the village, it’s not as popular as other spots but it is an important and easy to catch before leaving the town.

Osaka, enjoying great food around the big city

Leaving Koyasan is always exciting. After some more than 24h, your body and soul feels rested and calm. So, wherever you go you will feel excited. Back to Osaka, the contrast is huge. All the hustle of this huge metropolis, the combination of many different smells from street food, the jingles from big speakers and music from shops. Vendors shouting trying attract you and welcoming you to their stores and sell you their products. We actually enjoyed our way from Namba Station to our accommodation, the Hostel Wasabi Osaka.

This branch in Dotonbori opened recently and it didn’t appear in all maps. But thanks to their Facebook page we located it pretty quickly. We could not check in yet so we just left some stuff there and headed to a tourist information office to get some tickets for a cool show in Osaka Castle. Unfortunately, the staff told us the tickets were all sold out (and quite expensive too), so we skipped that and thought what to do.

The best Okonomiyaki…ever!

We think better with full stomach, and we were not far from one of our marked spots to eat: the Okonomiyaki Chitose. Prior to starting the trip we did some searches for local, cheap and good reviewed places. And Chitose was one of the best. For this reason, our expectations were quite high and got excited as soon as we entered the tiny eatery. We sat on a stool in front of the counter, right in front of the cook. It is quite common in restaurants in Asia to offer seats in front of the kitchen, that allows you to see how they prepare and cook the whole thing, and this one didn’t disappoint.

We exchanged some words with the waitress, looked around the walls and noticed a big world map full of pins pinned by the visitors from around the world. The map was full. And on another wall there was a board full of different notes from currencies from many different countries. This gave us an idea of how popular, specially among foreigners, that restaurant was. We can’t remember exactly what we ordered, but we went for the house recommendation plus another dish. We were very hungry and watching the cook making all the food in front of was made us even hungrier. So, when we finally could eat, it was a big pleasure. If you ever go to Osaka, we strongly recommend you this place.

Exploring Osaka Shinsekai and Dotonbori

After lunch we still had some time before the check-in, so we went south and ended up in Shinsekai: That area that many people describe as a retro futuristic town, full of neon lights, a popular crossing with big balloon fish restaurants and pubs decoration, and at the end, the Tsutenkaku tower. We kept walking admiring all the small souvenirs and small items. We think that Japanese are the kings of souvenirs. They got this talent of making of anything a local specialty and make limited and special editions like Takoyaki Pringles, or the endless varieties of Kitkat, or Hello Kitty wearing traditional costumes or holding local cuisine.

It was time to check-in at the Wasabi Hostel, so we quickly dropped our bags and changed our clothes and headed out for some more fun.

The Dotonbori area is full of attractions. Plenty of restaurants to try, shops with nerdy items, game arcades…Lots of entertainment for hours. But it was too early for that for us, and since we both had already been before in Osaka, we wanted to try something more traditional or cultural. And it was right there: The Bunraku Puppet Theater.

The Bunraku Puppet Theater

Bunraku is one of Japan’s representative traditional performing arts, designated a World Intangible Heritage by Unesco in 2003. It is a collaborative form which synchronizes narrative recitation, shamisen music and puppetry in performance. The plays change often and the program we caught was for New Year. A full play can be more than 5 hours, separated in 4 or 5 acts. Fortunately for us, they offer single act tickets which is enough to get an idea of the whole thing. We recommend you to get the audio guide to follow the story, and before of after the play, check the small exhibit on the first floor.

Everything looked quite fancy, and since the prices aren’t cheap, you it seems most of people there were there dressed for the ocasion, like going to the opera. Once inside, after some minutes of play we could see that the theater wasn’t full, many empty seats, and what surprised us was that there were groups of people sleeping openly, head back on the headrest and wide open mouth. It someway reminded us the whole day at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo watching Sumo fights. Families eating from lunch boxes, others sleeping…

After the theater, we were ready for some dinner. We walked around, and being a Friday night, we could see the places were starting to get crowded. We wandered around Dotonbori river and ended up at Ichiran Dotonbori, a ramen restaurant chain with some special features. On the line, we got a paper and marked our preferences, how you want them to cook the noodles, the thickness and spiciness of the broth, and quantities of topping…and paid.

After that, we sat down on an individual booth with a small window in front, our food came through that window. Before finishing the whole bowl, they offer you to add some more noodles and toppings and someone on the other side will bring them to you. I have to say I love a good bowl of ramen, and this one must be among the best ones I ever had.

Ichiran Ramen was an exquisite choice for dinner

Walking around Dotonbori nightlife

After dinner, we walked a bit more around Dotonbori, took the must photo with the Glico running man, and tried to find some craft beer nearby. We walked a little bit north enjoying the remaining Christmas Lights and took the subway. It was worthy since we still could use the Kansai Thru Pass. After struggling a little with Google Maps, we finally arrived at Yellow Ape, a small craft beer pub where we exchanged some words with other clients.

After enjoying some of their beers we headed to the subway before they closed and went back to our hostel. We considered going to party or have some more drinks, but preferred to rest. We thought we are getting old and just wanted to sleep. But before that, we picked some breakfast for the next day at the convenience store.

The Osaka Castle and surroundings

The next morning we woke and got ready. Since we had the flight in the evening we still had plenty of time to move around. We went to the Osaka Castle, which is one of the main tourist attractions in the city. It takes its time to get from the station to the Castle, but approaching the fortress through all the gardens is nice, you can see some locals jogging or practicing some sports, and most of the tourists ending up in line for the tickets.

The government remodeled the interior and now it is a museum mostly dedicated to the Castle’s history and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The interior of the castle is big, and it even has an elevator to facilitate the flow of visitors. Once we reached the top and admired the immensity of the city of Osaka, we headed downstairs slowly floor by floor and trying to enjoy the history lessons in forms of dioramas, videos and other documents.

Our last (great) lunch

Once out, it was time to head to the southeast corner of the castle and find the Tokumasa Udon restaurant near Morinomiya station. We had some great udon noodles with pork cutlet and rice. No wonder there was a line waiting outside!

By then, we had been walking a lot for 3 days and Hyekyong felt some pain on her feet, so we found some coffeeshop and rested for a while. Jordi went to check some local products at a supermarket near that Morinomiya station. After a while, we took the subway and headed to KIX Airport to come back.

All in all, it was an intense short trip that we prepared very well in advance. Google Maps helped us a lot to arrange the trains schedules so we didn’t have to wait long or miss any train. We made the most of it. We keep recommending to our friends a visit to Koyasan since it’s not that popular and not many people know about it. After many trips to Japan, this was a good final one, before starting our world trip. Or…maybe we still have some more visit pending?

Nara, deers and temples

Starting our trip. As soon as we arrived at Nara, a feeling of nostalgia and nice memories stroke Jordi’s mind. Couldn’t wait to see those cute deers and show them to Hyekyong! But first,p food! We had been awake since very early in the morning from Seoul, and it was almost lunchtime. Next to Nara Station there is the populated street called Higashimuki full of restaurants and shops. According to the reviews, there was a nice udon house and timing seemed perfect since there was no waiting line yet at the door.

The place was called Kamaiki and even though it seemed fancy, prices were ok. A few minutes after ordering, a line of customers was waiting outside. We realized that udon place was quite popular among locals and specially among office workers.

Once done with the lunch, we planned to head to the guesthouse we booked nearby Deer Park. But we were in no rush and walked along those streets admiring some souvenir shops.

Nara is pretty famous for deers. It’s a small city where you can see lots of deers walking freely around the streets and parks and cohabitating peacefully with the people.

We headed up the hill towards the Deer Park, but first passing by the 5 stories pagoda from Kofukuji Temple, tried some snacks around the area, played with some deers and arrived in front of the Todai-ji. Todai-ji Temple’s Great Buddha Hall is the largest wooden structure in the world. The Daibutsu Hall contains this 14.84 metre and 500 metric tonnes bronze statue of the “Cosmic Buddha” (Mahavairocana), later known as Dainichi Nyorai in Japan’s esoteric Buddhism.

Next to Todai-ji, some meters up the hill there’s a sub-complex of temples and shrines called Nigatsudo. A very special place to see the sunset. But we left that for later, and went across the Deer Park again to find The Deer Park Inn guesthouse, check-in and drop our luggage. Close to the guest house we stepped by Kasuga Taisha, the most celebrated shrine, which was well recommended. We were a little surprised because it was crowded with locals celebrating what we think it was the Coming-of-Age Day. It felt very active and there were lines of people everywhere waiting to buy some souvenirs, or try some ceremonial drink, not sure exactly what.

Later on, we finally made it to Nigatsudo and enjoyed some peaceful sunset while resting and appreciating those views and atmosphere. It was Jordi’s third time there, and surprisingly, all those three times there were not many people, which made it much more enjoyable.

After the sunset it was time to eat some dinner so we headed downtown and tried Maguro Koya, a very small homey tuna place. We followed some good recommendations and tried the fat tuna as the owner recommended. He talked for a while with us, and we appreciated his effort to greet and satisfy all customers even though he seemed very busy. We got a good dinner, maybe not as great as we expected for those prices. Maybe we don’t know much about how raw tuna should taste. Anyway, we felt we had to try and left quite satisfied.

A little scary way back to the Inn

On the way back we stepped by some convenience store and got next morning’s breakfast. But that was not the end of the day. When we were crossing the Deer Park, around 9pm, there were no street lights. We were not afraid, Japan is a safe country and we never felt any threat. While looking up the hill we saw some silhouette moving behind some trees and bushes. We were not sure what was that, could be a deer. So, we kept walking, but slower. We saw again that silhouette of a…bore!!!

We jumped a little and thought that could be dangerous, so, better not taking the risk and change our route. At that time we understood all those danger symbols around the park warning about bores and saying not to walk around there at night. No problem, we just walked back to the asphalt road. It was funny to walk up the hill and keep watching the bore doing his business and leaving him behind. At that time, since we had to cross some more forest area before arriving at the guesthouse, we were more cautious. But no more bores, or other creatures. Just some cute deers finishing their grass dinner before going to sleep.

The surroundings of the guesthouse were very quiet and we could hear the sounds of the nature. Some night birds, many frogs, and the leaves of the trees moved by the wind blowing softly through the branches.

That was the end of our day in Nara. Next day we woke up early, had some breakfast there and checked-out and walked down to the train station.

P.S: The booking.com links on this post will give you some discount and will give us some discount too. Use them and we both win! Thank you!