kkk part 2: kyoto

kobe – kyoto – kinosaki

11/03/2019

arrive at kyoto station n head to the roof on 10F/11F of the restaurant building n enjoy a quik sando n nigiri lunch at the HAPPY GARDEN lmao then take a wild az bus ride to our hotel (costed $2cad since i used a $200 amex credit) super convenient location by the river, 10-15mins walking distance to gion district. tea table in the room w a cute lil teapot set up n blessed views!

walked over to gion to explore the temples n geisha area; the walk up to kiyomizu dera n yasaka pagoda is such a vibe.. an ancient stone road with tourists everywhere in kimonos, the cutest souvenir shops all around, dessert samples to try, beautiful hotels and wedding planners mid-planning, handmade artisan pottery and decor shops hidden in alleyways and secret gardens overlooking the city. such a beautiful place to experience.

walked back to hotel to grab extra jackets since it does get pretty chilly at night then walked to pontocho alley by the river where i’d booked din at kyoto morimoto (the iron chef’s first location in japan) dude i cant say enough about this resto.  first floor is open kitchen where u can watch chefs prepare ur dishes. most dishes were under 2000y aside from mains and the sushi platter (4000y) for the FRESHEST sushi ive ever fucken tasted. despite being a former resident of vancouver, there aint anything that compares to this!! the wagyu carpaccio was AMAZING literally butter melting in ur mouth. we also ordered wagyu pho with yet amazing meat but noodles slightly too cooked for my liking. and finished with a dessert which they added a birthday message n the chefs came out to sing hbd to my momma. SOLID ASS MEAL. we were both full n satisfied. this aint one of those name brand restos that jack up prices n give u smol ass portions just because they can. THEY FUCKEN DELIVERED. and i will be back next month!! n hopefully see morimoto too.

met up w a toronto fren n then headed back to hotel for sum tasty az green tea before an early mornin!

took the first subway up to fushimi inari shrine at 5am to try to catch a 6:08 sunrise. ran up lik 12000 steps to the summit only to find that there is no viewpoint up there.. jus a temple.. YALL. i was so upsetti spagetti but still enjoyed sum decent views after i wandered off path to a lil hiking route. the actual viewpoint (midway) is pretty fucken nice tho so jus stay there n dun go up. headed back down n copped sum fresh wagyu skewers from the vendors that were just starting to open shop (around 8am) n then took the train back to hotel for one more breakfast buffet before busing back to kyoto station for yet another train..

to kinosaki we go,

A