Japan Honeymoon: Kyoto 2-day itinerary
Welcome back to part 4 of my Japan Honeymoon 💗 series, where I write about everything we did, what we ate, and where we stayed during our 3 week trip to Japan.
At this part of our trip, we had just spent 2 amazing days in Kinosaki Onsen Town, one of our favourite places in the world!
Now, we are spending another 2 days in Kyoto, a must-visit area of Japan. The last time I was in Kyoto, I actually liked it more than Tokyo. Now as we visit Kyoto for a second time, here is everything we did, ate, and where we stayed.
Japan Honeymoon trip 2024 recap
Tokyo | Osaka | Kinosaki | Kyoto
Day 8: Arrival to Kyoto
Today we are checking out of our bougie ryokan (Traditional Japanese inn) in Kinosaki Onsen Town and traveling to Kyoto.
Breakfast: Nishimuraya Honkan
Our 1 night stay at Nishimuraya Honkan includes a breakfast – you can choose between a traditional Japanese breakfast or western breakfast. Naturally, we both opted for the Japanese breakfast and woke up early at 8am for our breakfast seating.
Unlike our dinner, breakfast is served in the dining hall, which was huge and had windows and a nature view. The Japanese breakfast came with quite a few dishes, including:
- Homemade juice & Hiraya milk
- Chef’s medley – yellowtail nanban-su, spicy fish roe, nikogori jelly, snap pea & tomato, edamame soybean, tofu skin, seaweed & carrot, squid marinated in soy sauce, and a vegetable hitoshi
- Tofu & miso soup
- Fried eggplant and dashi with assorted vegetables
- Grilled flounder and fish cake with homemade pickled leek
- Japanese-style omelet in dashi broth with dried shiitake mushroom
- Rice and fruits
Activity: Morning soak
After 2 days in Kinosaki, I do feel all onsen-ed out because we visited and bathed in so many hot springs. But since we are leaving now, I had to squeeze in one more soak 😅!
We simply went to the baths located inside our ryokan. They switch the men/women bath houses daily. Last night I was in the Chinese styled bath, so this morning I get to try the Japanese styled bath that Kelvin got to try last night.
After our last soak, we packed up our bags and the hotel front desk called a private car to take us to the Kinosaki train station for our departure.
Transportation: Bullet train to Kyoto
We took the bullet train from JR Kinosaki Onsen Station to Kyoto Station. There are limited express trains to Kinosaki and all limited express trains do require seat reservations in advance. But all we did was look at the table of departure times and buy our tickets at the Kinosaki station.
The bullet train tickets cost around $51 CAD per person and the ride took around 2.5 hrs one way. It is a relaxing ride and before we know it, we have arrived at the busy Kyoto Station!
Accommodations: Hotel Abest Grande Kyoto Kiyomizu
After balling out in Kinosaki, we are pulling the reigns back on our accommodation budget. Our room costs $109 per night and we are staying at the Hotel Abest Grande Kyoto Kiyomizu. This hotel is located in Gionmachi, an area we really like because it is walking distance to the Kamo River and the busy Gion district.
When we arrived at 1pm, check-in was not available yet so we just left our luggage and left to grab some late lunch. When we came back at the end of the day, we found the hotel to be pretty standard. Obviously, it was nothing like the ryokans we just stayed at, but there was enough room to open our suitcases and walk around, and a big TV right in front of the bed, which was comfy. The bed also seemed quite big, which I was happy with. I wasn’t a big fan of the washroom design. I feel like a lot of moisture gets trapped in that washroom.
We also had a pretty bad experience here using the laundry machines (not free, but a couple of $). It was a long wait because there was always someone using the machine already and our clothes were not fully dried even after using the dryer for the longest setting. We still had to air-dry our clothing in our room afterward 😔.
Lunch: Nishiki Market
Nishiki Market is a popular spot for tourists but I still like to come here. It’s a narrow 5-block shopping street undercover with tons of street food options an shops that specialize in kitchen/food items like knives, cookware, and Kyoto specialties.
A few of the stalls we ate at:
- Corn croquette ($3)
- Sesame curry bread ($5) – this is a must-get!!! So delicious and the sesame on the outside gives it a nutty flavour and great texture
- 3 Kinds of sashimi ($20) – fresh and sweet. We came to this stall last time as well!
- Deep fried sea eel ($6) – this was just ok
- Yuzu tea ($6)
Activity: Shopping in downtown Kyoto
There’s a lot of shopping you can do in downtown Kyoto, as well as quite a few luxury stores and department stores.
I purchased an item from Comme desgarcons, ABC Mart for a pair of FILA runners, and we stopped by a pet store to look at cute puppies.
Dinner: Sukiyaki at Izumoya
One of the things I wanted to do was eat dinner by the Kamo River and specifically, sukiyaki!
We walked the entire Pontocho Alley to find a spot but found most restaurants that had a view of the Kamo River to be quite expensive, but we were looking for a lighter dinner. In the end, we dined at Izumoya, an eel restaurant that had no line if we chose to dine upstairs. It’s not outside on the patio, but it still had windows of the river view.
Loewe’s rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Izumoya
173-2 Kashiwayacho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8014, Japan
Recommended: Read my review of our sukiyaki dinner by the river at Izumoya in Kyoto.
Dessert: Maccha House
When in Kyoto, you have to try the green tea desserts! There was a long line up for Maccha House when we walked by around 4pm, but we stumbled upon another location at 7:15pm and there was no line so we walked right in.
From the menu, we ordered a matcha tiramisu and a matcha soft-serve. Both were delicious but I highly recommend the tiramisu box! It is dripping in mascarpone – just the way I like it! There is a basement floor with lots of seating also.
Loewe’s rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Night activity: Drink by the Kamo River
Something romantic and casual we like to do is go to the nearby convenience store, buy a few alcoholic beverages and snacks, and find a spot to sit by the Kamo River at night. It is very calming and refreshing with a light night breeze.
There are a lot of people sitting by the river, especially near the Gion Shio bridge. There was also a street musician singing for a bit so it was a vibe.
After a long day of travel and walking, it was so nice to just sit and chat, although my bum hurt after awhile from sitting on the ground.
After we finished our drinks, we simply walked back to our hotel.
Day 9: Day trip to Kibune
Today we are taking a half-day trip to Kibune! Kibune is a small mountain valley town that’s around 2 hours way from Kyoto Station one-way.
Early lunch: Curry & Tempura Koisus
We had an early lunch at Curry & Tempura Koisus. I didn’t know it at the time, but this is actually a pretty viral spot that Youtuber Mike Chen has eaten at. They are known for their Japanese curry dish that uses over 20 different kinds of spices.
Loewe’s rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Curry & tempura koisus
3 Chome-292 Miyagawasuji, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0801, Japan
Recommended: Read my review of Curry & Tempura Koisus in Kyoto, a viral Japanese curry restaurant.
Transportation: Local train + bus to Kibune
It takes around 2 hours to transit to Kibune via local trains and eventually you will have to switch to a bus.
Once you arrive, you will find the cutest little mountain town that follows a river! It was fun to walk up the hill and explore the little town of Kibune.
Lunch: Hirobun
The coolest part about Kibune was all the riverside dining options. They actually have seating above the river and you can hear the relaxing sounds of the water and possibly even dip your toes in (I didn’t see anybody doing that though).
A lot of these restaurants offer kaiseki style Japanese meals with set trays and multi-course items. I did find a lot of these restaurants very expensive.
However, we came all the way here to catch somen noodles for lunch 🥢! My husband came to eat at Hirobun previously many years ago and this was a viral spot. It’s been almost 6 years since then and we only waited around 20 minutes. The price is around $20 per person and you get to catch noodles that flow down these bamboo chutes! This was such a fun and cool experience, although the taste is a little bland.
Loewe’s rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hirobun
87 Kuramakibunecho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 601-1112, Japan
Activity: Kifune Shrine
We don’t like to visit too many castles, shrines, and other historical places when we travel because we are just not too into that stuff, but we do like to go to at least 1 cultural or historical site.
The Kifune Shrine is so beautiful and it has those signature red Tory gates and stairs/road up. The shrine is dedicated to gods that are associated with water and here they have a very cool way for you to get your fortune. Instead of picking a number and getting your paper from numbered boxes, you actually pick up a special fortune paper and let it soak into the water. Words will appear and you can read translated versions of it with a QR code – so cool 🤯! Afterward, you can tie your fortune to their string wall.
Afternoon pick-me-up: Nana’s Green Tea
After traveling back to Kyoto, we decided to do some shopping at a mall. But before we dove into the shops, we stopped at a Nana’s Green Tea in the food court area to get a pick-me-up: roasted hojicha parfait and an iced coffee.
This was SO GOOD 😍 and exactly what we needed to give us a boost of energy. I loved the nuttiness and savouriness of the roasted matcha and black sesame, and the mochi was so soft!
Activity: Shop at Aeon Mall
Throughout our entire trip to Japan, we think the Aeon Mall in Kyoto was the best in terms of shopping. We spent hours in here!
My husband and I usually like to split up when we go shopping because we are looking for very different items. The best part about this mall is that they have a huge floor of arcade games, toys, and toy/collectible stores. My husband spent his time winning prizes at crane games, buying lottery tickets, One Piece cards and other collectibles that he likes to look at.
Meanwhile, I bought tons of clothing, makeup, skincare, even pet clothes! I highly recommend you take some time to shop at lingerie stores because bras in Japan are so cheap – only $30 for the cutest designs (not basic one-colour ones).
Dinner: Ippudo
We ended up eating dinner inside Aeon Mall also. As with most Japanese malls, they have an amazing food court and restaurant level.
We lined up around 40 minutes to eat at Ippudo, a ramen chain that specializes in Tonkotsu broth ramen. This was so satisfying and cheap!
After this meal, we headed home in a taxi (so tired from all the walking today!) and retired for the night.
Loewe’s rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ippudo
１番地 Nishikujo Toriiguchicho, 京都市 南区 Kyoto 601-8417, Japan
Recommended: Read my full review of Ippudo ramen inside Aeon Mall.
Final thoughts
Our 2 days in Kyoto flew by! I had visited Kyoto before so I didn’t want to spend too much time in Kyoto but I’m glad this time we got to try some new things.
This time in Kyoto, we found it immensely more crowded than the last time we were here. And especially coming from a place like Kinosaki where it was mostly only locals and not that many people, we found it a little overwhelming and stressful. For example, the Kamo River area and bridge was just packed with people and so was Pontocho Alley and all the restaurants had huge lines when we walked around during dinner time. I felt like Kyoto had lost some of its peacefulness compared to 5 years ago 🙁.
I highly recommend for you to do a day-trip out to Kibune if you have been to Kyoto before and want a more rural or nature-filled day 👍. It was so relaxing to be in the mountain valley and the views were so peaceful, even though it can be a touristy area.
I also highly recommend for all you shopping addicts to check out Aeon Mall 👍 because it was hands down the best mall we went to in Japan – really good for kids too!
Stay tuned for my next travel recap as we leave Kyoto and travel to Fukuoka!
Sincerely, Loewe
Japan Honeymoon trip 2024 recap
Tokyo | Osaka | Kinosaki | Kyoto