Kyoto-Winter Wonderland

After a travel hiatus since Oman in October, I was itching for some travel. Two days before new year, I booked two tickets as a treat for my boyfriend (mostly for me) to a little retreat in Kyoto.

The beauty of Japan is that everything is so easy and convenient. Once we arrived in Osaka, we took an express train (station is connected to the airport) and within 90 minutes, we arrived to Kyoto.

Monterey Hotel
We checked into the Monterey Hotel, which was a pleasant surprise as I booked the hotel last minute and had never stayed there before. Rooms are on the small side but the service is fast, it's clean and it is in a fabulous hotel.

Within a 15 minute walk, you could get to Nishiki-koji market, where you'll find plenty of affordable and delicious eateries. 2 minutes away is a subway station that takes you to Nijo Castle and the Imperial Palace within one stop. It was also close to a vibrant & young shopping district, where you can find some funky streetwear.

The Sights


As I was there Jan1st-3rd, many places where close but I still managed to fit it a few sights to see.
First was visiting a little temple across our hotel, which gave you the real experience of visiting a Japanese temple. You had to wash your hand with fresh (and cold) spring water, light candles & incense, ring the bell and pray to the gods. It's such a peaceful and lovely environment, I really enjoyed my 15 minutes in this little temple.

ring the big bell before praying!

little stone buddhas that are dressed up to keep warm! how thoughtful

Then we headed over to Nijo Castle, which was beautiful and spacious as it was winter and most tourists don't come till spring or fall. There was some leftover snow that covered the surrounding garden and was a true winter wonderland.

Last but not least, we visited the famous Toji temple, which is often featured in the classic photos of Kyoto. It's quite unusual and you can see many Buddhist statues that are similar to those from China.
The towering temple was beautiful at dawn, lit up by a soft orange light against the royal blue sky. Definitely worth visiting but remember to go early as it closes at 4:30!

Gorgeous

Kyoto Sushi


Even though most of the restaurants on our list were closed because of new year, we managed to tick one of the list. Sushi Hanaore is north of the Imperial Palace and serves only 1 thing on the menu: a kyoto sushi set (above) with a little appetizer and soup. Initially, three pieces of sushi looked insufficient to fill my hungry stomach but towards the end I realized it was more than enough. Since Kyoto is land-locked, in order to preserve the fish longer, they usually marinate the fish and place it on top of a long loaf of rice then wrap it in (banana?) leaves. After marinating for couple days, they unwrap it and slice sushi off the "loaf". The sushi are much bigger than the ones we usually get, it was the size of my palm and had a lot more rice. Regardless of the method & size, it was still delicious!
(You won't need to worry about ordering here, there is only one thing on the menu!)

Kyoto-Style sushi

Our retreat to Kyoto was short but pleasant. Even when many things were closed we managed to walk around and enjoy plenty of snacks and treats and toured some beautiful sights. Like all things Japanese, it was a pleasant & comfortable experience. Definitely would recommend visiting in the winter as you avoid the crowd during spring & autumn and get to enjoy the city in a calmer setting.

Happy Travels & Happy New Year!