🌸🏯 Kyoto | Nara | Osaka 🇯🇵 Leisure Travel Guide

A 7-day, 6-night Kansai trip with parents 👨‍👩‍👧, no special forces, no drills, just leisure, spontaneity & classic sights! DAY 1 Tokyo — Kyoto 🏨 Hotel booked near 🚉 Kiyomizu-Gojo Station, walkable to Sannenzaka, Kiyomizu-dera, and Gion, very convenient for travel. 👉🏻 Fushimi Inari Shrine & Tofuku-ji Temple The head shrine of over 30,000 Inari shrines in Japan, a must-visit in Kyoto. Various fox stone statues are the messengers of Inari 🦊, and the mountain of thousands of torii gates ⛩️ and the interwoven reflections on the corridors are very photogenic. After visiting Fushimi Inari Taisha, you can drop by Tofuku-ji Temple on your way. DAY 2 Kyoto 👉🏻 Sannenzaka. A must-visit for its antique charm and traditional Japanese houses 🏘️, as if dreaming back to the Tang and Song dynasties. 👉🏻 Kiyomizu-dera. A world cultural heritage site, this magnificent temple, still stands the test of time. It's also the filming location for the iconic kiss between Shinichi Kudo and Ran, a blast from the past 🤓. 👉🏻 Nijo Castle. The only world cultural heritage site in Kyoto that's not a shrine or temple, it has both carved beams and secluded paths. Built by Tokugawa Ieyasu, it marks the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate and witnessed the end of the Edo period. DAY 3 Kyoto (Photos 9-13) 👉🏻 Kinkaku-ji. A world cultural heritage site, originally a royal villa, known as "Golden Pavilion" because of its gold leaf-covered pavilion, it's the inspiration for Yukio Mishima's "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion". It shines and glitters under the sunlight. 👉🏻 Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. Stroll through the sun-dappled bamboo paths, surrounded by lush greenery. On your way back to the city from Arashiyama, be sure to experience the small train, as if you're in a Japanese manga. 👉🏻 Tenryu-ji. Just a short walk from the bamboo grove, you'll come across it. The temple's garden is novel, and it becomes even more beautiful when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. DAY 4 Kyoto — Nara 👉🏻 For a one-day tour guide and food recommendations in Nara 👀, please see the notes on the homepage 🔝. DAY 5 Nara — Osaka 🏨 Hotel: Osaka Okura Hotel, very convenient for transportation, walkable to Shinsaibashi shopping district. 👉🏻 Osaka Castle & Tenshu. Witness the evolution of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the Tokugawa shogunate. You must climb to the top of Tenshu 🏯, it has 7 floors, each worth a slow stroll and careful appreciation. From the top, you can overlook Osaka 👀. 👉🏻 Umeda Sky Building Floating Garden Observatory. Located in Umeda Sky Building, you need to buy tickets 🎫 on the 3rd floor first. The observatory has coffee, ice cream, and other snacks where you can sit down, eat, and enjoy a 360-degree view of Osaka's night view 🌃. DAY 6 Osaka 👉🏻 Shinsaibashi & Dotonbori. A must-visit place when in Osaka, shopping 🛍️ + food 🍱 all in one place. 👉🏻 Kuromon Market. An affordable seafood market, freshness, order, cook, and eat on the spot 😋. #JapanTravel #JapanTravelGuide #TokyoLife #Kyoto #KyotoTravel #Nara #NaraTravel #NaraDeer #Osaka #OsakaTravel #Shinsaibashi #Dotonbori