Why not having double decker buses?

Many tourist attractions including Golden and Silver Pavilions can be reached only by bus if going there by public transport. Personally I ride a bike to explore Kyoto.

But many tourists rely on public transport and buses are often packed and queues at major stops are so long. During the busy seasons, they are massive. So today, I would like to take a suggestion for better public transport in Kyoto.

The long queue for the Express 100 buses at Kyoto Station

City Bus employee pushing passengers onto bus

Passengers left at the bus depot for busy Express 101 bus

Seeing the above pictures, Japanese buses are smaller than those running in the western countries. Therefore all passengers waiting a bus service sometimes cannot accommodated on a bus at once. Even the city council offers extra services on the busy seasons, some passengers are left at bus stops because buses are full.

Beautiful cherry blossoms attracting many tourists

When I went to York in England to see my girlfriend, I was surprised to see double decker buses being served in a small city; its population is approximate 200,000.

Then Kyoto has around 1.3 million people, so why not having double decker city buses? These buses accommodate many passengers so tourists would face shorter queues and be able to visit more places. And their trips will be more pleasant.

On the other hand, some tour buses are operated in Kyoto.

Sky Bus offers tours exploring tourist attractions with double decker buses. But prices are not reasonable. An afternoon four-hour tour visiting Golden Pavilion and Kiyomizu Temple costs 4,000 yen. Admission to the Golden Pavilion is included; however passengers are charged extra cost to get into the latter temple.

Sky Bus

A tourism organisation runs tourist bus services called K-Loop. Passengers need a one day K-Loop pass and then can hop on and off anywhere and anytime on its routes. But it costs 2,300 yen with English audio guidance while a Japanese counterpart is offered at 1,800 yen. And their vehicles are city buses and not coaches. Also their drivers seem not to speak English.

K-Loop

As many tourists purchase Kyoto City one-day bus passes, I strongly suggest city council to purchase double decker buses serving on busy routes such as to Kiyomizu Temple, Gion, Silver and Golden Pavilions.


Please do not hesitate to comment with your experience travelling on the bus in Kyoto as well as your general opinions. Happy travel everyone!!

Spring Lantern Festival

Good morning/afternoon/evening my great Kyo Sensational followers!

I hope you are having a good week and your trip plans to visit here are organised well.

Today you will be inspired sensationally with the Spring Lantern Festival. Unfortunately it has ended for 2017, but you can set a goal making a way to Kyoto in March 2018.

During the festival, traditional temples, shrines and buildings in the east suburb of Higashiyama have been lit up with lanterns placed on the pavements. These lights created romantic, historical and traditional atmosphere.

One night I have started seeing at the south end of the venue, called Gojo Zaka that is the steep leading up to Kiyomizu Temple, one of famous and popular tourist attractions.

Lighting up on the Gojo Zaka

Walking up the steppy street, I got to the temple. It was lit up brightly and traditional Japanese music was played at the base. A performer wore traditional Japanese clothes that were similar to kimono.

Kiyomizu Temple

Small streets towards other temples in the south east suburb were decorated well with traditional Japanese lanterns and you will see Kyoto cuisine restaurants established in traditional Kyoto machiya houses.

Traditional Kyoto Machiya Houses

Going through another popular temple called Kodai-ji, the Lantern streets led to Maruyama Park adjoining Yasaka Shrine located the east of Gion where you might see Geishas.

At the park, crafts made by citizens and university students were exhibited with lighten up under the competition. These crafts were so beautiful.

Traditional Japanese cafe near Maruyama Park

Exhibited Flower Craft

Bamboo Lights

At the Park, patrons had opportunities to write their wishes and messages in star shaped pieces of papers. It is our custom when we visit a shrine to pray for their wishes. And then these wishes could be put on lanterns around the tent where they wrote their wishes.

Patrons Wishes on Lanterns

Also winter lantern festival is held annually in December at Arashiyama, so don't miss out!

I hope you enjoy the traditional night seeing beautiful foot lanterns on your visit to Kyoto.

Snowy Golden Pavillion

Hi there guys,

At first I apologise for not updating my blog for ages. And welcome back my loyal readers! I hope your love affair with Kyoto stay strong.

It is spring here and getting warmer. So today's topic is old to talk and you have to wait other nine to ten months to see with your eyes. Sorry!

Anyway the Golden Pavilion covered with snow attracts many tourists from all over the world including those from other parts of Japan. You will be lucky if you are able to see because it snows only occasionally here in Kyoto.

Therefore, buses are packed and travel slowly as the roads are congested, especially at the weekends. And indeed you will face the long queue to get inside.

The author has made a way to visit the snowy Golden Pavilion on Sunday afternoon. I got on a Route 12 bus near Nijo Castle and bus had already been packed! So I was directed to the front door to board, while we are supposed to take back door to board. Then the relay competition was held and heavy traffic with cars to the temple caused travel chaos. I didn't hesitate to get off the bus at the previous stop and then walk.

After the bus trip, a long queue awaited us. It took 40 minutes to get to the ticket office for the administration ticket (400 yen per adult).

No complaint was made as I was excited to see the very occadional scenery. Once I got inside the temple, the combination of the white snow and gold roofs was so stunning and matching. And surrounding trees assisted to create such beautiful scenery.

The Author at the Golden Pavilion

Loads of tourists taking photos 

As a person from the city who has too much snow and Vern fed up with too much snow, it seems not my stuff. But it's actually beautiful and very unique. The temple seems to have been established to welcome snow to create such stunning scenery.

Kyoto creates unique atmosphere with the mixture of traditional buildings and modern technologies. The Golden Pavilion is an old temple, but adopts mixture to the occasional scene.

Visiting the Kinkaku-ji on a snowy day is so worth and your great life experience. I hope you can see one day. Meanwhile enjoy planning to visit the world's unique city!

Cheery Blossoms

Hi Kyo Sensational followers!

I am sorry for not having updated the blog for such a long time. Did you miss the blog?

Cherry Blossom season is not far away. It is still winter here in Kyoto, but has been warm for recent four days. On Sunday, I went on cycling at the lunch break because the weather was nice and beautiful and it hit over 20 Celsius degrees!

Beautiful blossoms at the Imperial Palace

At Kyoto Imperial Palace, I saw some blossoms that reminded me cherry blossoms would attract us soon.

The park is one of venues to see beautiful cherry blossoms and popular amongst tourists. It is a quiet place so is an ideal place to relax in between visiting various tourist attractions.

Indeed you can see cherry blossoms in other places such as Kinkakuji (also known as Golden Pavilions) and Ginkakuji (so called Silver Pavilions).

Maruyama Park located near Gion is a place where people bring foods and drinks to have under cherry blossoms for socialising. Probably you can organise food and beverages and create your own unique Japanese experiences.

By the way, my favourite Australian Rules Football (AFL)  starts around the cherry blossom season. If you like the sport, why not visiting Kyoto and then we can discuss about footy and share your travel stories under the cherry blossoms. I am a St Kilda supporter!

I hope you can make a way to Kyoto in the cherry blossom season.

Thank you for reading my post. See you soon!

Snow in Kyoto

Today, it is just news from the traditional Japanese city of Kyoto.

This winter has been warmer than average years that I am not aware as it is the first winter for me to spend in Kyoto. But snow fall hit Tokyo earlier this week with huge travel chaos, and finally here in Kyoto, I saw snow falling yesterday and blanketed on the ground in the morning today.

Nijo Castle with White Presents from the Sky

Traditional Japanese Garden Enjoying Nature in Winter?

As a person originally from Sapporo, northern Japan where the winter is very long and so freezing with a lot of snow, it is not bad for me. Just I cannot believe I rode a bike yesterday afternoon and a few hours later it started snowing (the amount was very small and snowing did not last so long at the time).

On the other day, I rode a bike for exercise and found numbers of tourists were much smaller than spring to autumn. It could be a good opportunity to visit Kyoto if you do not like long queues at tourist attractions, shops and bus stops, especially if you do not mind visiting in the winter. I reckon it would be okay for skiers and snowboarders to see traditional Japanese cultural stuffs here after hitting mountains in the famous ski resorts such as Niseko, Furano and Rusutsu in Hokkaido and Hakuba in Nagano.

That is all from Kyoto today. Have a good week!!

Cycling in Kyoto – Part 1: Arashiyama

Hi royal Kyoto loving folks!

I hope you enjoy reading my posts on Kyo Sensational Blog and you can make a way to here.

Cycling is a good way to explore around Kyoto because almost all of roads are flat. Also in my personal perception, riding a bike is much better than catching crowded and slow buses (many buses are packed with a horse of tourists in busy peak seasons). Indeed I enjoy riding a bike here in Kyoto.

Also it is a good exercise and you can stop at any time wherever you want. For example, if you see some nice flowers and birds on the way, you can stop and see what they are doing. It cannot happen if you are travelling on the bus.

Today, I show you descriptions of cycling from/to Arashiyama, the popular tourist destination in the western suburb.

* Please note that following sentences are part of the article originally publsihed on Footy Almanac on 10 December 2015.

Soon after I landed in the new and unfamiliar city, I thought only one road took us to Arashiyama by paddling on Marutamachi Street.

The road is wide and the best way to get to Arashiyama after chlling out at the Kyoto Imperial Palace. It is about nine kilometres between two places.

The Author at the Imperial Palace

From the Palace, it might be hard to ride fast due to a bit traffic congestion. But over the big road called Senbon Street, traffic is smooth so it is easy to paddle.

Then you will enter a quite big suburb called Enmachi with shops and a railway station. You can stop for refreshment and meals. However you need a parking fee for even a bike around Enmachi Station.

Railway Tracks (top) close to Marutamachi Street (bottom)

Riding close to the railway tracks, you might find a bit hard (harsh for some people) to ride a bike as the road is moderated steep. But you will feel relieved at the small summit and then you will see downhill.

Turning left towards the town centre, you may have to squeeze a horse of tourists. But it would not be bad.

For me, travelling time is between 30 and 35 minutes between the Imperial Palace and Arashiyama.

Great combination of red leaves and bamboos in Arashiyama

Another street called Sanjo Street can be the alternative route for between two places mentioned above, and the fastest route if you park a bike at the north end of Teramachi, the arcade shopping mall in the downtown.

From the City Hall where you can bike for shopping at Teramachi, actually it is better to go through Oike Street at first due to wide road and to avoid many pedestrians at the Sanjokai Shopping Mall (covered).

Then you will merge into Sanjo Street at Uzumasa Tenjingawa (the west end of Tozai Subway Line). Over there the road is shared with the Randen Tram tracks.

Once you say goodbye to the tracks until saying hello again at Arashiyama, riding can be hard because of the narrow street. Buses are passing on this street, but they have to squeeze when two buses are running from two opposite sides. Passion over stopped buses is quite hard. If you do not get used to ride a bike on a big street, I would not recommend you take Sanjo Street to enjoy riding a bike.

Narrow Sanjo Street

The third option is paddling through Shijo Street. It sounds the easiest way from downtown; however bikes are banned on this downtown(s Main Street between the east end and Karasuma Street (the main street between Kyoto Station and downtown) from 8 am to 9 pm. How pity it is.

But you will go through Shijo Street if you are staying around Kyoto Station. From Kyoto Station, small street called Nishi no Toin Street is the best to get to Shijo Street.

At first riding can be hard on Shijo Street because of many buses are running on the street. But it is just for 5 to 10 minutes depending on where you enter into the road. Over Shijo Omiya where the tram mentioned above departs., it turns easy to ride thanks to wide and flat road.

Level Crossing on Shijo Street (crossing the tram tracks)

With my travelling time (I seem to ride a bike between 20 to 25 kph) with 15 to 20 minutes from Shijo Omiya, Katsura River awaits cyclists and then you can stopover at a shrine called Matsuo Taisha.

From there, you will enjoy the nature by paddling alongside the river. The Bike Way welcomes you and you do not need to share the road with motor vehicles.

Bike Way alongside Katsura River

At last you will enter Arashiyama. A hot spring house is located at the end of the Bike Way. You can treat yourself by having a bath there.

Bike hiring is offered at various rental bike shops throughout the city as well as some accommodation. Our inns offer hiring bikes too; however only Japanese standard city ride ones with basket in front. Sport bikes can be hired at some shops. I would be happy to help you organising your bike if you would like to ride a bike here in Kyoto.

I hope you enjoy a sensational bike riding in Kyoto.

P.S. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would love to stay at our traditional Kyoto Townhouse Inn. You can find more details at www.shouan.jp and www.sanjojuku.com.

Why not having Japanese Experience at Accommodation?

As having written in my second blog entitled Uniqueness of Kyoto, traditional Kyoto Townhouses (Kyoto Machiya in Japanese) and modern buildings are shared in the historical Japanese city.

Do you think you can stay night(s) at a Kyoto Townhouse as a tourist?

Positively the answer is there are Kyoto Machiya accommodation, so yes you can stay!!

If you are interested in our culture, then why not having unique Japanese experience by staying at a Kyoto Machiya Townhouse? You may feel it is your second home in Japan after your stay.

The Entrance at Machiya

Actually you will have to obey house rules including those applied in the old days (in the ways how residents behaved when the accommodation was a residence house), but it would be your unique experience in your life and you would not experience anywhere else in the world. Indeed hotels in Kyoto would not offer you such great experiences.

Wearing Geta (Japanese Shoes) in Machiya

No matter which room you are staying, you will go through Toriniwa, the old corridor with geta. The corridor was designed as a path to shops in the townhouse in the old days when the building was a residence house where residents opened their business. You will feel as if you are on a time trip.

The Corridor at Machiya

Then a traditional Japanese room is awaiting you. It is floored with tatami, Japanese mat that creates warm Japanese atmosphere. Sleeping in a Japanese futon is another unique experience. Basically guests are encouraged to place futon by themselves to experience Japanese life style, but staff members will help you if you are not sure how to do. Don't worry!!

Traditional Japanese Guest Room

Also if you are lucky, you will be able to see a traditional Japanese garden in your room that will comfort you to stay.

Viewing Traditional Japanese Garden

Warm and Comfortable Guest Room

Only visiting temples and shrines is not enough for your unique trip in Japan? Then come to a traditional Kyoto Machiya! We need nice guests in January and February.

For more information, you can visit
www.sanjojuku.com
www.shouan.jp

And please do not hesitate to contact me at yoshi.imagawa.shouan@gmail.com. If you contact me through Kyo Sensational Blog's Facebook page, please inform me your email address to quote room rates.

It would be much appreciated if you share this blog on social media and by emails. Please make big circles.

We look forward to seeing you at a Kyoto Machiya Inn.

Thank you and have a happy trip plan to visit Kyoto.