More Fun In Japan

Kyoto and Osaka

After Christmas I spent a couple more days in Japan exploring the beautiful country! I was planning on spending time in both Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. However due to possibly bad karma, I had missed my flight from Osaka to Tokyo and never made it Tokyo. However the trip was still a bunch of fun. I had decided to spend one more day in Osaka then go back to Kyoto and spend more time in the culturally captivating city.

​I had spent a whole day walking around with this big bag due to the lack of public locker space! However I eventually found one!

​​While in Osaka Seoyoon and I both really wanted to visit the Tsutenkaku tower (pictured behind us). However with a so-so view and a 7 dollar entrance fee along with a 5 dollar fee to access the outdoor observatory it wasn’t worth so much money. We still had a great time though!

Then after our last day in Osaka we had decided to get some of the Japanese famous dish. Sushi. So we stopped in at a revolving sushi belt restaurant and ate until bursting point!

After sushi it was too early to go back home so we wandered downtown Osaka and find a cozy little bar tucked away in a small alleyway. We sat down and talked broken English and Japanese to these new friends. (this image shows the whole bar we were sitting in…

Next we took a train over to Kyoto and the first place we visited was the amazing Kiyomizu-dera, so I had to get an action shot with this bad boy.

I awkwardly took this photo of this lady at the Kiyomizu-dera temple  however she didn’t seem to mind that much.

HARD picture to get.

​Wasn’t sure what these were, but they made for a good picture mixed with the light snowfall.

​These might look like unique streets, however they are just common streets in the city of Kyoto. Seeing men and women in Kimono was like seeing someone walking a dog, they were everywhere.

​I thought this was a cool shot. It is blending the old traditions of Japan with the new modern Japan. On another note, these vending machines were everywhere! They sold everything from alcohol to cigarettes.

It was a bit of an overcast day, but that didn’t stop us! Seoyoon the explorer and I had decided to visit the very famous location in Kyoto called Arashiyama. It was a large bamboo grove, which more or less was a giant maze. Somehow we got lucky and got this picture with nobody else in it.

Finally the Japan trip had come to an end with the visit of one last landmark. It was a trip to the famous gold temple called Kinkaku-ji. I had gotten there right when the sun was setting on the temple and the reflection off the majestic temple was almost blinding.

​Ending a trip at a local bar before the next plane ride is a ritual of mine! So this was the bar I had decided to grab a quick drink before heading the the airport and flying back to Korea to ring in the New Year. It was an amazing trip and to my friends thinking about traveling Osaka and Kyoto are two must see cities! Don’t miss them!