The Most Beautiful Season - Kyoto
I don't know when it started, but we somehow managed to have fun together, found common interests, and before we knew it, years had passed.
What binds us together now should be our children. Of course, we were once colleagues, women who fought together, gossiped, and played hooky. We talk about family matters, celebrity scandals, complain about children's education, share skincare tips...
Our group chat is called "Retirement Life"—women who haven't retired yet but are already planning their retirement.
We are mothers of four children, all girls, the oldest eleven and the youngest six. Among mothers, there are endless topics about kids; every day is a battlefield, and the retirement group is where we report daily battles. We never tire of it.
We talk about children and life, confiding in and encouraging each other in our ordinary days. We know each other too well—colleagues for over a decade, and although we no longer work together, we are even closer than before.
Friends are companions for part of the journey.
In the adult world, there are too many things—everyone has their own life, work to busy with, children to raise, parents to care for... Meeting in the vast sea of people is a kind of fate, a fate to choose good company. This maple leaf trip was my impromptu idea. At first, only I was itching to go, but who could resist cheap airfare and beautiful scenery? Action speaks louder than words. Under my persuasion, the four of us mothers reached a consensus and made this maple leaf trip happen. Let us temporarily put aside family and children, and let our minds and bodies fly free for four days.
Though it was only a short four days, we needed to plan it well to satisfy everyone. It had to meet both my need as a photography enthusiast to take pictures and the desire of a few to shop till they drop. Thus, the following itinerary was born. Now, follow our footsteps and see how four mothers enjoyed the maple leaf capital.
First, a wave of beautiful photos.
Although Japan was familiar territory before, the three-year pandemic made it feel somewhat unfamiliar again. After all, there's a language barrier, so I still made a detailed itinerary. I am a planner; I feel more secure when everything goes according to my plan.
The trip lasted four days. Kyoto's maple leaves were a must-see, and shopping was also necessary. So, minus the last day for return, we had two full days—one day in Kyoto and one day in Osaka. After arriving at Kansai Airport, we took the HARUKA train directly to Kyoto.
I must praise Ctrip here. Two weeks before our departure, they released a special fare for the Kansai-to-Kyoto HARUKA, only 84 yuan—so timely! We stayed two consecutive nights in Kyoto, then one night in Osaka for shopping.
Day 1: Shanghai - Osaka - Kyoto
Day 2: Kyoto
Day 3: Osaka
Day 4: Osaka - Shanghai
Kyoto can be divided into five areas: Eastern Kyoto, Eastern Kyoto, Western Kyoto, Northern Kyoto, and Central Kyoto. The best time for autumn leaves ranges from north to south, early to late. In the north, the peak is from early to late November; in southern Kyoto, from late November to early December. Below are recommended attractions for each area, for reference only.
Eastern Kyoto: Kiyomizu-dera - Sannenzaka - Ninenzaka - Yasaka Shrine - Hanami-koji - Kamo River
Central Kyoto: Kodai-ji - Chion-in - Eikando - Nanzen-ji - Konkai Komyo-ji - Shinnyo-do
Western Kyoto: Arashiyama - Bamboo Grove Path - Jojakko-ji - Nison-in - Tenryu-ji - Togetsukyo Bridge - Kinkaku-ji - Kitano Tenmangu
Southern Kyoto: Fushimi Inari Taisha - Tofuku-ji - Daigo-ji - Sanjusangen-do - Nishi Hongan-ji
Northern Kyoto: Kyoto Botanical Garden - Kurama-dera - Kifune Shrine - Kinkaku-ji - Sanzen-in
We went in early December. Time was tight, so after much deliberation, I gave up the popular route near our hotel, Kiyomizu-dera—which I highly recommend to those with more time. At night, the illuminated scenery is breathtaking.
Central Kyoto: Nanzen-ji - Eikando - Chion-in - Kodai-ji. This was the essence of our trip. Considering we only had one full day and photography takes time, we wanted to immerse ourselves fully, so we stayed close.
Spring Airlines outbound: 08:05-11:05
Spring Airlines return: 17:00-19:00
Early departure, late return, total 1400 yuan. Cost-effective, and each person could carry 40 kg of checked luggage and 7 kg of hand luggage. With such a price, anything is acceptable.
Going to Japan wasn't about staying at the hotel; the hotel just needed to be economical, convenient, and clean. Japan's hotel industry is very developed, with traditional ryokan and hotels of all grades. After reading reviews online, I settled on these two hotels:
Kyoto Machiya Hotel
Osaka Shin Hankyu Hotel
Both hotels had excellent locations, especially Osaka Shin Hankyu. We have been frequent guests there, staying multiple times because it's right in the Umeda shopping district. After buying things, we could quickly drop them off and continue shopping. Very friendly for shopping women, but the hotel is old—not recommended for those who require modern facilities. The Kyoto Machiya Hotel, however, was praised by all four of us for its facilities, location, and price. The two hotels cost about 1700 yuan per person.
For the four-day trip, we exchanged 1500 yuan into Japanese yen. The exchange rate was very favorable recently, getting us 31,060 yen. Enough for buying small items at supermarkets and recharging transportation cards.
Day 1: Early morning flight. I slept throughout the flight and landed half-asleep. After clearing customs, I picked up tickets and smoothly entered the waiting area. Since the maple leaf season is second only to cherry blossom season in popularity, there were huge crowds. The queue to exchange HARUKA tickets to Kyoto was very long, but note that there are also many white machines near the ticket gates where you can exchange directly. The downside is that you might only get non-reserved seats (all free seating). This method is faster and doesn't require waiting; choose according to your situation.
After about an hour's train ride, we arrived smoothly in Kyoto.
Exiting the station, we got on bus No. 205 right at the entrance, heading to the hotel. A note about transportation in Kyoto and Osaka city: Now that Japan's IC cards can be bound electronically, Apple users can directly add a credit card to their Wallet, then open the homepage, click the "+" button on the top right, enter Transit Cards, and see various card types currently available to add. Very convenient. You can top up anytime and use it without worrying about overcharging or insufficient balance.
We got on the Hello Kitty train!
Kyoto city streetscape
Hanami-koji. We could walk there from the hotel.
Ichizawa Fuji Canvas, also a vintage handmade goods store established in 1905. Interested friends can drop by.
Day 2: We woke up early to Kyoto's morning sun. Our first stop today was Nanzen-ji. We took a taxi from the hotel's entrance. Although Kyoto is small, it saved us the trouble of finding a bus.
Kyoto's autumn captivated me completely. The moment I entered the temple, I was excited. Immersed in the scene, when I stopped and listened carefully, I could hear the rustling of leaves as a cool breeze swept by. Stepping on dry leaves, I felt the crisp crunch. Sunlight filtered through, making golden leaves sway and sparkle before my eyes. Looking up, I saw an endless expanse of brilliant red reaching into the sky... The sky was clear and the clouds light, the maple leaves like fire.
Admission was 1,000 yen per person. After leaving Nanzen-ji, a five-minute walk brought us to Eikando.
Snacks at Eikando.
Day 3: We woke up early and felt we had plenty of time, so we spontaneously decided to visit Kiyomizu-dera. A taxi from the hotel to Kiyomizu-dera cost 1,000 yen—it was actually very close.
At Kiyomizu-dera, we managed to get the limited-edition chestnut matcha ice cream. After eating, we headed to Osaka. From Machiya Hotel, we walked to Kawaramachi Station and took the subway to Umeda, Osaka—very convenient.
Then it was time to start our shopping spree.
Day 4: We slept in, then did some top-up shopping and packed our luggage. Today we were returning to our warm home.
Food is an indispensable part of the trip. The best restaurant we visited was a place serving Kyoto beef, but we really forgot the name.
Delicious ramen could be found everywhere.
Cakes on the B1 floor of Hankyu Department Store in Osaka—a dazzling array.
And thus, our Kyoto trip came to a perfect end.
