A Leisurely 8-Day Tour of Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and Uji in Kansai

📍 Osaka · 👁 1 reads · ❤️ 33 likes

Getting a Japan visa is very easy. I got a multiple-entry visa valid for three years. Previously, there was a restriction that your first entry had to be within three months of issue, and your first port of entry was specified, which felt limiting. But the new rules have scrapped the restrictions—at least the first entry location is no longer mandated. As for whether you must use the visa within three months, officially yes, but in reality if you exceed the three months a little you can still enter.

Price-wise, I applied in October, missing the National Day peak but catching the prelude to the maple leaf season. I guess it was still a deal. You can get it for under 700 (RMB). Opting for the type that doesn’t require proof of flight and hotel is more convenient. It’s best to apply early according to your travel plans; don’t pay extra for rush processing—that gets pricey.

1. SIM card: I bought an 8-day card online with 3GB of data, more than enough, for under 30 (RMB). Since I seldom make calls now, data is all I need. I prefer a SIM card to carrying a Wi-Fi egg. With multiple people, a Wi-Fi egg is definitely cheaper, but you have to carry it, charge it every day, and you can’t stray too far from each other. Actually a data SIM is more convenient—nearly all phones support dual SIM now anyway.

2. Transport card: I chose to buy it at the airport. Kansai Airport has a Chinese-language service counter where you can also ask about the most cost-effective train options. There’s no need to buy one in China—it’s a bit pricey there (a 2,000-yen card costs over 140 RMB, but buying on-site at the exchange rate is only about 128).

3. Trip planning: I roughly listed sights in Osaka and Kyoto. I had originally thought of adding Tokyo, but that felt too rushed and wouldn’t be enjoyable. So I arranged three days, four nights in Osaka; four days, four nights in Kyoto; and one day for Nara and Uji. Time was very generous, and in the last days we mostly just shopped… Stuff in Japan is way too tempting. The return ticket I’d booked without checked luggage ended up being changed because I bought too much. Sometimes you can still snag cheap tickets close to the departure date.

4. Air tickets: I didn’t buy them especially early—maybe half a month ahead. For the outbound I chose to depart from nearby Tianjin. Not counting time cost, a round-trip was just over 1,300 (RMB). It was the beginning of the maple-viewing warm-up period, so tickets were a tad pricier. Otherwise you could get a Beijing–Kansai round-trip for under 1,000 if booked in advance.

5. Companions: Travel companions matter a lot. You need similar interests and spending habits. If one wants fine dining, another wants to save money; one wants to shop, another wants to soak up history—then everyone ends up compromising, and the trip becomes exhausting.

6. Apps: Google Maps—extremely useful. Because Japan’s rail network is so complex, with different lines and companies, some trains on the same line skip certain stations. By entering your destination along with your departure time and location, Google Maps will recommend the nearest train, tell you which platform, the exact departure time—minute-perfect. If you cleverly think you can catch an earlier train and hop on, you’ll probably overshoot your stop and then have to get off and backtrack. So don’t try to save time; just listen to Google. For food, I used Dazhong (大众点评). I’ve tried it in several countries and it sometimes leads to duds. But local apps are hard to use, so I just walked around and ate where I saw crowds. Japan really is the epitome of culinary perfection everywhere, so nothing was bad.

Day 1, 10/29: China – Osaka, staying at a hotel in Kansai

At noon I went from Beijing to Tianjin, strolled around Tianjin’s Italian Style Town and Fifth Avenue, then rushed to the airport in the afternoon. I arrived at Kansai Airport at 9pm, got my transport card, and waited for a friend to join. My friend was flying from Kunming and arrived at 10pm. Since we were heading to Kyoto the next day, we stayed at a hotel near Osaka Station. The room was small but had everything, and it was spotlessly clean—the bathroom positively gleamed. The front desk staff were mostly elderly men. I noticed this pattern in the days that followed: elderly people hurrying to work in the morning, elderly taxi drivers. In residential areas, no matter the time, there was never anyone idly chatting outdoors—perhaps everyone was at work.

Day 2, 10/30: Osaka–Kyoto, half-day exploring in Kyoto

1) Accommodation: Guesthouse Ne 2, booked on Ctrip. There’s an accommodation tax in Kyoto. I confirmed with Ctrip customer service when booking: the online payment covered the room charge and consumption tax but not the accommodation tax, which was collected by the guesthouse at 200 yen per person per night. The owner ran a tiny coffee shop downstairs that also served as the reception. Every morning when we left it wasn’t open yet, and by the time we returned it was long closed. So if you have questions, ask on the first day. On checkout day, we simply dropped the key in a storage locker—self-checkout. If you need cleaning during your stay, there’s a fee.

2) Itinerary: We put our luggage away and stepped out just before 10am (we left the Osaka hotel at 8:30am and reached Kyoto in under two hours). Fushimi Inari Taisha – Tofukuji – Sanjusangendo – Kiyomizudera – Sannenzaka & Ninenzaka slopes – Ishibe Alley – Kenninji – Hanamikoji – Takashimaya – hotel. Apart from the first and last legs by subway and bus, we linked all the sights on foot using Baidu Maps’ walking navigation. The spots were close together; the farthest was about two kilometers. I’d bookmarked them in Baidu Maps while researching from photos and others’ travelogues back home, then connected them into a sensible route without backtracking. If your feet can’t take it, you can buy a one-day subway or bus pass in Kyoto for 600 or 700 yen—it’s worth it if you ride three times.

★ Fushimi Inari Taisha was insanely crowded; impossible to find a shot without people. So I’d suggest going another time, early morning is best. We had originally planned to go on the day we traveled from Kyoto to Uji, since it’s on the same line and we’d pass Fushimi Inari first, but with Nara also on that day time was tight, so we didn’t. But putting Fushimi Inari first thing in the morning is the best way.

★ Tofukuji was a very obscure temple just after leaving Fushimi, but it was a real stunner—wooden structures looking clean and simple under blue skies.

★ Sanjusangendo costs 600 yen admission and wasn’t great value. The main hall houses 1,001 statues of Kannon—goddesses of mercy—and one enormous 11-faced, thousand-armed Kannon, a national treasure.

★ Kiyomizudera is on par with Fushimi Inari in status, and personally I found the scenery even better. From the high vantage point, you overlook the bustling streets of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka below, dotted with tourists in kimono. It’s a bit disorienting, as if you don’t know what era you’re in.

After that, we made our way down the shop-lined streets, from Ishibe Alley toward Hanamikoji, where we stumbled upon Kenninji. All along the way we sensed Japan’s traditions and its dedication.

Day 3, 10/31: Kyoto full-day tour – Nijo Castle – Kyoto Imperial Palace – Heian Shrine – Kawakubo, Issey Miyake, Champion stores – Nishiki Market – Isetan department store

From the hotel we took a bus to Nijo Castle, then walked the rest. Again Baidu Maps guided us unerringly. Brand shops in Japan are tucked down alleys, not easy to find. Places like Issey Miyake and Kawakubo—almost no Japanese customers, all were Chinese making their way there, probably hyped up by online influencer culture. After browsing Champion we strolled through Nishiki Market, sort of like a food street in China, with all manner of priced sashimi; we bought a little to stave off hunger. From Nishiki Market we caught the subway to Kyoto Station and browsed Isetan until it closed, then went for dinner. That’s how you don’t waste time, haha.

Day 4, 11/1: Kyoto full-day tour – Sagano Scenic Railway (the ‘Romantic Train’) – Isetan department store

Near the hotel there’s a JR line direct to Saga Station. From there we walked to Torokko Kameoka Station for the scenic train. No matter which side you sit on, part of the ride you’ll see water, part you’ll see mountains. It doesn’t even matter if you don’t sit—stand at the rear of the train, and when it rounds a curve or enters a tunnel, you can capture the whole train in your photo from the back. After getting off at Arashiyama, we looked around the temples and bamboo groves, then took the JR back to Kyoto Station right around noon. We spent most of the afternoon again at Isetan, then had a fried beef cutlet for dinner.

Day 5, 11/2: Kyoto – Uji – Nara

★ Early morning we checked out, walked to Kyoto Station, and took the JR to Uji. We’d come purely for matcha, but it was too early and shops weren’t open yet, so we toured nearby Byodoin Temple, Eshinin Temple, Ujigami Shrine, and finally circled back via Uji Bridge to the Nakamura Tokichi head shop. After this loop, Uji struck me as a fresh, charming little city—exactly matched to the scent of matcha.

Nakamura hadn’t opened, but people were already queuing, so we joined them. We waited about ten minutes, then were ushered in. Staff seated guests and took orders with orderly politeness, bringing in the next group only after settling the previous one. The food truly was delicious. It was only after getting home that I recalled having eaten at Nakamura Tokichi once in Hong Kong with a different friend.

★ After a satisfying meal, we bought a few treats and headed to Uji’s JR station to dash off to Nara’s deer. The coin lockers at Nara Station were full. Outside there was a service counter where you could store luggage—my friend paid 1,400 yen. I wanted to save money and initially thought of dragging my suitcase up the park, but soon realized that was tricky. On a whim, I found a free luggage storage at a visitor center at the southeast corner of Sarusawa Pond opposite Kofukuji. The staff kindly suggested a route and told us about some small local exhibitions not on any guidebook, suggesting we drop in after our walk.

From the visitor center, we headed north along the east side of the pond, following my bookmarked spots: Kofukuji – Nara National Museum – Nara Park – Todaiji Nigatsudo – Mt. Wakakusa – Kasuga Taisha. Deer dotted the path the whole way, so no need to crowd the entrance trying to snap pictures of those grubby, indifferent creatures. We looped back down to the visitor center road and kept going south, where we found the local residential displays the lady had recommended—some typical homes hidden among ordinary houses, likely community efforts to promote the culture.

Done with Nara, we took a train to our Osaka hotel. We stayed near Daikokucho. The area also has Shin-Imamiya, which offers transport to the airport, and it’s not far from the Namba shopping district.

Day 6, 11/3: Osaka full-day tour – Namba – Takashimaya – Kuromon Market – America Village – Dotonbori – Shinsaibashi

An all-in-one zone for high-end shopping, small goods, drugstore cosmetics, and authentic street food. There were several other department stores around whose names I forgot—basically Osaka’s most bustling area, with umpteen malls and food alleys. It’ll shop your legs off. Haha!

Day 7, 11/4: Osaka full-day tour – Osaka Castle Park – Castle Tower – Hankyu Umeda Department Store – Hep Five Ferris Wheel

I’d wanted to visit Naniwa no Yu onsen to soothe my tired body and get a taste of local hot-spring culture, but circumstances didn’t allow, so I had to skip it with regret. My friend also wanted to go to Universal Studios; since I’d just been to the one in Singapore, I wasn’t interested. That was their regret—something for next time.

Day 8, 11/5: Osaka full-day tour – Tsutenkaku – Tennoji – Shitennoji – Kenzo – Dotonbori – Shinsaibashi

The Tsutenkaku tower and Tennoji near our guesthouse looked so-so in guidebook photos, but after spending so many days in Osaka, daily shopping didn’t feel quite right, so we went out to see them before the morning got hot. We then returned to Dotonbori at noon and finally ate at Kani Doraku (Crab Paradise). Since it was a bit early for lunch, we hardly had to queue. We whiled away the afternoon and evening around there, ending with an unstoppable drugstore spree. Back at the hotel, after packing, I lay belly-down on the futon and changed my flight ticket so I could haul my spoils home.

Day 9, 11/6: Half a day left in Osaka

The last day. My friend left early. I went out for a meal, then popped into Takashimaya for more souvenirs. Besides cosmetics, I bought over a dozen clothing items at the department stores alone. I really came back fully loaded… And my wallet was probably going to be empty for a long, long time to come…

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