Day 8: Waking up early to explore Kyoto

For our next hotel, we checked into  a traditional Japanese inn, called a Ryokan. Settling into Ryokan Kohro with two comfy rooms, we were greeted with complementary yukata’s. The Ryokan also had a small onsen (public bathhouse), but no one wanted to come with me. It was relaxing and no one else was there. My girls had a traditional “tea party” with grandma in here room. They also gave us some manju snacks. 

The next morning was all about exploring the temples and the city. We started the day by walking to famous Nishiki market, where we dined on wagyu skewers and the most juiciest strawberries I have eaten. The boys tried this place that served octopus-stuffed quail eggs. My son did not like it. 

Afterwards, we headed to  the Kiyomizu-dera temple for some amazing views and Fushimi Inari Taisha for the thousand tori gates. My youngest daughter and the grandparents stayed at the bottom, while the 4 of us climbed all the way to the top. Not going to lie, I almost turned around a few times as the climb was long, especially in the hot humid weather. 

While in Kyoto, we also visited their oldest Starbucks, known as  Starbucks Kyoto Ninenzaka Yasaka Chaya, which was built inside a 100-year old traditional Japanese house. The ceilings were low, but it was nice to let our feet take a break as we sat on the tatami floors, sipping on our cold drinks. 

At night, we visited a local katsu restaurant nearby the Ryokan. It was a one-man operation, and his food was delicious. We also stopped by the nearby 7-eleven to get some onigir’s and snacks for the morning.

Until next time,

Faith