Kyoto 2024, Day 1

It’s been exactly six months since Saw See and I went on our holiday to Kyoto. No, it wasn’t a hush-hush trip or anything like that—I just didn’t feel the urge to write about it until about two weeks ago. So here it is at last: the first instalment of our week-long getaway.

We’d been wanting to go on a holiday by ourselves for the longest time, but the opportunity didn’t arise until the end of the year. Even then, I was stuck between two events: my nephew’s wedding in the first half of November, and a chess tournament I’d promised to organise later in the month. That left me with just about a week to squeeze in our travel plans. Even then, I had to monitor the planning of the tournament from afar. Luckily, I had two friends that helped out admirably.

We first visited Japan back in 2017 with our son and daughter. That time, we flew into Tokyo, then went to Kawaguchiko—a beautiful town by a lake with a breathtaking view of Mt Fuji—before moving on to Osaka and Kyoto. Trying to cover so many places in just one week turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. As soon as we unpacked, we had to pack up again. Definitely not the most relaxing experience. So this time around, I made up my mind: we’d stay put in one place and explore the surrounding sights from there. We'd take our time; it won't be that stressful. Ever since that 2017 trip, I’d been wanting to return to Kyoto for the sights and the food, which we had only visited briefly on a day trip. And that’s how we ended up buying our flight tickets to Osaka.

Originally, our AirAsia X flight was supposed to depart KLIA2 at 2.15am on 13 November 2024, but I got a notification that it had been delayed to 5.35am. Ah well, nothing much we could do—flight delays are just one of those things. We still had to head down to KL on the 12th and catch the KLIA Express to the airport regardless of what time the plane was flying off. But with the delay, our original arrival time at Kansai International Airport of 9.35am was now pushed back to 12.55pm.

Once we cleared immigration and collected our luggage, we picked up our Ninja pocket Wi-Fi and sorted out our ICOCA cards. Social media is full of advice urging travellers to use the SUICA card for train rides, but I found the ICOCA card, which is issued by JR Rail in Osaka, worked just as well.

After a quick lunch at Kansai Airport, we boarded the direct Haruka train to Kyoto. We didn’t realise we were in a Hello Kitty-themed coach until I noticed the headrest covers were decorated with Hello Kitty faces—completely missed that detail at first. 

By the time we changed trains at Kyoto Station and got off at Nijo, it was already dark, even though time was only about 5.45pm. Wandering unfamiliar streets in the fading light trying to locate our hotel was a little unsettling. We weren’t sure whether we were on the right track or not, but thankfully Google Maps came to the rescue and led us right to the Miro Kyoto Nijo Hotel—also known as the Calm Castle Hotel Nijo. Why the two names? I’ve no idea and didn’t bother asking.

The hotel itself was surprisingly comfortable, though the room was tiny. With a double bed taking up most of the space, there wasn’t much room to move. The gap between the bed and the walls couldn’t have been more than two feet. Lay your luggage flat on the floor and you’re out of walking space. The only option was to leave it zipped up and standing upright against the wall. The modular bathroom was great, complete with a heated toilet seat and automatic wash—something we’d sorely missed since our last visit seven years ago. Downstairs, there was a small open kitchen that guests could use freely. We bought food for breakfast from 7-Eleven or FamilyMart each evening and heated it up the next morning. They even provided free coffee and tea throughout the day.

On our first night, we asked the front desk—the staff spoke English—for directions to the nearest places to eat. They pointed us towards the Sanjo shopping street, just 100 metres away. There, we found a cosy little restaurant called Yoshiharu and had our first proper meal in Kyoto. I went for a hearty bowl of tonkotsu ramen, while Saw See opted for rice with roast pork. Both were delicious. We explored the street a little after dinner but couldn’t shake off the tiredness. It had been a very long day, so we called it a night by 9pm.