Now that we are on the road for a long term trip, budget management becomes even more important. So to go to Kyoto, we decided to take a night bus. I was clearly sceptical at first, but it ended up being a great option! Super comfortable reclining seats, we managed to sleep all night. Good surprise!!

And here we were for the next 3 days, in Kyoto for the 4th time in 2 years. Kyoto is a beautiful city. With so many old temples and history, you are surrounded by serenity. Well… Providing you avoid the main attractions, because the downside of Kyoto is its (well deserved) popularity. It is packed!!! Early April being cherry blossom season, crowds are even bigger than usual.

As crowded areas are not our cup of tea, we decided to go off the beaten tracks. First behind Arashiyama, where we strolled in beautiful streets, almost on our own. We also wandered early morning on the beautiful Philosopher’s path, and visited the Katsura Imperial villa, an ancient villa where emperors used to come to enjoy the moon. We also spent some more time in Gion, and got lucky to see some Maikos (apprentice geishas) rushing in the streets after their performance at the Gion Odori, seasonal festival for Maikos and Geishas.

There is a lot to do and visit in Kyoto. You could easily spend a week to enjoy the city and its surroundings. Coming back for us was to enjoy a bit more of it, but was mainly a great opportunity to meet Warwick and Yasmin, our friends from Australia, who were travelling in the Kansai region.

What about Sakura season?

Sakura was delayed compared to initial forecast. So instead of the full bloom we were expecting, we had the early stages of the flowers. But we were still rewarded by pristine views of the canals in the city and manage to get our intake of flower pictures. Ah yes… We have to warn you, we loooove taking pictures of flowers / leaves / trees. It was true before Japan, but got to another level since. Expect some more along the way!

I had high expectations on Kyoto during Sakura. It was great indeed, but I think I prefer to enjoy the season in Tokyo. In Tokyo, it is part of the daily life, a moment everyone enjoys by having hanami in the parks, or just strolling in the streets. You feel part of the community when you join the party. In Kyoto, it is a real touristic event. People come from all over the world for it, and wander around the city in kimono. A bit overrated for my liking….

Nevertheless, thanks for those few days Kyoto! we can be picky but the reality is you never disappoint.

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