Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto

We went to Fushimi Inari Shrine, twice.  1st one was on our 1st day in Kyoto.  2nd time was on our last day in Kyoto.

 We did not sleep much on the flight that night, after check-in to the hotel, bath and had some rest, we all still have some energy left, so off to Inari we go.  It was raining that day.  Light shower.

Fushimi Inari Shrine is the #1 must go on my list.  Without wasting much time, we begins our Kyoto exploration in Fushimi Inari.  The shrine is easily accessible by train.  The main Torii gate is just a few steps away from the Inari train station, JR line.

We arrived there around 5pm, it was raining, gloomy and almost dark.  I am kind of sad thinking that our photos will come out with gloomy look.  But no,  turns out that there's not much people around, we can take our time getting our photos right and the kids can move around freely.

We went again the 2nd time on our last day in Kyoto.  You know that Fushimi Inari is famous for its thousand torii, right? So, it just does not feel right that I did not have my own mini torii to bring back with me.

Because it was already late when we were there the 1st time, the shops were closed and we didn't get to see the street market.  Ohh how I love markets.

So, on the last day, we packed our things early and check out from our hotel at 10am, we left our bags at the locker in Kyoto Station.  2 train stations later we were already in Inari, again.

We just follow the crowd and instinct to find the street market, yup it's just right at the corner,  turn to your left if you are coming form the Inari station.

The street market was bustling with life;  people, food, souvenir, and mini torii, you name it, torii keychain, torii fridge magnet, torii for display.  Ohh I am so glad we came back.

And of coz we tapau lots of other souvenirs here, hubby bought a mini samurai emperor or whatever they called it.

So yeah, enjoy the pictures..

 

 

These BBQ 3-layer pork at Inari street market is soooo good.

Tasty, juicy and the skin is not tough at all;

just eat it like a satay, with a bit of sauce if you prefer.

Fushimi Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷大社) is famous for its thousands of torii gates.  The torii gates are donations by individuals and companies, you can find the donator's name and the date of the donation on the back of each torii.  So kalau nak tangkap gambar, better ambil dari arah yang bertentangan tau.

Shopping for handbag in Kyoto

Louis Vuitton on Shijo Street not far from Nishiki market.

 No, I did not purchase any bag from the above brand.
 I am looking for something local, something made in Japan.

Here's my catch..

Made in Japan, it is.  The leather is soft and it smells good too, i loike.

As a tourist, if your purchase is more than 5400yen, you are entitled to claim back your 8% tax.  Just bring your receipt, passport and your purchase to the Tax Refund counter, and you will get your cash back, even if you were paying using a credit card like I did.  Hihi more cash for me to spend at the market.

Refund must be done on the same day of the purchase.

From KIX to Kyoto

Muka mengantuk waiting for our midnight flight.  Thank God all 4 flights kami pergi dan balik semua on schedule, takde delay.  Thanks AirAsia.

Touch down at KIX dalam pukul 8am.

Perkara pertama selepas selesai immigration check point - Information counter at KIX.

 Pastu, gi tengok2 simcard, semua kat vending machine, tak sure nak beli yang mana satu, last2 memang whole journey kami kat Japan langsung takda beli simcard, semua depends on free wifi je, jimat gitu ;)

OK, singgah kat Family Mart beli air & snack dulu.

Ini Smoking Room, banyak juga jumpa smoking room ni kat area Kyoto, bagus sangat, biar diorang berasap dalam tu, takde la asap terbang ke sana-sini.

Jum beli train passes.  Seorang je yang perlu beratur, passport semua kene tunjuk kat counter.

Ini la tempat beli Haruka Express + Icoca card. harga dalam 3,600yen per person.

Jum masuk train terminal, ini kat depan tempat beli tu card tadi je, semua dekat-dekat, takde yang jauh kene jalan beribu batu macam kat KLIA2..haiss.

Ok, kita tunggu Haruka Express, train dah sampai jangan terus masuk tau, pekerja akan membersihkan tempat duduk dulu, pastu tempat duduk tu akan pusing (auto la) tukar arah.  Pernah tak tengok documentary pasal bende ni? Saya pernah, impress tau!

 Tunggu train kene beratur, kat mana2 train station memang kena beratur. Naik escalator pun beratur gak.
 Haruka Express ni akan berhenti kat station Tennoji & Shin-Osaka; for info Shin-Osaka tak sama dengan Osaka Station.
Dalam 1 jam 30 minutes anda akan sampai ke Kyoto Station.

It was raining on the day we arrived in Japan.

Here's the video of our journey from KIX Osaka to Kyoto via Haruka Express