Lively Osaka

December 8, 2024February 5, 2025 by elainevitikainen ♥ 3 Comments

I figured out that Osaka has two faces and that really depends on what you choose to see. It was alright to go to Dotonbori, Shinsekai, Namba and Umeda. But I would really be disappointed if I didn’t get to visit Katsuo-ji Temple and most especially, Mino-o Park. For me, Mino-o Park was the highlight of the Osaka trip. It was a beautiful and easy 2 hours hike that should not be missed. Also don’t forget to try the crunchy Maple leaf “Momiji” tempura and some hot Taiyaki along the way.

Our last day in Osaka was spent at the Osaka Castle Park. There were many areas with beautiful Autumn foliage. It was also there that I found my second Cherry Blossom. The first one was at Kyoto Botanical Garden. Now, I believe that Sakura can also be found in Autumn! There was a chill in the air as the wind was constantly blowing. Leaves were falling in large quantities from the trees which made me wonder if the Autumn in Japan was coming to an end and how we have enjoyed every minute of it!

I’m thankful for the nature, great food and lovely people. Thankful for stationeries, convenience stores, safety and even clean toilets everywhere. Will I return to Japan again for the 6th time? I hope so for I conclude that again Japan didn’t fail me during this holiday. It was a wonderful holiday that was worth every minute and money spent! Please check out the Osaka reels here, here, here and here. You can find my travel journal here.

We took the Northern route back to Helsinki, being my second time to fly over the North Pole. My first time was from Seoul last year. Bye, Japan and see you again soon!

Photos by Ari Vitikainen at https://www.arivitikainen.com

Kinosaki Onsen

December 4, 2024December 12, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 1 Comment

After 4 nights in Kyoto, we took the taxi to the station to buy train tickets to our next destination – Kinosaki Onsen. We took a taxi because you can’t take big luggage on the bus in Kyoto and for this trip, we didn’t reserve tickets beforehand knowing that we can easily buy them at the station. But it’s a good idea to search a bit for the timetable so that you know more or less when you should be at the station. For this trip, I really wanted to include an Onsen experience, although, I know that nothing will beat our time in Kurokawa Onsen in April. I was thinking to go either to Kinosaki Onsen or Arima Onsen and in the end, decided that Kinosaki Onsen looks more pretty. We bought the train tickets from the machine then went to the Ekiben shop on the second floor to get an Ekiben and finally, I found the Hello Kitty bento. Although it was not on the shelf, I figured that they had it because it was early and they were just unpacking the boxes. So I asked the kind lady for it and she opened the box to get one for me. The child in me was extremely happy! You can find the reel here.

The train ride took 2 hours and 24 minutes. It was very fast yet very smooth as one could expect in a Japanese train. So we arrived in no time in the charming town of Kinosaki Onsen and the first thing we did was to buy our tickets for the next day to Osaka. There was a free shuttle bus outside the station that takes visitors to their ryokan. Our ryokan was very close to the ropeway so we decided to take the cable car up after check -in and enjoyed the view of the town and its surroundings.

Unless you are planning to check out the temples, there was not much to do up there so we took the next cable car down to cook our own Onsen Tamago which I definitely recommend. We had a short walk around town then it was time for us to enjoy our private onsen at our ryokan. After the relaxing onsen, it was dinnertime where we were served with Sukiyaki and Matsuba crabs which were large crabs that Kinosaki is known for.

After dinner, we were ready to experience our first Kinosaki public onsen. Dressed in Yukuta and carrying a basket with our towels, we went to Goshino – Yu, an onsen which was built in the likeness of Kyoto’s Imperial Palace. It has a waterfall and surrounded by beautiful Japanese maple trees. It was a good choice since we were only planning to go to two public onsens out of the six. It was so refreshing and a cold milk was important to finish off the onsen mission of the day!

After breakfast the next day, we went to the onsen closest to our ryokan which was my second onsen choice – Kono – Yu. It has an outdoor onsen and I enjoyed every moment of peace and quiet as there was no one else in the onsen.

Then it was time to check out of our ryokan and explored the town a bit for coffee and souvenirs before taking the train to Osaka! Check out the reel of the day here.

Photos by Ari Vitikainen at https://www.arivitikainen.com

Back in Kyoto

December 3, 2024December 31, 2024 by elainevitikainen ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

The last time I was in Kyoto was in 2018. But we had to go back because every time I searched for the best Autumn places in Japan, Kyoto was on top of the list. It was not just because of the Autumn colours, but it has something to do with the old architectures blending well with the Autumn foliage. And this was perfectly true! Autumn colours can be everywhere but not as dramatic as the Autumn in Kyoto. When we arrived in Kyoto, it was the peak of Autumn so we were able to enjoy it everywhere we went.

But Kyoto is a bit problematic for me. It was so crowded. The buses were too crowded. I didn’t like it that way and I don’t remember it this crowded when we were there in 2018. It made me tired and not want to go back to Japan again until we spent our last day at Kyoto Botanical Garden. It was so beautiful and so peaceful. We had all the beauty, space and time that it made me want to return to Japan again! And if you like stamps, you must try the layered stamp rally at the Garden. We also enjoyed a rustic breakfast on the way to the Garden at a very interesting, rugged Cafe Bar that had a Brazilian theme. The breakfast set of cheese toast, boiled egg and Brazilian coffee was only 300 Yen (1,88 EUR). The coffee was really good and the owners were really kind and very friendly. They showed us photos from trips in Brazil in the early 80’s. Such a fun encounter!

Anyway, just for your information. If you want to see the Bamboo Forest, be kind to yourself and go to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Don’t kid yourself and go to Sagano Bamboo Forest instead because it is not the same. Don’t believe that Social Media hype about Sagano!

Check out the reels of the day here, here, here and here

After 4 nights in Kyoto, we were off to an Onsen experience in Kinosaki Onsen!

Photos by Ari Vitikainen at https://www.arivitikainen.com