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Sumiyoshi taisha

Summary of June itinerary in Japan ( Osaka, Kyoto )

Summary of June itinerary in Japan ( Osaka, Kyoto )   I traveled to Osaka, Kyoto, and Aichi Prefectures from Wednesday, June 8 to Friday, June 10. On this trip, I was able to eat a lot of seasonal seafood and local cuisine such as sea bass and sweetfish, and visit wonderful sightseeing spots such as world heritage sites, national treasures, and national important cultural properties. I strongly recommend that you travel in June, especially in Osaka, Kyoto, and Aichi Prefectures, which are not suitable for travel in July and August due to the extremely hot weather. Here is a summary of our trip and some notes.   Table of contents 1.”100 best of local dishes” and “Local dishes loved by the nation” by this itinerary in Japan 2. Seasonal “PRIDE FISH” by this itinerary in Japan 3. Travel precautions for itinerary in Japan 4. Travel in a light style 5. June 8 (Wednesday) Day 1 6. June 9 (Thursday) Day 2 7. June 10 (Friday) Day 3   Again, each time, this itinerary was also created with the objective of “eating all the seasonal seafood and local cuisine”. Food is the first priority, and sightseeing spots are second. Nevertheless,read moreSummary of June itinerary in Japan ( Osaka, Kyoto )

whole sweetfish sushi

June itinerary in Japan Day 3 (Kyoto, Aichi Meal edition)

June itinerary in Japan Day 3 (Kyoto, Aichi Meal edition) (Friday, June 10)   Table of contents 1. Restaurant Kitamura 2. Cafe Milan 3. Takeyoshi 4. Sumiyoshi, Kabuto, Izakaya Tsuruhachi   1. Restaurant Kitamura I had a late breakfast before my stroll at “Miyama’s Thatched Village (Kayabuki no sato)”. I ordered “mori soba” (Yen 840), “rice with raw egg” (Yen 320), “dish simmered in regional chicken liver” (Yen 430), and “dish simmered venison with ginger” (Yen 430) at “Restaurant Kitamura“. “Mori soba” is most popular buckwheat noodle at “Restaurant Kitamura”. It is made from buckwheat flour harvested in Miyama and ground on a millstone. The soba noodles are handmade in the restaurant every day. Despite being handmade soba, the noodles were very thin and made me feel that they were well worked. The amount of Soba was a little small, but it was a very tasty “mori soba”. The “rice with raw egg” was made with freshly caught local eggs, and the rich yolk of the egg was delicious and irresistible. The chicken and venison used in the “dish simmered in regional chicken liver” and “dish simmered venison with ginger” were also caught in Miyama. The meat is locally produced,read moreJune itinerary in Japan Day 3 (Kyoto, Aichi Meal edition)

Miyama's Thatched Village

June itinerary in Japan Day 3 (Kyoto, Aichi prefecture)

June itinerary in Japan Day 3 (Kyoto, Aichi prefecture) (Friday, June 10)   Table of contents 1. Miyama’s Thatched Village (Kayabuki-no-Sato) 2. Miyama folklore museum 3. Chii Hachiman Shrine 4. Kobayashi Family Residence 5. Nagoya City Hall / Aichi Prefectural Office   1. Miyama’s Thatched Village (Kayabuki-no-Sato) I went to Miyama, Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture, in the morning on June 10. The transportation I used was as follows Depart Kyoto Station at 8:04,  San-in Line “bound for Sonobe”,  arrive at Sonobe Station at 8:51 Depart Sonobe Station at 8:52,  San-in Line “bound for Goma”,  arrive at Hiyoshi Station at 9:01 Depart Hiyoshi Station at 9:10,   Miyama Sonobe Line “bound for Kyu Chii Elementary School”,  arrive at Miyama Clinic at 9:45 Total fare: Yen 1,370 I got off at the Miyama Clinic bus stop and rented a bicycle at the Kyoto Tamba Kogen Quasi-National Park Visitor Center to go to Miyama’s Thatched Village (Kayabuki-no-Sato). Electric bicycles were Yen 1,500 per day. However, the price will double to Yen 3,000 per day from July 1, 2022. The Kyoto Tamba Kogen Quasi-National Park Visitor Center (bike rental office) offers free luggage storage. It took about 20 minutes to get to “Miyama’s Thatched Villageread moreJune itinerary in Japan Day 3 (Kyoto, Aichi prefecture)

hamo (conger pike) somen

June itinerary in Japan Day 2 (Kyoto Meal edition)

June itinerary in Japan Day 2 (Kyoto Meal edition) (Thursday, June 9)   Table of contents 1. Soba Restaurant Aoi 2. Seppourai Kyoto Station Building Store   1. Soba Restaurant Aoi For my first lunch in Kyoto, I had hamo (conger pike) somen (Yen 1,380 ) at “Soba Restaurant Aoi” located in the Kintetsu Mall Miyakomimichi in Kyoto Station. I chose the somen despite the fact that it is a soba noodle restaurant because it has Hamo no Yubiki (parboiled conger pike) on top of the somen. Hamo (conger pike) cuisine is famous for Kyoto in summer. It has been selected as one of the “Our Regional Cuisines” by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan as “grilled hamo”. Although grilled hamo has been selected as one of “Our Regional Cuisines”, I definitely Hamo no Yubiki (parboiled conger pike) as my favorite hamo dish. I think the contrast between the white parboiled hamo and the red plum sauce is a great contrast and looks very nice. There are not many white and red dishes other than parboiled hamo, which is why it makes parboiled hamo stand out against other dishes. The hamo no somen was also a veryread moreJune itinerary in Japan Day 2 (Kyoto Meal edition)

Toji

June itinerary in Japan Day 2 (Kyoto prefecture)

June itinerary in Japan Day 2 (Kyoto prefecture) (Thursday, June 9)   Table of contents 1. Toji Temple 2. Fushimi Inari Taisha 3. Hotoji Temple 4. Tofukuji Temple 5. Saisho Kongoin Temple / Funda-in (Sesshuji Temple) 6. Unryu-in 7. Sennyuji Temple   1. Toji Temple I went to Toji Temple at 8:00 in the morning on June 9. Toji Temple is registered as a World Heritage site as a component of “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities),” and its Kondo and five-story pagoda are designated as national treasure buildings. The five-story pagoda of Toji Temple is visible from the Shinkansen, making it the most viewed temple by visitors to Kyoto. Toji Temple was founded in 796. It was built as an national temple for the protection of the Heian-kyo capital. Later, in 823, Emperor Saga bestowed Toji Temple to Kukai (Kobo Daishi), who made it the Konpon Dojo (fundamental training hall) of Shingon esoteric Buddhism. Toji Temple is the only remaining structure from the Heian-kyo period. Due to several fires, no buildings from the time of its foundation remain in Toji Temple. However, the orderly arrangement of the temple buildings in a straight line from south toread moreJune itinerary in Japan Day 2 (Kyoto prefecture)

mackerel sushi

June itinerary in Japan Day 1 (Osaka Meal edition)

June itinerary in Japan Day 1 (Osaka Meal edition) (Wednesday, June 8)   Table of contents 1. Soraben 2. Okonomiyaki “Abeton” 3. Sushi “Abaraya”   1. Soraben For breakfast on June 8, I had a “Soraben (Sky bento)” at Haneda Airport. This trip to Osaka/Kyoto has nothing to do with Fukuoka Prefecture, but I bought a “Yamaya Mentai Saizen” (Yen 1,350) from Fukuoka Prefecture. The “Yamaya Mentai Saizen” is one of the more expensive “Soraben” sold at Haneda Airport. However, when I opened the lid of the bento, I found that the coloring was very plain. I was disappointed after opening the lid, because I think coloring is very important for both “Ekiben” and “Soraben”. The taste was good, but it was not good enough to make up for the very plain coloring. Considering the price, I felt that it was a very overpriced “Soraben”. I knew I shouldn’t have bought a Fukuoka bento at Haneda Airport.   2. Okonomiyaki “Abeton” After sightseeing at Shitennoji Temple, I had okonomiyaki at “Abeton“, which is located a little more than 5 minutes away on foot. “Abeton” is located in an underground shopping mall called “Abechika”. It is located on the Shitennoji Templeread moreJune itinerary in Japan Day 1 (Osaka Meal edition)

Kanshinji Temple

June itinerary in Japan Day 1 (Osaka prefecture)

June itinerary in Japan Day 1 (Osaka prefecture) (Wednesday, June 8)   Table of contents 1. Tsutenkaku Tower 2. Yasui Shrine 3. Shoman-in 4. Shitennoji Temple 5. Sumiyoshi Taisha 6. Kanshinji Temple 7. Eboshigata Hachiman Shrine 8. Nagano Shrine   1. Tsutenkaku Tower Traveled to Osaka and Kyoto prefectures from June 8th (Wednesday) to 10th (Friday). It was a sunny day for all three days on the trip just before the rainy season. I often cycled around sightseeing spots on all three days, and my face and arms were tanned black. On Wednesday, June 8th, I flew from Haneda Airport to Itami Airport, took a limousine bus to Osaka City, and then went around sightseeing spots in Osaka. The transportation I used are as follows. Depart Haneda Airport at 7:30,  JAL103,  arrive at Itami Airport at 8:35 Depart Itami Airport at 9:05,  limousine bus “bound for Namba Station”,  arrive at Namba Station at 9:30,  Fare Yen 650 The limousine bus is fast and convenient from Itami Airport to Namba Station. Since the limousine bus uses the highway, it only takes 25 minutes from Itami Airport to Namba Station. By the way, it takes 16 minutes by subway from Shin-Osaka stationread moreJune itinerary in Japan Day 1 (Osaka prefecture)