The Most Magical Trip: Japan, Part 2 - Kyoto, Nara, and Hiroshima

"A frog in a well does not know the ocean." ~ Japanese proverb

This 13-day trip to Japan was absolutely magical and a true testament to our resilience. I'm going to break it into 3 parts because there is just too much to share in one post. This is part two where we focus on our time in Kyoto, Nara and HIroshima. We hope you enjoy this amazing adventure!

Day 6:

We had an early wake up call to pack. Then our driver picked us up early at 0845 and we made our way to Tokyo Station.

We planned to ship our luggage from Tokyo to Kyoto. Not sure I would do that again as it didn't arrive until the next day. We were prepared for this and we did bring a small suitcase with a days worth of stuff.

We got food and then boarded the Shinkansen at about 1150 with a departure of 1200.

The Shinkansen is literally the coolest this ever!!

What an awesome way to travel! We had a smooth ride and arrived at 1415.

Hotel, Royal Twin, was a quick walk from the train station.

We forgot we only booked for 4 and they caught us and forced us to book another room, but it ended up being amazing. We got the room next door and they only charged us for 1 night.

We got the kids dinner at the hotel.

And then we headed for a date night at Kyoto Hyoto for delicious shabu shabu.

As we walked back to the hotel we saw the Kyoto Tower:

Notes about the hotel:

1. Great location.

2. Very friendly staff.

3. They’re well stocked with supplies such as shampoo, hand soap, and TP.

4. Great restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

5. Big rooms with comfy beds.

Day 7:

We had the buffet breakfast at the hotel. The spread of traditional Japanese and more traditional western food was amazing!

We met our guide Yoshie at 0845. He greeted us with origami that his wife made for us and then shared a map and the plans for the day. We then headed to the train station.

We had the most amazing day at these stops:

1. Kinkakujicho Golden Hall

2. Ryoanji Temple:

3. Ninna-ji Temple

4. Lunch:

5. Arashiyama Monkey Park

But first a train ride and walk around town:

It was a long walk up a lot of steps!!

Great views of Kyoto from the top of the mountain!

There are the monkeys!

6. Tenryu-ji Temple

But first, ice cream!!

Then to the temple:

7. Bamboo forest

8. Fukakusaya

9. Dinner

Yoshie was the best!!!

We got back to our hotel late and then crashed.

Day 8:

We started off with another yummy buffet hotel breakfast and then to the train station to head to Nara. We had purchased what we thought were the proper train tickets the night before, but we learned that for the limited express you still need a regular train ticket so we had to purchase those too. The train can be so confusing!!

It was already hot!!

Today was a more relaxed day and more about the kids.

We left at 0922 and got to Nara about 1000.

We started with the kids trying on and picking out kimonos.

Then to the cat cafe for 1 hour. Kids loved playing with the cats. They were very friendly except for one that swatted at me. Our admission included a vending machine drink.

Then to lunch at McDonald's and on to the deer park. There were so many deer there! We did buy some biscuits to feed to the deer. It was a very interesting experience. There were some very aggressive deer near the train station. They even chased and bit the girls and myself a couple times. We found nicer and calmer ones further away.

They had to bow before we would feed them a biscuit.

Poor Kendall being chased.

Next we headed to Isuien Gardens but they were closed so we went to the neighboring gardens. They are all so beautiful.

Then we went to Great Buddha Hall.

And to Kasugataisha Shrine

More deer here!

Then we went to ice cream and an Italian dinner and then back to the hotel.

Day 9:

We had another yummy buffet breakfast and then off to our early Shinkansen ride to Hiroshima.

We left at about 0830 and got there about 1000.

We first walked to Hiroshima Castle.

View from the top:

Then to a shrine.

Then to lunch at Burger King. The quality of the burgers was surprisingly good!

Now off to Mayajima island.

During the boat ride we passed by the atomic bomb dome.

The ride to the island was kind of wild on the sea.

It took about 45 minutes to get to the island and they were flying in the super rough sea!

We explored the island and shrine. The tide was going out so we arrived at just the right time.

Then back to Hiroshima on a ferry,

And then a train to the Shinkansen and then the Shinkansen back to Kyoto.

We were back to the hotel at about 2100.

And on to Part 3.....