Himeji castle

Before going to Naoshima, we had a three hour stop at Himeji castle. It has been renovated recently and shines brightly over the whole city. The structure is made from stones (some of them looted from cemeteries), plaster and wood. The wood structure is impressive and the trees used for it have been massive (approximately 80 cm in diameter). 

Since the floors are made of wood, all visitors need to take their shoes off, so bring a pair good socks with you and if its a chillier day, take knitted socks with you. It can get a bit cold even on a warm day, since all windows are wide open and it's quite windy on the hill. 

There are at least six floors in the castle and you can go right to the top. The stairs between the floors are steep and the steps are high. Nevertheless, there were lots of elderly people climbing the stairs up and down. It was surprising and a proof of how people in Japan stay active and in good shape through the years. 

Minä Perhonen, Kyoto

Something to take home from Minä Perhonen.

Japanese people dress imaginatively no matter gender or age. Outfits, that would raise eyebrows in Finland, such as silver and black tiger patterned jogging leggins under black shorts on an elderly gentleman, looks great here. I think it's the attitude that counts. Everybody are allowed to be just what they are, which is why people are relaxed and focus on what's important: enjoy running a mini marathon with your friends and support everybody to do their best. 

I particularly like the down to earth geometrical/nature inspired linen cothing you can see from time to time. Our hostess, at Carpe Diem, has the coolest linen pants I have ever seen, so I had to find out the brand and today in Kioto I got the chance to visit this amazing store called "Minä Perhonen". It's Finnish and a direct translation to English is "I, the butterfly". The shops (located in the same building in three floors) and personnel are delicate, romantic and at the same time strong and original. 

Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kyoto

Beautiful faded orange and pink colors.

Today we decided to take the train to Kyoto, so we went to Osaka station and jumped in the Kyoto train (rapid line). It took us to the city in 30 minutes and the ride was very comfortable. 

The scenery between Osaka and Kyoto doesn't change that much. It feels like you never left the city i.e. there is no empty space (forests and fields) between the two cities, which was a new experience. 

We walked to the shrine area from the station, but you could have easily taken a train there as well, but since it's only a 30 min from the station, we decided to check out the area at the same time.  

When you get closer the shrine, the streets become narrower and are lined with shops, restaurants and food stalls. You could buy something to eat and drink from here, but there is lots of opportunities to do that later during the hike. But the interesting stuff is available at the start of the route.

You should definitely try out adsuki bean and soy paste filled dango balls prepared by a nice lady, who owns the shop (see image below).

The dango balls weren't prepared in the usual way (grilled). The lady had a machine, where the dango was bouncing happily around. 

Dango shop.

If you are a fan of macha ice cream, then you are in luck, because you can get amazing macha soft ice cream near the dango place. Continue to walk uphill approximately 70 meters and you will see on your right side a small shop selling soft ice cream. The bright green one will catch your eye and you should head towards the source of this heavenly green stuff. Just try it out and you will love it!

Ok, so after the food journey, you will finally arrive at the main shrine area and to the starting point of the hike. Everything will be so beautiful and exiting that you can't help but take tons of photos at the starting point. There will be lots of people here, so you will have a difficult time to take "clean" shots, but the good news is that you don't have to take photos at this point. The route has thousands of Torii's (gates) and you will be able to get your perfect shot without people in it. Just enjoy the experience and keep walking uphill. 

At the end of the route, you will find a good reason to visit the shrine once more. One of the last shrine spots has a shop that sells small porcelain foxes made in Kyoto. Buy one for yourself, make a whish and take the fox to your home as a lucky charm. When your whish comes true, take the fox back to the shrine....

Hand made soba buckwheat noodels for breakfast at Carpe Diem

You know, sometimes you are at the right time in the right place. And this morning we were just that! 

The ryokan's host and hostess invited us to see how buckwheat soba noodles are made from scratch. It was very elegant and all steps were executed with huge accuracy. The artisan was actually a chief at a big organisation, but he had practised making soba noodles for ten years. 

It was also the first time we had newly made soba noodels (Did you know that you drink the water the noodles are boiled in? The nutrients are in the water apparently.) and we will never forget the excperience. Delicious, authentic and beautiful! 

Dotonbori!

We found the busy part of the town. Lots of lights, restaurants, music and people.

We found the busy part of the town! This is the place to visit if you want to experience neon lights, huge crowds, shop for clothes and small trinkets, but more importantly eat. The place is absolutely packed with restaurants. We prefer family style smaller places, but this was a good experience.

If you are a teenager, you will find here absolutely everything you need.  Including your Japanese peers.

Yummy snacks

We have today tasted a variety of snacks you can get from small shops. I have to say that they are great! The fluffy, creamy banana surprise in the yellow wrapper is my new favourite. I wonder how the Japanese people stay slim, because there is so much sugary stuff here. 

Barbequed pork and octopus and okonomiyaki.

Osaka style Gyoza.

It's not cider, but a softdrink. They would have had also chili and garlic flavoured sodas.

This macha waffle is amazing! Best waffle ever.

Maison de Gigi is the home of the macha woffle.

Late night snack from Lawson.

More snacks

Milk with coffee and coffee with milk.

Fried mushy potato snack.

A glimpse to a secret garden

Carpe Diem Ryokan's secret garden seen from our window. It's the most beautiful private garden we havet seen.

A comfy bed is waiting, good night

A futon bed with fluffy, pink down blanket wrapped inside linen with a huge hole on top.

The neighbourhood by night

Potted plants can be seen in almost every corner. Some of the flowers are in full bloom now and the scent from them is quite strong. The small gardens are also inhabited by the cicadas and we heard a small preview of their song. It seems to come from everywhere and nowhere, very confusing. 

Apartment buildings are huge, but often surrounded by small houses. 

Man made symmetry. 

Strange bottle collection in front of the main door of a house.

I guess we are in a silent part of Osaka.

Our first dinner in Japan at a lovely family restaurant called Kinona / 木の芽

Miso soup, firefly squid, pickles, rice, small salad, sashimi with three different types of fish...and the main dish, Japanese hamburger (not in picture).

We were recommended at our ryokan, Carpe Diem, to go and eat dinner in a nearby family restaurant called Kinona. The service was very friendly and the hostess was lovely. She gave us good tips about food and we discussed life in general.

The food was served in several small dishes and was beautifully composed. We got to experience new tastes: pickles, white fish and firefly squid (salted and natural). The squids were really cute...and tasty.

The food, atmosphere and service was excellent and we highly recommend you to try it out.

Kinona / 木の芽

〒537-0022 Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Higashinari-ku, Nakamoto, 1 Chome−5

Japan​