Day trip from Kyoto to Uji

A couple of weeks ago my dad and I had a day trip from Kyoto to Uji. I was interested in going to Uji last time I was in Japan to see Uji Byodoin but they were renovating it and I had heard from friends that you couldn't see much. Well I am glad I waited till the restoration was finished, it now looks stunning! It has been restored to it's former glory and I would really recommend visiting.

How to get there

It's really easy to get the train to Uji. We took the Keihan to Chushojima Station and then changed to the Keihan Uji line to get to Uji Station. Or you can get the JR Nara line straight from Kyoto Station to Uji.

Where to go

Uji Byodoin

The main tourist attraction at Uji is Uji Byodoin. Now a temple, it was originally built as a countryside villa (i.e fancy holiday home) for Fujiwara no Michinanga, one of the most powerful politicians at that time. When it was turned into a temple it was given it's most famous feature, the Phoenix Hall which you can see on the back of a 10yen coin.

Open: 8:30 to 17:30 

Admission: 600 yen for gardens and museum additional 300 yen for tour of the Phoenix Hall

 

Ujigami Shrine

Although we didn't go here I have included it as it is considered to be the oldest shrine in Japan. In 1994 it was named as a World Heritage and it is thought of as Byodoin's guardian shrine.

Open: 9 to 16:30

Admission: free

 

Uji River

The Ujigawa runs through the centre of the town and is a lovely place to just go for a wander or have a picnic. 

The Tale of Genji Museum

The Tale of Genji, written in the 11th Century, is considered by some to be the world's first novel. Many places in Uji feature in the book and although I didn't go to the museum it is probably a must for anyone interested in Japanese literature and history.

Open: 9 to 17:00

Admission: 500 yen

Mimurotoji Temple

This place was so beautiful! Known as the flower temple,the gardens are planted with various seasonal plants so it looks beautiful all year round. In April there are the cherry blossoms, in May the azalea, hydrangea in June, lotuses in July and momiji in November. When we went the gardens were filled with hydrangea. It was also filled with loads of Japanese tourists but hardly any foreign tourists which is a shame as it may not be as famous as the Byodoin but it really is worth a visit!
Open: 8:30 to 16:30 (16:00 from November to March)

Admission: 500 yen

 

Uji Jinja Shrine

There is a legend that a rabbit guided a lost deity on his way to Uji so there is a rabbit greeting you as you wash your hands at the entrance to the shrine.

Open: 6 to 18:00

Admission: Free

What to eat and drink

Green tea! Uji is famous for the best quality green tea in the whole of Japan. There are loads of cafes where you can eat green tea flavoured everything. I even saw a vending machine which sold only green tea!

Uji Byodoin

We stopped for some kakigori (shaved ice) to cool down!

Uji river

Me looking a bit tired!

Uji jinja shrine

Mimurotoji Temple

Had to take a picture of these two women matching their clothes to the surroundings!

Green tea or.... green tea?!

Weekend in Huddersfield

Last weekend I went with my friend Abbie to Huddersfield where we met up with Sophie who is at Huddersfield University. It was so lovely to see them both again and despite the horrible weather we had a great time!

We started off with lunch at Lloyd's Bar. We were undercharged so I only had to pay £4 for a big toastie, chips and a drink; a good start to the weekend! We then walked around the shops, the only things I bought were some fairy lights from Primark and some pick and mix sweets on the market.

I was raining really heavily so we headed to Espresso Corner. I had heard from Sophie that they do the best hot chocolate. She was not lying, they are so good! I definitely recommend this place. Since we didn't fancy walking around in the rain we stayed in the cafe for quite a while browsing their good selection of magazines.

We then went to The Picturehouse, an American Bar and Grill. I loved the design of the interiors. There were old cinema seats, black and white movie photos and a glass of popcorn while we were waiting for our food. I had the Chicken Run burger which was so good. Then for dessert we all shared Cookie Monster which is described as 'a cookie dough base topped with Oreos, homemade brownie mix, served with ice cream.' Basically absolute heaven!! 

After tea Abbie got the train home and me and Sophie picked up a couple of bottles of wine for an evening in. The next day Sophie and I had a lazy morning and then went to the cinema to go see Cinderella (review coming soon!)

I then got the train back home to York. It was so good to see my best friends again and to have some time off from doing work.

Hot chocolate in Espresso Corner

Browsing the fashion mags

 In The Picturehouse

 Chicken run burger

Cookie Monster (the photo doesn't do it justice)

Selfie time!!

What did you get up to at the weekend?

Where to see cherry blossom in Kyoto

According to the official Japanese cherrry blossom forecast (yes there is such a thing!) the cherry blossom in Kyoto will start to bloom tomorrow and will be at their peak March 31st to April 8th. That means if you're living in Kyoto or are visiting there soon, now is the time to start planning where you will go to see the beautiful blossoms.

While it is true that you will see cherry blossom everywhere you go, there are some places in Kyoto which are especially beautiful. Here are some of the best places in Kyoto to see the sakura (cherry blossom.)

Okazaki Canal 
This extremely pretty canal is a popular place for boat rides. It's a great way to view to blossoms planted on both sides of the canal.

The Kyoto Imperial Palace Gardens
The gardens at the far end of the Imperial Palace grounds have a lovely selection of cherry blossom trees.

Kamogawa
Kamogawa is the big river which runs through the centre of Kyoto. There are cherry blossom trees planted all along the river so in spring it is the perfect place to go for a walk or cycle ride.

Philosophers Path
Philosopher's Path, one of the most popular areas to view the cherry blossom in Kyoto, runs alongside a small river for three kilometers. Tourists from all over Japan come to see the cherry blossom here.

Kyoto Botanical Gardens
These gardens are the home of many beautiful flowers and plants so it is a great place to go any time of the year. However in spring it really comes into it's own when the small sakura forest is in full bloom and everyone flocks to have picnics under the blossoms.

Gion
Gion is famous for it's Geisha but it's also a great place to see the cherry blossom. It's a very photogenic area and therefore popular for wedding photos. One day I went and saw five couples having their photos taken in their wedding outfits.

Okazaki Canal

The Kyoto Imperial Palace Gardens

The River Kamo

Philosophers Path

Kyoto Botanical Gardens

Gion

Have you ever been to Japan in Spring or do you ever plan to?

Where to See Plum Blossom in Kyoto

Plum blossom at KitanoTenmangu Shrine

Cherry blossom in Japan may be more famous, but plum blossom blooms first and therefore is significant in signalling the beginning of spring. The end of February to the beginning of March is the perfect time to go viewing plum blossom in Japan. Here is a list of the best places to view plum blossom in Kyoto.

KitanoTenmangu Shrine 北野天満宮
What: 2000 plum trees
When: mid Feb. to early Mar. Plum festival on 25th Feb.

Ryoanji Temple 龍安寺
What: 80 plum trees
When: late Feb.

Shoseien Garden 渉成園
What: 30 plum trees
When: mid Feb.

Umenomiya Taisha Shrine 梅宮大社
What:: 35 varieties of plums, 550 plum trees
When: mid Feb. to early Mar.

Kyoto Imperial Palace 京都御苑
What: 20 varieties of plums, 250 plum trees
When: mid Feb. to mid Mar.

Nijo Castle 二条城
What: 3 varieties of plums, 130 plum trees
When: mid Feb. to early Mar.

Tenryuji Temple 天龍寺
how many, what kind: 3 varieties of plums
when: from late Feb.

Otoyo-jinja Shrine 大豊神社
What: The biggest weeping plum tree in Kyoto; 250 to 300 years old.
When: early to mid Mar.

Botanical Gardens 植物園
What: 60 varieties of plum, 150 plum trees
When: mid Feb. to late Mar.

Jonangu Shrine 城南宮
What: 2 varieties of plums, 150 weeping plum trees
When: late Feb.

 What signals the start of spring for you?

Linking up with Travel Tuesday and Let's be Friends blog hop

I'm going back to Japan!

So excited right now! This summer I will be spending three months back in Japan! For those of you who are recent readers of my blog I'll quickly fill you in. I am half Japanese and was born in Japan but have grown up in England. Then from July 2013 to May 2014 I spent my gap year living in Japan where I went to a Japanese language school as all I could really say were simple greetings.

 

The one year that I lived in Japan my Japanese improved so much, I learnt to read and write in Japanese which I had never been able to do. But now I'm back in England it's hard to keep up with it because I'm not surrounded by it.

 

So, during the summer I will go back to the language school in Japan to refresh my memory and stop me from forgetting everything I learnt! I will be living in Kyoto, the same city that I lived in before and will make sure that as well as studying I have lots of time for sightseeing and of course shopping!

 

Will be doing some posts on places I want to go to and places I loved so much last time that I want to revisit them.

 

Have you got anything exciting planned for summer?

 

Linking up with Travel Tuesday

 

 

 

How to celebrate the New Year in Japan

In England for New Years Day you either stay in bed with a massive hangover, rush to the shops for the sales, or go out for a family meal because, you know, you haven't eaten enough over the past few weeks. However in Japan New Year is a three day event from January 1st to the 3rd and there are are lots of rituals and traditions. 

1. Watch bell ringing at a temple

At 12 o'clock when the new year starts, bells at temples are rung 108 times which symbolize the 108 human sins in Buddhist belief. It is believed that the ringing of the bells rids everyone of their sins from the previous year.

2. View the sunrise

January 1st is thought of as a very auspicious day in Japan and many people will get up early in order to view the first sunrise of the year.

3. Go to a shrine

During the three day period it is a tradition to go to a shrine and pray for a good year. The most popular shrines, such as Heian Jingu in the photo below, attract very large crowds.

4. Give otoshidama

While children in Japan may only get a few christmas presents, they can look forward to getting otoshidama from close family relatives. Otoshidama is money given to children on New Years Day in decorated envelopes.

5. Eat oshechi ryori

Osechi ryori is a meal prepared before the new year starts. Lots of it is made so that you don't have to do any cooking for the first three days of the year. In theory it sounds good, in practice? Well by the third day you do get a bit fed up of eating the same food.

6. Send New Years cards

New Years cards (nengajo) are sent to all friends, family and co-workers and usually feature the Chinese zodiac animal of the year, this year it's the sheep. Even if you send them early the post office will keep them and then deliver them all together on New Years Day.

7. Decorate your entrance

Everyone decorates the entrance to their home or business with ornaments made from straw and bamboo. They're like a New Years wreath.

Linking up with Treat Yo'Self Thursday

How did you celebrate the new year?

Travel Tuesday: Holland Park

When I was in London with my mum, we dropped into Holland Park in Chelsea. All of the gardens are really beautiful but for me the main attraction was the Kyoto Garden because before I started University I spent a year living in Japan. The garden was designed in 1992 to celebrate the Japan festival in London. It was so nice walking around the Kyoto garden, like a slice of Japan in London.

 

Next to the Kyoto Garden is a Fukushim Garden which was made in 2012 to commemorate the gratitude of the Japanese people to British people for their support after the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. If you ever go to Holland Park make sure you find the Kyoto Garden and Fukushima Garden, they're really beautiful and its cheaper than a flight to Japan! 

Have you ever been to Holland Park?

Linking up with Travel Tuesday