Kyoto Autumn Leaves Family Trip Day 1: Kiyomizu-dera

November 28, 2006. Main route: Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto.

After Lisa was born last year, life had been busy enough that it felt like we had not really rested for a long time. Since she was still under two and her airfare was only one-tenth of the regular ticket price, we hurried to plan a relaxed little trip~~

This was not meant to be a packed itinerary. Traveling with a baby, it felt safer to choose somewhere familiar, so we went back to Kyoto. For me, this was already the third visit. For this family trip, Kyoto felt less like a checklist and more like a place where we could slowly restart.

Returning to Familiar Kyoto With a Baby

At the time, the most convenient and fastest way from Kansai Airport to Kyoto was the HARUKA limited express. An unreserved seat cost JPY2,980, and the ride to Kyoto Station took about 75 minutes.

But we found that the JR Kansai Area Pass was only JPY2,000 back then, saving 980 yen in one ride~ This was our 2006 travel experience, not current travel advice. Ticket types, prices, and rules may have changed, so anyone planning the same route today should check the latest official information.

When we arrived at Kyoto Station, the station was already decorated for Christmas. On the first day of the trip, seeing those decorations made the feeling of "we are really traveling" slowly sink in.

Christmas decorations inside Kyoto Station during the 2006 autumn trip. — Kyoto Station was already decorated for Christmas when we arrived.

Staying in Shijo Karasuma Again

All three times we visited Kyoto, we stayed at the same hotel: Toyoko Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma.

Postal code: 600-8008

28 Naginataboko-cho, Shijo-dori Karasuma Higashi-iru, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto

TEL: +81-(0)75-212-1045

FAX: +81-(0)75-212-1049

Check-in starts at 16:00
Check-out until 10:00
Access: 0 minutes on foot from Exit 20 of Shijo Subway Station or Karasuma Station on the Hankyu line

The prices we recorded at the time were:

Single room: ¥6,400 (¥6,720 including tax)
Double room: ¥8,400 (¥8,820 including tax)
Twin room: ¥8,400 (¥8,820 including tax)
Single room with VOD: ¥6,900 (¥7,220 including tax)

These are simply notes from that trip, not current booking information. If we were booking now, the rates, room types, and rules would all need to be checked again.

The location of Toyoko Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma was extremely convenient. It was four subway stops from Kyoto Station, but it sat at a point where city buses and the subway crossed. The buses downstairs could reach almost all the popular sights. Kyoto only has two subway lines, and many major sights are not directly along them, so buses were still more convenient in Kyoto~~

Each room also had free high-speed internet, which made guests very happy. The only downside was that the room was tiny. Once two single beds were in place, the room was almost full. Still, it had a private bathroom, a bathtub, a washlet toilet, and a simple breakfast in the morning. It was only rice balls, coffee, and miso soup, but in Japan, where prices were not exactly low, that simple breakfast saved both money and trouble. No need to go out just to find breakfast~ Really thoughtful~

First Evening at Kiyomizu-dera

We arrived at the hotel at around 3:30 in the afternoon, rested for a while, and then took the bus to Kiyomizu-dera for the evening visit. The first day was already tiring, so this was not about filling the schedule. It was more like using a very Kyoto-style night to open the family autumn leaves trip.

Nighttime approach to Kiyomizu-dera during the autumn illumination. — After a short rest at the hotel, we took the bus to Kiyomizu-dera for the evening visit.

Every autumn, newspapers often show photos of Kiyomizu-dera at night. Once we were actually there, of course we also wanted to bring home those very familiar but still irresistible angles.

The wooden stage of Kiyomizu-dera seen during the night illumination. — The famous Kiyomizu stage, the angle everyone ends up trying to photograph.

The famous Kiyomizu stage was one of them. Actually, there are only a few spots where you can photograph the stage clearly...ha~ But since we were already there, we still had to take one, just to prove we had joined the standard Kyoto autumn photo lineup.

Kiyomizu-dera's stage and surrounding autumn leaves at night. — Another of the few angles where the Kiyomizu stage can be photographed clearly.

The most memorable part of the evening visit was the very obvious beam of light in the dark sky. The beam in the photo was a laser light. I wondered whether it might affect flight safety @.@'"

A blue beam of light shining over Kiyomizu-dera's illuminated autumn leaves. — That bright beam in the night sky became one of the funniest memories from the visit.

The next few photos feel like the closing mood of that evening: red leaves brightly lit, the pagoda, tree shadows, reflections on the water, and that beam of light all appearing together. Kiyomizu-dera in the daytime is crowds and the wooden stage. At night, it had another kind of Kyoto feeling, a little grand and a little cold.

Kiyomizu-dera pagoda lit up among red autumn leaves with a beam of light in the sky. — The pagoda, red leaves, and light beam made the night view feel almost theatrical.

Autumn trees and night lights reflected on water at Kiyomizu-dera. — Illuminated trees reflected on the water near the end of the evening walk.

Late autumn evenings in Kyoto were already a bit cold. Since it was also our first day and we were starting to feel tired, we headed back to the hotel early after walking around Kiyomizu-dera~~