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Not gonna lie, it was a bit of a rough morning after our big karaoke night #worthit But we got some toast and coffee in us and head out. On our walk to the metro station, we had to do a double take... is that Coy?!? We recognized Coy in the advertisements ALL over this suit store - we couldn't believe it! #quitethefamousmodel #weknowhim Naturally, we freaked out a bit :)
We started our day by visiting one of my favorite spots in Kyoto: Fushimi Inari. Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社) is the head and most important shrine of Inari, the kami (god) of foxes, fertility, rice, tea, sake, agriculture, and industry. This has led many merchants, manufacturers, and businessmen to worship here. This shrine is famous due to it's thousands of torii gates spanning 4 km up Mount Inari. Each of the torii at Fushimi Inari is donated and maintained by a Japanese business, with their name and date of the donation inscribed on the back of each gate. It takes 2-3 hours to walk the full path up around Mount Inari. Paige and I did not do the full path but went about a km or so up the mountain - still beautiful though!
There are many foxes around the shrine grounds because they're believed to be Inari's messangers. Many have a key in their mouth for the rice granary.  One of the many foxes around the shrine
 Views around Fushimi Inari
 Views around Fushimi Inari After Fushimi Inari, we headed over to Arashiyama where Chris and Carly were meeting us. This is another one of my favorite areas of Kyoto because it has the beautiful and mysterious Bamboo Forest as well as more monkeys! We first hiked up the mountain to Arashiyama Monkey Park. I came armed with my monkey onsie again for attempt #2 on having the monkeys recognize me as one of their own. Spoiler alert: it didn't work again :( BUT I'm glad I brought it because it was COLD and starting to snow. So my monkey onsie added another added layer of warmth for me to enjoy all the monkeys hanging out. When we first walked up, Paige was in for quite a shock when a monkey ran straight up to her and slapped her thigh. This later left a monkey poop paw print on her pants - I told her to keep it so she'd always remember Kyoto but sadly, she ended up washing her jeans that night #bummer #monkeypoopawprint And I got to enjoy feeding the monkeys again from a cage, while they roamed freely around the park #cagedhumans  Cute monkeys at the Iwatayama Monkey Park
 Feeding the monkeys
 Sporting my monkey onsie in the monkey park #ifitrightin
 Monkey paw print on Paige's jeans Next, we crossed the old Togetsukyo Bridge to the Kameyama Park and the Bamboo Grove.  Togetsukyo Bridge
 Watch out! Monkey crossing
After walking through Kameyama Park, we finally stumbled upon one of my favorite spots in all of Japan, the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. Walking through here always filled me with awe. The green haze created by the tall bamboo trees makes it a magical and mystical place to walk through. #loveithere  Carly, me, and Paige gazing up at the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove  Views of the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
 Views of the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove Freezing from the cold day spent outside exploring Arashiyama, we head back into downtown Kyoto for some tasty ramen at Ramen Sen No Kaze. This is one of the top rated restaurants on TripAdvisor and it did not disappoint and definitely hit the spot! #mmmm Chris and Carly then invited Paige and I to come back to their hostel where they had nice onsens on the bottom floor. Paige and I were professionals after our sento experience and Carly had done a few up in the snow so we enjoyed some time relaxing in the wooden tub with hot water and jets, and the sauna. Perfect way to unwind after another day in Kyoto. #girlchat
 My tasty meal at Ramen Sen No Kaze Our last morning in Kyoto, we met Chris and Carly for breakfast at eggs n' things after we heard about their yummy experience the day before. Sidenote: Paige was a great travel partner for me. Most meals we would want 2 or 3 things and she would order one, and me the other and we would split. #foodsoulmate #thankyouforlettingmeeatmorefood So Paige and I split some strawberry belgian waffles and eggs benedict #mmm  Breakfast at Eggs N Things Before splitting up, and Paige and I heading to Osaka, we made a quick stop at To-ji. Toji Temple (東寺, Tōji), literally "East Temple", was built in 794 by imperial decree to protect the city after the capital of Japan was moved to Kyoto. The 5 story pagoda has burnt down 5 times was rebuilt in 1643 and is now one of the highest pagodas in Japan, standing at 57 meters (187 ft). It stands as both a symbol of the temple and the city of Kyoto since it can be seen from many places across the city.  The 5 story pagoda at To-ji Temple
Follow in our Footsteps:
Fushimi Inari Japan, 〒612-0882 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Fushimi Ward, Fukakusa Yabunouchicho, ６８ Hours: 24/7 Fee: Free Iwatayama Monkey Park Japan, 〒616-0004 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Nishikyo Ward, Arashiyama Nakaoshitacho, ６１ Hours: 9am - 5pm (Mar-Oct), 9am - 4pm (Nov-Mar) Fee: 550 yen Arashiyama Bamboo Grove Japan, 〒616-8375 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Ukyō-ku, Sagaogurayama Tabuchiyamachō, 嵯峨天龍寺立石町1-1−13 Hours: 24/7 Ramen Sen No Kaze Japan, 〒604-8042 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, Nakanocho (Shinkyogokudori), ５８０ +81 75-255-0181 Hours: 12pm - 10pm (closed Monday, Tuesday) TripAdvisor Eggs N Things Japan, 〒600-8091 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, 東洞院通四条下る元悪王子町47-4 +81 75-353-5009 Hours: 9am - 10pm TripAdvisor To-ji Temple Japan, 〒601-8473 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Minami-ku, Kujōchō, １ +81 75-691-3325 Hours: 8:30am - 5:30pm (Apr - Aug); 8:30am - 4:30pm (Sep-Mar) Fee: 800 yen
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Megan Bond - AUTHORJust a girl raised in California and loved exploring Southeast Asia with my husband! We're back in the States but still exploring the world as much as we can! Archives
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