Days 7, 8 & 9 of 9-day trip to Japan
On the last three days in Kyoto, we ate, shopped and chilled after moving to our Gion district Airbnb. For lunch, we went back to the place we had dinner at last night (寿司処 小次郎) since Romana loved it so much (me too!).
We then made our way to our second Airbnb in the Gion district. After settling in, we took a quick wander (to find the Lawsons for breakfast!) and found a shinto shrine right out the back.
Next, we took a stroll up Philosopher’s Path in the late afternoon. It’s a very pleasant walk along a canal which will be full of cherry blossoms in the right season. The path is lined with coffee shops, small stores and restaurants but we didn’t visit any as we were gearing up for dinner later. The map link isn’t a store we visited, it’s just a reminder to me of a part we walked. I didn’t take many photos because the light was fading and it was a bit chilly. The photos I did take seemed uninteresting and bland. BUT the place really is nice, so search Google images and you’ll see how delightful it really is!
We had a coffee and cake at the well classy Francois then wandered around a bit.
The next day was a day for Romana to find items for friends and family in Korea, so we went to a few big discount stores specialising in everything; cosmetics, snacks, you name it.
Our last evening was spent wandering the upscale area looking at the nice buildings but being too intimidated to go inside! We knew this was an area known for its upmarket restaurants and geisha wandering around, and we knew these would be expensive. A few had English signs. I was looking on Google Maps for something with a low number of dollar signs and a high number of reviews! We found a teppanyaki place (お好み鉄板 花道) with reasonable prices and a nice vibe, The owner was attentive and helpful and I think only two groups visited. We have a few small dishes and a bottle of sake and some beer before heading back.
The next day was trains, trains, planes and trains all the way back to Seoul.
