Day 5: Kyoto

Fushimi Inari

Jet lag came in handy here because I caught the 5am train to Fushumi Inari before it gets packed shoulder to shoulder with tourists. It’s a Shinto shrine on a mountain with thousands of orange gates lining the route up.

Ramen Sen no Kaze

After the morning hike, needed a good lunch and Ramen Sen no Kaze delivered. This was 10 times better than Ichiran. I ordered the spicy miso ramen, and it came with thick slices of perfectly cooked pork chashu, and bouncy noodles. Plus they had extra chili oil to add on top.

After lunch, relaxed at a spot you can sit by the river. According to Google Lens, this is a gray heron.

Torisho Sai

For a last dinner in Kyoto, I got an early reservation at Torishi Sai, a omakase (chefs choice) yakitori (grilled meat) restaurant. It’s the type of place where you sit at the counter and everything is prepared in front of you.

Randomly, overhearing snippets of conversation from the guy next to me and some of the stories were sounding familiar. Turned out it was Matt Goulding, whose book Rice, Noodle, Fish I’ve been using as a rough guide for this trip. Nice guy who had a bunch of good tips.

The food was also great. I lost count, but I there were around a dozen small courses. Highlights were the tenderloin with freshly grated wasabi, the crispy chicken neck/skin, and the duck wonton.

Book and Bed (Osaka)

After dinner, I retrieved my backpack and hopped on the train to Osaka. Tonight, I‘m staying at the Book and Bed Tokyo (which, in fact, is located in Osaka). It’s a capsule hostel which basically feels like you’re living in a book store.