After Gamcheon, we stopped by the hotel to pick up our luggage and headed to the Busan international airport. We arrived in Osaka close to 10. Most restaurants are closed, so we asked folks at the front-desk about where to get food at that hour, and they recommended the restaurant right in front of the hotel. It looked good, but I couldn’t really place an order because no one at the restaurant spoke English. So…., it came down to the most basic form of communications – pointing at pictures. We got Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki, and some dish I don’t know what’s called. They were yummy!

The next day, we headed to Kyoto via bullet train to visit Arashiyama.

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

I wanted the kids to have a chance to take a bullet train from Osaka, so I picked Kyoto, which is about 12 minutes via a bullet train. And when in Kyoto, you have to go to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, which is probably the most iconic place in Kyoto. I’ve looked at photos online, and it looked serene with bamboos all around like below.

However, when I got there, there was nothing serene about the place. There were just way too many people. We moved along with tons of people. Later I found out that you have to go really early in the morning to have the place all to yourself.

Tenryu-ji Temple

After a short stay, we went to Tenryu-ji Temple, which was right next to Arashiyama. It was a nice temple, and just like Arashiyama, it was crowded too.

Subway

When we first arrived, we really had hard time figuring things out. Japanese subway systems are huge and complex, and Osaka stations (there are two because of two different lines, but their respective stations are close but not the same building.) are HUGE. But once we figured out, buying tickets was a breeze.

Other photos of Japan