Thailand has been a high priority on my bucket list for awhile. Then, when I met my friend Alicia for happy hour and she told me she was moving to Japan; it only made sense to plan a trip to Asia that would encompass both countries. Last month, my friend Maria and I left and endured the long and seemingly endless flying to visit our friend Alicia in Japan and later explore Thailand.

Prepare yourself for several upcoming blog posts about our trip. First up, Kyoto—the charming, ancient Japanese capital that completely stole my heart.

(Above) Lunch at the Tabiya Hotel consisted of vinegared beef, fish and rice, miso soup, and some other random eats and drinks.

While American desserts are usually rich in taste, Japenese desserts tend to use an array of flavors and are always beautiful in presentation. Feast your eyes below on my matcha parfait.

With our names on a long list for a spot at the ramen restaurant, we visited Masura Saketen a sake bar.

And then I fell in love with this Ramen from Ramen Sen No Kaze

A tid bit about Japan—there are vending machines everywhere, no joke! If you find yourself thirsty in Japan just walk a block you’ll find a vending machine.
Usually when I see someone wearing a surgical mask it’s because they’re a nurse or doctor working in a hospital. Japan, however, was a different story. I’m not exaggerating when I say every other person seemed to be wearing a mask. One might think Japan is just a very health conscious culture wanting to avoid sickness—and maybe that’s true—however, just do a quick google search and you may find there are some fashion, vanity, and other reasons they adorn these masks.

My #1 favorite thing we did, in all of Japan, was visit Fushimi Inari-taisha (a shinto shrine). The serene, peaceful setting made it the perfect place to get in a nice hike and even enjoy getting lost. A mountainside coffee break was also a highlight, and we followed up our hike with a stroll down the market street for some street food. Also if you’ve ever seen the movie Memoirs of a Geisha this place might look recognizable. There was a scene filmed here.

After our trip to Fushimi Inari-taisha we navigated our way to Nijo-jo Castle.

(Below) Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

A trip to Japan would not be complete without sushi. If in Kyoto, I’d recommend hitting up the sushi go round CHOJIRO Shijo Kiyamachi for some yummy eats.

Our last day in Kyoto we took a trip to the golden temple, Kinkakuji. A beautiful temple to admire but the crowds were extremely overwhelming.

When in Kyoto, drink matcha.

We didn’t just drink matcha but learned how to make it during Camellia’s tea ceremony.

Kyoto, the third largest city in Japan, holds much of Japan’s history. It’s the perfect oasis if you are seeking some of the traditional aspects of Japan and wanting to lose yourself in a beautiful city.

Hostel Recommendation: Len, Kyoto