7 days in Japan with a baby - Day 2 Kyoto - Arashiyama, Shigetsu, Kichi Kichi Omu Rice

We had an early start for day 2 as I've made reservations for both lunch and dinner, which means we had to shift our itinerary around the reservations. Before every trip, I'll plan my itinerary to the very detail of what transport to take, what time is the train, how long does it take, where to stop, etc. Travelling with a baby made me realise that flexibility is key to a stress-free holiday. Basically I didn't use my excel spreadsheet at all but relied on my google calendar where I have keyed in the location maps of the places I want to visit. The best transportation route was googled on the go.

I wanted to book the Toroko Saga Sagano Scenic Train in advance, but travelling with a baby means we needed some flexibility just in case. Because of that, the tickets for the earlier timings were all sold out by 9am that day! Thankfully we managed to get tickets for the 2pm ride, which was a good timing just after lunch. Train tickets can be purchased from the JR pass station at Level 3 of Kyoto station.

From Kyoto Station, go to Level 3 and take the JR train to Arashiyama Saga station.
Train to Arashiyama from Kyoto Station - Every 20mins - 9:17, 9:38, 9:58

Arashiyama Saga Station

Our first stop was the bamboo grove, which is about 15mins walk from Arashiyama Saga station. We came prepared with mosquito patches for Baby V. I've been to other bamboo forests before in Korea, and I was not impressed by the bamboo grove at Arashiyama. The one at Damyang in Korea was much better!

Shigetsu

Our next stop was lunch at Shigetsu. Shigetsu is a vegetarian restaurant within the Tenryu ji temple compound. An entrance fee of 500yen is required even if you have a reservation at Shigetsu. 

Address: 68 Susukinobaba-cho, Saga-Tenryuji, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, 616-8385 Japan

Website (for reservations): http://www.tenryuji.com/en/shigetsu/

Our lunch was fantastic and it's really rare that my mum can finish all the food. We ordered 2 hana sets (rice, soup and 5 side dishes) and 2 Yuki sets (rice, soup and 7 side dishes) to share, and the dishes just kept coming. I really liked that we had a private room for ourselves, so I was able to nurse baby V there.

Our private room in the garden

From the front building

Hana Set

Yuki Set

Tenryū-ji
Address: Japan, 〒616-8385 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Ukyo Ward, 嵯峨天龍寺芒ノ馬場町６８
Phone: +81 75-881-1235

Toroko Saga Sagano Train station - By the time we reached the station, only the standing tickets for 2pm train (嵯峨野観光鉄道) were available. The train ride took about 25mins, passing through rivers and mountains. It was very dark when we passed through the cold mountain tunnels. Thankfully Baby V did not fuss. 

From Torokko Kameoka Station, many visitors choose to take the Hozugawa River Cruise back to Arashiyama Saga Station. However the boat ride seems quite bumpy from what we saw and may not be suitable for babies. 

We didn't have a lot of time at Arashiyama. I'd suggest leaving some time for shopping near Tenryu-ji temple. 

Random shot near Kyoto Station - Underground bicycle parking!!

Kichi Kichi Omu Rice (ザ・洋食屋 キチ・キチ)

There were many reviews online for this tiny restaurant known for the animated chef, and half of me was worried that the food may not be that good. Now I'm glad I decided to make the reservation because we totally enjoyed the food (and ordered seconds). Each customer is required to order a main dish, and in total we ordered 6 to share between 4 of us! (2 beef stews, 2 regular size omu rice, 1 half size omu rice and 1 chicken dish). The beef stew was superb!! So good it just melted in our mouths. So good we ordered again even though it's a bit expensive. 

Address: 中京区三条先斗町下ル材木町185-4
Website (for reservations): http://kichi2.net/

Beef stew

Photo with the chef

One thing to note for parents with babies, there's only 1 table available. The rest of the 8 seats are counter seats, no baby chairs available. We are used to wearing our baby so it was ok for us.

Another look at the runny eggs oozing out!

I'll definitely go back again!