Like most parents, the first overseas trip with the baby can be very nerve-wrecking and stressful! We too wondered if the baby will be ok throughout the flight and trip. Thankfully Baby V was very cooperative throughout the trip and we had lots of fun though we were really tired!
For her maiden trip we chose to fly with our national carrier Singapore Airlines. Service was great and Baby V got a few gifts too! Although we had a bassinet, she only slept for 1h in it on our way to Japan, and it was used as a basket for her bolster, toys, water, etc the rest of the time.
She had the baby meal options and was given 3 cans of Heinz baby food (main course, veggies and dessert). But she didn't get the chance to eat them on the flight due to timing of her milk feeds.
One thing about the flight though, I don't understand why we didn't have dinner on board! Our flight was 2pm to 9.30pm and we were only served lunch. Erm who eats dinner at such late timings! By the time we cleared the customs (10.30pm), most shops at the airport were closed. We had to catch one of the last trains to Kyoto (no food in sight + 1.5h train ride), and by the time we reached our accommodation it was 1am (still no dinner). We were famished! I'll highly recommend an earlier flight so that you have some time to have dinner at the airport before the next leg of your journey.
Baby V's favourite sleeping position
Airplane lunch
Icoca and Haruka ticket - This is recommended for tourists and you can reserve for your tickets one month in advance online. Our itinerary was Kansai airport - Kyoto - Osaka - Kansai Aiport, so we chose the one-way ticket from Kansai airport to Kyoto. But do note that it's valid for non-reserved seats and the trains are packed! Even though we had elderly and baby with us, the locals do not give up their seats. Most of them just pretend to be sleeping, even when I stand right next to the priority seats carrying my baby! I'll highly recommend taking the airport limousine instead if it's available, which is what we did on our return trip. At least you are guaranteed a seat.
Since we were travelling with a baby, we decided to stay at an airbnb apartment which allows us to do laundry and cooking.
We stayed at this listing (behind the trees) by Kyoto Travelling Supporters, which again I would not recommend if you have elderly or young children. The pickup location for the keys was about 20 minutes walk from Kyoto station (with luggages in tow), and then another 15 minutes walk to the apartment itself. The apartment is about 15 minutes walk from Kyoto station. I chose this apartment as it was conveniently located on the ground floor, but it was infested with mosquitoes since it's next to a park. We were given more than 10 electronic mosquito repellents for the whole house, so you can imagine how bad it was for the first few hours.
Kiyomizu-dera, officially Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto UNESCO World Heritage site (wikipedia).
Lunch - Myodai Omen Kodaiji 名代おめん 高台寺店
Yasaka Shrine 八坂神社
We didn't really planned to go to the shrine, but happened to pass by.
Nishiki Market 京都錦市場商店街
Address: 294 Kiyomizu 1-chome, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 605-0862, Japan
Phone: +81 75-551-1234
Entrance Fee: 400 yen
Website: kiyomizudera.or.jp
Since we started the day late, I had to skip the first item on my itinerary and went straight to Kiyomizu Temple. Taxi from Kyoto Station to Kiyomizu Temple costed us 1,390 yen (S$19). There's a lot of visitors to the temple and the weather was really hot (30 degree Celsius with scorching sun) in early September. It's recommended to visit it early morning.
Couple in kimono
Dessert shops
Souvenir shopping along Kiyomizu-Zaka Street 清水坂
Yatsuhashi Cream Puff - We had a short stop at the cafe as we needed to feed Baby V. Personally I thought the cream puffs were overpriced (1,900 yen / S$25 for 4 puffs and 2 bottles of matcha) and I prefer Beard Papa as these were a little dry.
Malebranche 京都 マールブランシュ
The Japanese are really generous with the samples, and this is just the sample they offered, one whole piece (I forgot to take a photo before biting into half of it)! We bought a box and finished most of it before we returned home.
ninenzaka 二年坂
Me and sleepy Baby V
We had late lunch at the restaurant and there was no queue. The udon was yummy and the sets were pretty good! It's rather pricey though (6,800 yen / S$92 for 3 sets)
Address: Japan, 〒605-0826 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Higashiyama-ku, Masuyachō, 東山区高台寺通下河原東入ル桝屋町358
Since I wasn't able to find a nursing room nearby, I had to feed Baby V in the toilet. Thankfully the toilet was really clean.
We didn't really planned to go to the shrine, but happened to pass by.
Address: 625 Gionmachi Kitagawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 605-0073, Japan
Nishiki Tenman-gū Shrine 錦天満宮
Opposite the shrine - Shijo dori
Our next stop was Nishiki Market and Nishiki Tenman-gu Shrine. From Yasaka Shrine, it's about a 1km walk, which seems ok, especially with the rows of shops you can stop at along the way. But because we were tired after walking around with Baby V, we took a cab there.
Address: Japan, 〒604-8042 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Nakagyō-ku, Nakanochō (Shinkyōgokudōri), 新京極通り四条上る中之町537番地
Shopping street next to Nishiki Tenman-gu
Nishiki Market is probably one of the highlights of the day. We were curious about the local markets and in particular I wanted to try the street snacks. I'll recommend going there with a half empty stomach so that you can try more food! We bought some dry goods (black fungus) and Sugi Bee Garden honey from the market. The honey is available from Isetan Singapore as well. Tried it before and really liked the Yuzu honey, so we decided to buy a few more back. Tax free and membership can be used in Singapore too!
Address: Japan, 〒604-8054 Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Nakagyō-ku, Nishidaimonjichō, 富小路通四条上る西大文字町609
I love seasoned octopus and this one has quail egg in it! There's 3 sizes and all has a quail egg in it. Of course I had to choose the biggest one.
Grilled wagyu beef
As our next stop was Daimaru (大丸京都店) food hall and then dinner, we decided not to snack too much. A pity! No photos from our Daimaru visit but we bought peaches (momo) that were cheap and juicy! One for about S$4 and it was huge! Oh yes, nursing rooms available on Level 6 of Daimaru.
Address: 〒600-8511 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, 四条通高倉西入立売西町79番地
No themed cafe visits this time round but at least I can pose with pompompurin at Daimaru.
Katsukura かつくら四条東洞院店
I love saboten and tonkichi back in Singapore, and if you do, you will enjoy Katsukura too! Two things I really liked about Katsukura were the miso soup and barley rice, both free flow! Somehow the miso soup with beancurd skin was just way better than Singapore's.
Address: 〒604-8143 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Nakagyo Ward, 東洞院通四条上ル
Sanjo dori at night
Here's a map view of the places I went to. I'll be updating them as I update my blog :)
No comments:
Post a Comment