Osaka & Kyoto free & easy (part 3)

Monday, 19th March 2018 – Ine fishing village funaya

We set off to have breakfast at this featured cafe called “Syphon Coffee & Teahouse” – but it was closed on Mondays. As a result, it was breakfast at MacDonalds again. I did not know whether I laughed or cried or both – with a muffin in my mouth. It was a cold wet day but we were determined not to let the drizzle deter our plan to visit Ine, a fishing village with houses that incorporated boat “garages”. I had seen this on Japan Hour. Now I was to visit and see it. It was a drab day but we made the most of it as the photos we took showed. After hundreds of shots, we walked along the edge of the bay, passing by the homes that housed fishing boats. We finally landed at lunch time at a restaurant with a great view of the bay. The fish there was so fresh you could taste the sea. Freshest yellowtail sashimi I have tasted!

Lovely Ine fishing town by the bay
A beautiful spot for photos
People and houses all in
Colourful ladies with drab background
It was cold and wet – the fire was welcome
Panoramic view on the upper floor of cafe
Yellow tail sashimi set lunch
Chill and relax and enjoy the view – we had the cafe to ourselves
Daniel enjoying his meal
Jacob Yeo
Leaving the shore to see the ocean – posing with a boat

We shopped and had dinner at Mipple shopping center, close to the ryokan we stayed in. I was looking for a pair of canvas sneakers. One caught my eye but did not have my size. Ended up buying one for about SGD$70. Later, I checked online and it was selling at SGD$163. Made my day!

Tuesday, 20th March 2018 – Kyoto Higashiyama district

The Syphon Coffee and Teahouse in Miyazu
Waiting for our set breakfast.
Better than MacDonald’s of course
Wee Khoon and Karen reading while waiting for breakfast to be ready
Eunice and Peter standing beside many vintage clocks
The old English background is better than any commercial photo studio
Jabez Chan
By the bar
We stayed a long while but finally its time to go

We had an English breakfast at the Syphon Coffee and Teahouse at Miyazu. This is a quaint place with an English feel, full of leather sofas and English looking furniture and antique clocks. We were happy to take pics while the food was prepared. I managed to get a studio standard shot of me in serious thought reading a magazine. The breakfast and the coffee were good and value for money.

Musashi sushi restaurant
Contentment is a stack of plates
Eat as much or little as you can or want – that is sushi!
Wet and cold whets your appetite

We drove to Kyoto and returned the rental cars before taking a bus to the popular Musashi sushi restaurant. After lunch we explored Higashimaya District, which Jasmine described as a Lijiang old town like area. We walked around the vastly commercialized streets with shops that target tourists. It was crowded even though it was drizzly. We went up to the Kiyomuzedera and Yasaka Shrine after a coffee fix in Starbucks – a place we could shelter from the cold drizzle. Later a walk along Gion street led to an udon dinner at a restaurant before we retired to the excellent MyStay Hotel Kyoto Shijo.

One cherry blossom appeared prematurely
The pink cheers up the dreary sky
The two shrines at the top of the old town
The wefie is a must
The evening falls like grey shades
The night lights shimmer on the damp street

Wednesday, 21 March 2018 – Wet wet day

We searched for a famous organic vegetable restaurant Miyokoyasai Kamo that only serves the first 100 customers for its buffet restaurant. Google led us astray and we were to hungry to object to the Mosburger in front of us. Please, it’s not funny. The rest of the day was directed by the wet weather. We were supposed to go to a tea plantation and visit the Imperial Palace but ended up in shopping malls: Daimaru, Takashimaya, Vivre at the bus terminal, Daiso. No regrets – no complaints. The weather is not in our control. Make the best of time as best we can. We were beginning to feel the blues as the trip was ending.

As it was Wednesday, we were still working on hitting our AIA Vitality remaining target of 50 points – which is about 10,000 steps. We had been walking 20 to 30 kilometres these past few days.

Thursday, 22 March 2018 – the final day

We located the restaurant we missed yesterday. Today we were eager. The restaurant was closed. We were too late. They had counted their 100th diner and he was waiting in a queue of four persons. We settled for a nearby Yoshinoya Japanese fastfood joint for breakfast.

Breakfast at Yoshinoya joint
They do not serve this set in Singapore’s Yoshinoya
It ended as it began – taking a train ride

At 11 am we checked out to make our way to another of those shopping streets for a final blitz and a goodbye lunch of Unatoto eel. After this we rode the train to the Premium Outlet one train stop before the airport. The branded goods even at outlet prices were generally still expensive. There were many young people with huge luggage bags which I am certain are full of their happy purchases. But not for me, though quite a few manage to sniff out bargain Nike, Adidas and New Balance shoes at good prices. The plane was a night flight. Cannot wait to be back.

 

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