SNAPSHOTS | TOKYO + KOREA 2017 | KYOTO | DAY 6

Day 6 and we were off to Kyoto! We would travel from Shinjuku to Tokyo Station and catch the shinkansen from there. Things were not off to a great start as we lugged our suitcases through the busy train station. Through the mad rush and confusion, I managed to not only crack my phone screen but drop my camera and break the lens. (╥_╥)

I'll probably remember that moment forever as the time my life flashed before my eyes.

iPhone pictures from here on out, save for one or two which I took with KN's camera. Thanks KN!

How does one mend a broken heart? With food of course.

When we arrived at Tokyo Station, we secured seat reservations for the shinkansen before wandering off to buy bentos from the convenience store. No shinkansen trip is complete without a bento.

We had a bit of time before our departure so we shared one of the pre-made meals in the waiting terminal. The katsu sandwich featured a thick pork cutlet in between pieces of white bread and grainy mustard. Simple but satisfying.

When we finally settled into our seats on the train, we opened up the other bentos that we bought. This one had croquette, ebi fry, chicken karaage, sui mai, tamago, and pickled vegetables.

More tonkatsu! Even though the bento is served cold, this was surprisingly good. Sauce was provided in a packet to prevent the cutlet from getting soggy.

Around 2 and a half hours later, we made it to Kyoto!  Kyoto was noticeably quieter and less busier than Tokyo. The infrastructure was older and streets were less flashy. I loved Tokyo but Kyoto had an old world charm that I much preferred.

Our Airbnb was conveniently located a few blocks away from Kyoto Station but walking there was quite the ordeal. The wheels on my mom's luggage broke so we had to lug the darn thing the whole way. It was the hardest workout of my life. 

After settling into our new home for the next few days, we set out again, with hopes to make it to Kiyomizu-dera, one of UNESCO's world heritage sites. We never ended up making it that far as the walk from the station was long enough and we were approaching the temple's closing time.

We made it as far as Ōtani Mausoleum before calling it quits and turning back for dinner.

Our dinner destination was PORTA, a shopping/dining area located in Kyoto Station's underground. There was a vast array of casual restaurants to choose from, serving all sorts of cuisines and dishes, including okonomiyaki, Japanese spaghetti, and kushikatsu. We must have walked around the dining area twice trying to decide which restaurant to eat at. Our moms were craving something familiar so they went off on their own to a Chinese restaurant.  

The three of us settled on a restaurant called Marumo Kitchen. They served different types of donburi, which are rice bowls with various toppings. Each donburi is served as a set, with soup and salad on a tray. I got the tuna poke bowl, with seared tuna, negitoro, and a onsen tamago. I am in awe of how the Japanese cook their eggs.

LT and KN both went for the hamburg steak, a ground beef patty served in a thick tomato gravy. You can add on toppings like egg or cheese for an extra fee which is what they did.


After dinner was done, we headed over to Yodobashi Camera, an electronics store, to replace my broken camera lens. I left with a light wallet but my heart had never been so happy.

- CT