Osaka Day 4 ~ Hanami in Kyoto

Today we wanted to make a day trip to our beloved Kyoto and enjoy the Sakura trees there. So we got up a bit earlier. Because of this in our breakfast café I could enjoy the morning set^.^ (toasted bread with jam and butter, boiled egg and coffee)

yummy toast X3

After breakfast we took the JR train from Osaka Station to Kyoto. It was also a little feeling of coming home, Kyoto was still familiar to us. We looked forward to have a coffee break in our former breakfast café 'Café du Monde' at the Station, so it was the first place to go. Everything looked the same, even the 'Mister Donut' was still next to the café. We got our usual drinks from our last journeys: a Honey Milk Latte for Kiki and a Matcha Latte for me (the Matcha Latte tastes nowhere better X3). I also bought me my favourite Donut 'Coconut Choco Donut'^.^

For Kikis disgrace it was no longer allowed to smoke there. So it was not so comfortable anymore for Kiki. It was also quite cold, so we left after rather quickly.

We took the subway to Gion. We went down Shijo-dori, a great shopping street which ends at Yanaka Shrine, our wished destination. The old part of the street was really crowded and at the end Kiki got the next shock: the smoking area in front of the shrine no longer exist either. Now it got quite weird^^;

So we entered the temple area. Because of Hanami many stands were located there selling mainly food like Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki and meat dishes, but also some souvenirs and so on. In the park behind the shrine were many Sakura trees, it looked really beautiful^__^

Even straw mats and tables were placed in the area. Some shops opened their business there for the time of Hanami, so Kiki and I decided to take a seat there and have a drink though you also had to pay some kind of 'seating fee' of 500 Yen per person for one hour. But who cares, we wanted to do this. But the place was really nice and Kiki was happy to order a cold Asahi and the best thing: you could smoke there! Because I don't like beer I tried something else for a drink: hot Ume shou. But it was a bad choice because it tasted awful^^;

They also sold food, so we ordered kare raisu each. This was really delicious^^

place for Hanami

seats under the trees

kare raisu

During our stay there, some guy made marriage proposal to his girlfriend. That was cute. Their best friends were filming and photographing a lot, the best female was sceaming the whole time of excitement XD Everybody around was clapping their hands after he had put the ring on her finger. I'd like to have such a proposal, too *_*

After this Hanami we walked around the park and enjoyed the Sakura there and made some nice pictures.

me in front of the sakura tree

On the way back to the street we also passed by a shop which sold Yukatas and Obis. That was my chance to get a new obi for my new Yukata because my current ones don't match the pattern >.<

And I was lucky, I found a beautiful pink obi with a gold flower on it for just 2.000 Yen^.^
I'm really looking forward to wear the combination on the upcoming Japan Day in Duesseldorf.

my new obi

Afterwards we head to the Kyoto Handicraft Center. Two years ago I bought a lot of things there. I hoped to get Matcha power there again. But this time I wasn't lucky. They had rearranged everything and I didn't found anything interesting. The Matcha Powder was also very expensive, so I haven't bought it >.<

It was glad that I had already bought an obi!

Finally we had back to Kyoto Station. We went through the Shopping Mall there and stopped at the Smoking Area of our old hotel. That got us a bit melancholic. From there we went to the Aeon Mall which was very close. We strolled through the supermarket and made some purikura in the game center.

Back at the station again I wanted to go shopping for some Matcha sweets – like always XD

Interestingly I could decide quickly: I took some Matcha cakes and mochi-like sweets with Matcha and Sakura taste (we even a got a piece to taste it at once and it was so delicious that I had to take a box). Kiki was surprised that this was all XD

But this time the choice wasn't as good as two years ago.

my 'sweet' boxes X3

Then we were ready to leave Kyoto. I must say I still like the atmosphere there but Kyoto really lives from its temples and shrines, so it was would be nice to visit some of these in the future.

Back in our hotel we also tried the Strawberry Baumkuchen I had bought in Sakurai. Actually we wanted to eat this for Hamani but because we had a real lunch there we tried it now XD

And it was really good! Not to sweet, not to much strawberry taste and quite soft, we both liked it very much^.^

strawberry baumkuchen

Next day will be a shopping day again because Kiki finally decided what clothes she's like to buy. So we will visit the OPA shopping center again for sure.