Kid in Kansai: How to nail Kansai with a toddler in tow (Part 5)

Onward to Kyoto!

Depending on where your hotel is, you can take a train to Kyoto Station, or Sanjo which is the City Centre. Our hotel, Kyoto Royal Hotel & Spa, was a five to ten minute walk from Sanjo station.

In Kyoto, nearly all the sights are accessible by buses, rather than subways, which makes the One-Day Bus Pass invaluable at 500 yen (unlimited rides for a day), since each bus ride, regardless of distance, is already 230 yen.

The hotel concierge had a very handy map detailing all the major sights and the buses which serve them, plus where the six bus stops around our hotel were.

Kyoto's sights can be roughly divided into Western (Arashiyama), Northern, Eastern (Higashiyama), Southern and Central.

We decided to tackle the Western Arashiyama area and Northern in one afternoon.

After a 20-minute bus ride, we reached the Arashiyama area where Tenryuji and the Giant bamboo groves were housed.

Upon embarking at Arashiyama, you will see a very picturesque sight of a river and bridge, with the mountains as a backdrop.

You can buy a ticket to enter Tenryuji, and the north exit leads directly into the giant bamboo grove - a tranquil and beautiful forest of bamboo three or four times the height of an adult.

Arashiyama: Tenryuji and the giant bamboo grove

Kid alert: This place is generally nice for kids, especially the giant bamboo grove. A lot of walking is needed though, so be prepared to carry the little one quite a bit here.

Kinkakuji (not to be confused with Ginkakuji) is a lovely gold-covered temple sitting atop of a lake amidst a landscaped garden. We reached there after taking two buses from Tenryuji (very tiring!), but the view was worth it. 

Kinkakuji, resplendent in all its golden glory

Kid alert: Nothing much for the kid to do here but ours was entertained by a series of selfies with the temple as the backdrop. The ubiquitous pebbles were once again here thankfully.

Not to forget.. the meals! A very good katsu-don place can be found at Sanjo Dori, a pedestrian-only covered shopping street. It's sort of next to the Lipton Cafe - sort of, because you can see a poster with katsu on it, and next to it is a narrow alley that leads to the restaurant itself. The sets come with free flow shredded cabbage, barley rice and miso soup. Kiddy sets are also available and come with a cute kiddy gift. Perfect for young and old!

Fantastic katsudon at very reasonable prices

The complete itinerary:
Day 1: Osaka (Kuromon Market, Osaka Castle, Dotonbori)
Day 2: Osaka (Shitennoji, Sumiyoshi Taisha)
Day 3: Kobe, Himeji (Himeji Castle, Mount Rokko, Harbourland)
Day 4: Nara (Todaiji, Kohfukuji, Nara Park)
Day 5: Kyoto (Arashiyama, Tenryuji, Bamboo Grove, Kinkakuji)
Day 6: Kyoto (Kiyomizudera, Sannenzakai, Ninenzakai, Ishibe Koji, Maruyama Park, Shoren-in, Chion-in, Nanzenji, Path of Philosophy, Ginkakuji)
Day 7: Inari, Uji (Fushimi Inari Taisha, Byodoin Temple, Kaiseki)
Day 8 & 9: Kyoto (Nijo Castle, Kyoto Station, Pontocho, Gion)

Kid in Kansai: How to nail Kansai with a toddler in tow (Part 4)

Nara was seriously a breeze after yesterday's grueling walk, climb and carry workout. For a start, the commute was far easier with a direct train from Kintetsu Namba to Kintetsu Nara. The JR Nara station is further away from the main sights so do be aware.

Upon exiting the station, you will encounter the pedestrian-only covered Higashimuki Shopping Street, where you can pick up a snack for the little one or yourself before embarking to the main sights of Nara. Try the persimmon leaf-wrapped sushi - an acquired taste - for a snack that is unique to this ancient capital.

Nara is very walkable and most people make a beeline for the UNESCO heritage sites of Kohfukuji and Todaiji. Nara Koen (Nara Park) is in between the two and wild deer roam freely anywhere between the two temples. Little ones will enjoy patting the deer or just observing them if they don't dare to touch the deer. 

Deer biscuit vendors sell the senpei (biscuit) for deers at 150 yen per pack, and its interesting that the deer, hungry as they seem to be all the time, do not harrass any of these vendors. Rather, when some kind / curious visitor purchases a pack, the deers promptly charge over to him.

Oh deer... what happened to gentle Bambi?

Kid alert: The deer are large and may seem intimidating for young ones if he / she is standing (rather than being carried) and holding the deers' coveted senpei. The deer are easily taller than a three-year-old and can be aggressive in wanting to get a bite. It is advisable to carry the toddler above the deer, unless the little one is brave. These are not Bambi!

When the little one has enough of deer-feeding, proceed back towards the station but stop for some lunch at the same shopping street before heading back. Try Udon-tei, which serves udon (hot and cold) with tempura and other things. It can be quite packed though, but that goes to show its popularity.

The complete itinerary:
Day 1: Osaka (Kuromon Market, Osaka Castle, Dotonbori)
Day 2: Osaka (Shitennoji, Sumiyoshi Taisha)
Day 3: Kobe, Himeji (Himeji Castle, Mount Rokko, Harbourland)
Day 4: Nara (Todaiji, Kohfukuji, Nara Park)
Day 5: Kyoto (Arashiyama, Tenryuji, Bamboo Grove, Kinkakuji)
Day 6: Kyoto (Kiyomizudera, Sannenzakai, Ninenzakai, Ishibe Koji, Maruyama Park, Shoren-in, Chion-in, Nanzenji, Path of Philosophy, Ginkakuji)
Day 7: Inari, Uji (Fushimi Inari Taisha, Byodoin Temple, Kaiseki)
Day 8 & 9: Kyoto (Nijo Castle, Kyoto Station, Pontocho, Gion)

Kid in Kansai: How to nail Kansai with a toddler in tow (Part 3)

This has to be one of the two most tiring days in our itinerary. Kobe is west of Osaka, and Himeji is west of Kobe and trains run via Kobe from Osaka. We didn't want to make two trips out to the west, so we decided to be brave and combine them into one day.

It didn't sound too daunting on paper, but in reality, we did enough walking and carrying (of our kid) to have enough exercise for a week (ok, I don't exercise much in the first place anyway).

From JR Namba, you need to make it to Osaka station by changing trains at Imamiya. Thereafter take the train to Himeji (but remember to wait for the Limited Express so that it's faster). Or you can take to Shin Osaka station and take the Shinkansen, which is more expensive.

Either way, upon embarking at Himeji (Junior should have complained about taking too many trains by now), Himeji castle can be seen in the distance. That's the good news. The bad news is, the walk, while one straight road down, will take a good 20 minutes. 

Himeji castle is gorgeous. Period. Sparkling white under the sun after recent renovations, its beauty dwarfs its peer in Osaka. The inside has been restored and open for visitors.

Himeji castle, also known as the White Egret castle

Kid alert: The stairs going up or down inside the castle are remarkably steep, narrow and small. Junior MUST be carried using a carrier, unless Junior is prepared to climb up and down six storeys. You cannot possibly carry him / her in your arms as you'll need them both to hold on to the railings while climbing up or down the stairs (or risk rolling down). Make sure that when being carried in the carrier, Junior's head is not anywhere higher than yours (like those carrier chairs) as the ceilings are fairly low. Prams need to be left outside.

After finishing Himeji, we stopped for a quick lunch at some place (nothing worth mentioning), and proceeded by train to Kobe.

Our first stop at Kobe was Mount Rokko. Stop at Sannomiya station and take bus 16 to Mount Rokko. There is a tram, much like Victoria's Peak in Hong Kong, but much better as the distance and duration is longer, that Junior will surely enjoy.

On the top of Mount Rokko, there is an observation deck, with telescopes and all that will be suitable for Junior's enjoyment.

Mount Rokko observatory

Kid alert: None, this place should be well-liked by the young ones.

Thereafter, we headed down the same way to Sannomiya, where we enjoyed some Kobe beef at Steakland.

Kid alert: The beef and vegetables are cooked on a hot plate before you, so be very careful not to let the young ones touch it. You might want to have this as an early dinner for the adults, then proceed elsewhere to have a more kid-friendly option for your child.

How can you say no to Kobe beef?

After Steakland, we proceeded to Harbourland for the kid's dinner, which has a lot of child-friendly restaurants, along with a ferris wheel and the Anpanman Kids Museum and Mall. Harbourland is especially pretty at night with the lit-up ferris wheel, along with atmospheric European style restaurants by the waterfront.

Harbourland

Kid alert: None for this either, as it's built to be very family-friendly.

We were seriously tired after this, but Himeji castle is well worth a visit just for its sheer beauty. But it really depends on Papa and Mama's physique and determination! (Tip: Start training now).

The complete itinerary:
Day 1: Osaka (Kuromon Market, Osaka Castle, Dotonbori)
Day 2: Osaka (Shitennoji, Sumiyoshi Taisha)
Day 3: Kobe, Himeji (Himeji Castle, Mount Rokko, Harbourland)
Day 4: Nara (Todaiji, Kohfukuji, Nara Park)
Day 5: Kyoto (Arashiyama, Tenryuji, Bamboo Grove, Kinkakuji)
Day 6: Kyoto (Kiyomizudera, Sannenzakai, Ninenzakai, Ishibe Koji, Maruyama Park, Shoren-in, Chion-in, Nanzenji, Path of Philosophy, Ginkakuji)
Day 7: Inari, Uji (Fushimi Inari Taisha, Byodoin Temple, Kaiseki)
Day 8 & 9: Kyoto (Nijo Castle, Kyoto Station, Pontocho, Gion)

Kid in Kansai: How to nail Kansai with a toddler in tow (Part 2)

The second morning, we set off for Shitennoji, a famous temple in Osaka. Wary of walking too much after yesterday's long distance between the subway station and Osaka castle, we decided to chose the station that was the absolute nearest even if it required some changing of lines.

Shitennoji temple

If you will be spending a few days in Kyoto, you will find that the temples, shrines and castles in Osaka pale in comparison to those in Kyoto. Not to put a damper on the spirits, but just for your consideration, that you might want to spend your time in Osaka doing other things (ie. eating... and eating... and eating... and maybe some shopping).

Kid alert: How do you keep your young one entertained while visiting heritage sites? Honestly, there is nothing much to attract the kid here. But for some reason, our little one enjoyed walking through the pebbles / gravel which abound in all the sites in Osaka and Kyoto. (He pretended it was the "muddy puddles" which is so often featured in one of his favourite cartoons, Peppa Pig).

The site in Osaka most worth going, in our opinion, is Sumiyoshi Taisha, which is way more beautiful than Shitennoji, though it is quite a distance out of the city centre. When taking a train out, it feels almost as though you are going into the suburbs but it is a lovely tranquil oasis which is a complete contrast to the buzz of Osaka city.

Kid alert: Junior will like it here. A pretty red bridge is there for him / her to climb, overlooking a pond with turtles, fish and ducks.

Sumiyoshi Taisha - way out, but worth the effort!

After that, it was back to the hotel for a rest, before heading out for dinner.

We didn't pack too much today as we knew it would be super tiring the next day when we went to Himeji and Kobe.

And if you're wondering why we didn't go to Universal Studios, we felt that our little one, who at the ripe old age of three, could only enjoy two or three rides, given his tendency to shy away from all things dark, big and loud. Mommy and Daddy were similarly not into heights and roller-coasters, hence could not maximise the tickets either to justify going there.

Stay tuned for more!

The complete itinerary:
Day 1: Osaka (Kuromon Market, Osaka Castle, Dotonbori)
Day 2: Osaka (Shitennoji, Sumiyoshi Taisha)
Day 3: Kobe, Himeji (Himeji Castle, Mount Rokko, Harbourland)
Day 4: Nara (Todaiji, Kohfukuji, Nara Park)
Day 5: Kyoto (Arashiyama, Tenryuji, Bamboo Grove, Kinkakuji)
Day 6: Kyoto (Kiyomizudera, Sannenzakai, Ninenzakai, Ishibe Koji, Maruyama Park, Shoren-in, Chion-in, Nanzenji, Path of Philosophy, Ginkakuji)
Day 7: Inari, Uji (Fushimi Inari Taisha, Byodoin Temple, Kaiseki)
Day 8 & 9: Kyoto (Nijo Castle, Kyoto Station, Pontocho, Gion)

Kid in Kansai: How to nail Kansai with a toddler in tow (Part 1)

It's not difficult to imagine why Japan is a popular vacation spot for families with young ones in tow. Cute cartoon characters courtesy of Mickey and friends, good hygiene levels, safety and familiar food makes it a fool-proof destination for young families looking for a great vacation.

While Tokyo and Hokkaido tend to be natural choices, the Kansai region - which includes places like Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and Nara, however, tends to be a tad challenging for those with younger children below three. On one hand, the kids are too young to truly enjoy and max out the price of a Universal Studios ticket, or appreciate the beauty of heritage and architecture. On the other hand, the Kansai area is a great place for adults who enjoy the robust, flavourful cuisine of Osaka, or the elegant, exquisite flavours of Kyoto, while taking in some truly gorgeous heritage sights that cannot be found in Tokyo or Hokkaido.

Adding on to that challenge is the mode of transport for travelers would fall mainly on subways and trains (as well as buses for Kyoto), as driving in Kansai doesn't really make much sense as most sights are served by public transport (albeit multiple changes on lines sometimes).

Here is a nine-day itinerary which we went on along with a three-year-old covering Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Himeji, Nara and Uji, and how to make it fun for you just as for your kid. Plus, some tips that will make it less tiring (and therefore more enjoyable) for the parents.

The first thing to consider is where to stay. We decided to spend four nights at an Osaka hotel and another four nights at Kyoto. Kobe, Himeji and Nara are all possible as day trips from Osaka (and Kyoto as well, though longer). Uji is very near to Kyoto and best as a day trip (or half day trip from the ancient capital).

Our hotels of choice were both in the city centre: Monterey Grasmere in Osaka (next to JR Namba station) and Kyoto Royal Hotel & Spa (near to Sanjo station).

Day 1: Osaka
There are multiple ways to get from Osaka's Kansai International Airport to the city centre. The Osaka City Air Terminal (OCAT) just outside the airport provides a comfortable 50-minute ride to the Namba station, and is a great way for the little one to take in some sights of Osaka while parents catch a snooze as they probably didn't get to sleep much on the plane. Other ways include a rapid subway or the airport express, which all stop conveniently at Namba, near the hotel.

Lunch: We visited the Kuromon Market, eager to try some fresh otoro (tuna belly) sushi and Kobe beef. Do note that the market is not huge, though sufficient, and sells mainly fish, seafood, beef, fruits as well as some local snacks like okonomiyaki (pancake) and katsu (deep-fried skewers). The otoro sushi is very fresh, generous and decently priced and there are a few shops selling Kobe beef, which you can choose in terms of cut and weight, and they will grill it on the spot for your consumption. Kuromon Market is about 10 to 15 minutes walk from the Monterey Grasmere.

Kuromon market: Pick you cut and weight of Kobe beef, and the shop owner will grill it for you on the spot.

Otoro (tuna belly) sushi: Luxurious but oh, so oily!

Kid alert: Most shops selling food do not have any tables or chairs for eating in, so be prepared to eat on the go, or to buy back to your hotel. Some stalls do have a random table where people crowd around to eat, and even fewer have a seating area upstairs. So if the little one is meant to have lunch here, be prepared to squat somewhere while holding the plate of food for him or her. 

Osaka Castle (Osaka-jyo): The icon of Osaka, this is a popular spot for visitors to Osaka. The interior of the castle now houses a museum showcasing different artefacts and videos about the history of the castle. But honestly, if you intend to go to Himeji, the castle there surpasses this by far.

Osaka Castle

Kid alert: There are two stations that are "near" to the Osaka castle - Tanimachi 4-chome or Osakajyo Koen. But to be honest, neither are "near". They are a good 20-minute walk away, assuming that you either have to walk slowly to accommodate a child's pace, or carry him / her at some point in time. The good thing is, between Osakajyo Koen and the castle, you will come across a fountain area with a few shops - one of which sells very good, rich soft-serve ice-cream at just 300 yen. The inside of the castle can also be a little bit dark at certain exhibit areas, so do take note if your little one is prone to be afraid of the dark.

Junior would probably have fallen asleep after this (not that it's boring... it's just the time of the day) so it's probably a good idea to head back to the hotel and check in if you weren't able to do so earlier (Japanese hotels are quite strict about check-in times, usually at 3pm).

Dinner: Namba Walk, Namba and Dotonbori are all walkable from the hotel and the sheer extent of food options available mean the only limit is stomach space and budget.

Here are the ones we tried over the course of our four nights in Osaka which we liked:

• Okonomiyaki: Mizuno (by far our favourite for its soft, melt in the mouth texture) and Creo-Ru (also famous for their takoyaki)
• Takoyaki: The afore-mentioned Creo-Ru, Dotonbori Konamon Museum
• Ramen: Hanamaruken (seriously, the best ramen we had so far, with its flavourful broth and slow-roasted pork belly), Ichiran Ramen
• Desserts: Head over to the nearby Takashimaya food hall and be spoilt for choice. We liked Henry Charpentier and the little one loved its strawberry shortcake especially

Takoyaki at Dotonbori Konamon Museum

Can't go hungry in Osaka!

After that (or before), take a stroll around and spot the giant 3-D octopuses, crabs, sushi and gyoza billboards, and the famous Glico Man behind. Junior will surely love it.

Glico Man, the other symbol of Osaka besides Osaka Castle

Kid alert: Most eateries in Namba and Dotonbori have kiddy chairs and they are quick to ask you if you need one. Otherwise, I asked in my basic Japanese, "Kodomo no isu ga arimasuka?" (Is there a kid's chair?).

Stay tuned for more!

The complete itinerary:
Day 1: Osaka (Kuromon Market, Osaka Castle, Dotonbori)
Day 2: Osaka (Shitennoji, Sumiyoshi Taisha)
Day 3: Kobe, Himeji (Himeji Castle, Mount Rokko, Harbourland)
Day 4: Nara (Todaiji, Kohfukuji, Nara Park)
Day 5: Kyoto (Arashiyama, Tenryuji, Bamboo Grove, Kinkakuji)
Day 6: Kyoto (Kiyomizudera, Sannenzakai, Ninenzakai, Ishibe Koji, Maruyama Park, Shoren-in, Chion-in, Nanzenji, Path of Philosophy, Ginkakuji)
Day 7: Inari, Uji (Fushimi Inari Taisha, Byodoin Temple, Kaiseki)
Day 8 & 9: Kyoto (Nijo Castle, Kyoto Station, Pontocho, Gion)