8D7N - Osaka Kyoto Japan Day 2 | Arashimaya, Segano Train, Nishiki Market & Honke Dashi Ramen

Day 2 Itinerary in a glance

1. Arashimaya Bamboo Forest, Ghibli store, Miffy cafe, Rilakkuma Cafe 

2. Take a romantic ride on the Segano Train

3. Nishiki Market for local delights

4. Dinner at Honke Dashi Ramen

734am train from Osaka to Kyoto. Reached Kyoto station, transfer train to hotel station, dropped our luggage at the Concierge and Kyoto here we come! But first, next to our Hotel was a Lawson's convenience store where I bought myself a can of coffee and some cream puffs.

940am: Streets of Kyoto, on our way to Arashimaya. On the way, we found ourselves at Snow Peak, a store that sells camping gear.

1030am: Miffy cafe where I bought some miffy souvenirs like chopstick holder, coin bank, stickers and some other small items. While I was shopping, the kids and hubs sat down by the road kerb and had some miffy buns.

Above: Rickshaw puller

1040am: Kumono set 1480 Yen and Jade's strawberry milk 680 Yen

Daifuku 300 Yen (Soft sticky mochi with red bean paste topped with a glazed strawberry) and we bought a stick of Dango (Sweet Soy Sauce glazed) too. It is a sticky sweet yet salty chewy riceballs on a stick. Unfortunately I can't remember the price. Should be about 150Yen.

1120am: Kids wanted to eat a cucumber stick! 200Yen per stick. Ok, about $2 SGD. I think it's ok since we are at a touristy area.

Randan Arashimaya Station

There are some food kiosks here before entering the Kimono Forest.

Above: a short walk around the Hannari Hokkori Square at Arashimaya Station.

The Kimono Forest, made up of about 600 pillars wrapped in yuzen cloth to create a unique atmosphere around the station, encompasses the area in a warm light at night, giving the station a mysterious air.

1140am: Reached Rilakkuma Cafe where we bought ourselves a Honey cup. 460 Yen

I did some sticker shopping here. Didn't buy much as Rilakkuma is not my absolute favourite.

12noon: Finally we reached Arashimaya Bamboo Forest on foot!

This is one of the top spots of Kyoto and a definite must see, to do item on your trip to Kyoto!

2pm: Segano Romantic Train Ride

This train ride is truly an experience for us. We booked the open cabin i.e. it doesn't come with any windows and hence all my photos were super clear with no reflections and there were times when my hand was sticking out of the train to take the beautiful and scenic views. And fortunately for us, it didn't rain, It was such a letdown if it rained because then all the rainwater would fall onto our laps! hahah.

Everytime when we travelled through a tunnel, the sounds of the train clanking would echoed through the walls! I thought it was really fun and cool but the kids were scared by the deafening sounds. Anyhow, I really felt the saying of "seeing the light at the end of the tunnel"!! It was so amazing when we came out from the tunnel and the daylight would stream into the cabin interiors.

Where we disembark our train was at a rice paddy field, there was abundance of green.

Nishiki Market: first stop was the Ebi skewers 250Yen per stick, everyone had one stick.

Unagi bowl 1980Yen, Salmon Sashimi bowl1480Yen, Highball 350Yen, Beef tongue 750Yen per stick, Giant Squid and 2 larget butter scallops.

Above: James fell asleep while waiting for our food to arrive.

Dinner: Honke Dashi Ramen, famous for their Kyoto style ramen. A rich yet clear soup, comes with an array of sliced pork (not the usual 2-3 slices of sliced pork) and topped with green onions.