Japan Diaries | Hidden Kyoto Bike Tour and Shopping in Kyoto

When planning for Japan, I took a two-pronged approach. I started over a year before, actually. I saw a tip on TikTok that said to save any place you might be interested in visiting on Google Maps. Then, when you’re ready to actually plan your trip, you can see the areas with the most saved places and plan your trip around that.

I tried using Google Maps at first but then got lazy and switched to a travel planner. I used Wanderlog for this trip, but have also heard good things about TripIt. I liked Wanderlog because it has the same map feature (in fact, it imports its maps and information from Google), and it also allows you to keep notes, keep track of reservations, and it even shows how long it takes to get from place to place as you place them in your itinerary.

None of that is an ad, by the way. I just really loved using it during my trip. Every day I would move things around depending on the vibes of the day. I would have a main “theme” for the day, like a day trip somewhere to Nara or visiting a specific shrine. Every night, I’d revisit the plan for the next day and mostly paid attention to how long it would take to go from place to place and how I felt. In the morning, I’d wake up, see if I still felt up for the plan, and adjust as needed.

My theme for day 3 in Japan was centered on the Airbnb e-bike experience I had booked a few days before I headed to Japan. I knew, if I left it up to future Gemma, I wouldn’t get out as much as I would like, so I booked a few Airbnb experiences to keep me accountable. That morning, I really considered skipping the experience because of how chilly it was (and how unprepared for said chill that I was). I did bring my biking gloves, and to be totally honest, I mostly went so I wouldn’t feel like I had brought them thousands of miles for no reason.

That turned out to be a great decision. The tour was a lot of fun, and it was nice having someone give some insight and history on shrines and temples as we viewed them. I had gone to a couple the day before, but I really enjoyed the aesthetics of them rather than learning a ton about each one. Plus, my tour guide gave a great recommendation on where to eat after the tour.

The rest of the day was focused on being warm. I made probably the largest, yet most important purchase of the trip: a coat. It immensely enhanced my comfort for the rest of the two weeks in Japan. On the one hand, it was a splurge for me, but on the other hand, I was lucky enough to buy it in Japan. The yen is weak at the moment (compared to USD), and I got it tax-free, so in reality, I got it on sale (yay, girl math!)

Day 3 | Airbnb Experience Bike Tour and Shopping in Sanjo Meiten-gai

Day 3

• Breakfast at hotel: The Kitchen Kanra

• Bus to Noru Bike tour for Airbnb e-bike experience

• E-Bike tour around Kyoto with stops at:

  • The quiet geisha (Geiko) district Kamishichiken. This is one of 5 geisha districts in Kyoto, the other 4 being in and around Gion.

  • Kitano Tenmangu Shrine. This is where Sugawara No Michizane (Tenjin-san), the scholar, is deified. You would pray for academic success here.

  • The Golden Temple, which became a world heritage site in 1994. It was originally a retirement villa for Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and was later converted into a Zen Buddhist temple.

  • Stopped for a snack at Ichimonjiya (a 1000-year-old shop) next to Imamiya Shrine. The snack is called aburimochi (grilled mochi). The 25th generation of the same family currently runs this shop. Here is the video from Insider Business for those interested.

  • Daitokuji Temple, and Zuihoin, a small sub-temple. In 1961, the very famous garden designer Mirei Shigemori designed the dry landscape garden. This temple complex was often visited by Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and their tea master, Senno Rikyu. They are some of the most famous people in Japanese history.

• Lunch at Kamishichiken Futaba, a soba restaurant recommended by my tour guide.

• Shopping at Sanjo Meiten-gai Shopping Arcade.

• Relaxing with tea and scones at Sir Thomas Lipton - Shijo. Really fast service, so it’s worth waiting for a seat even if it’s packed (one will open up quickly). The food was average, but it’s cozy and a cool place to try fun drinks and grab a quick lunch.

• Dinner at McDonald’s. Fast food in different countries just hits different sometimes.

I started the day with a low battery but definitely ended on a high. I shared more in the vlog about the joys of solo travel, but I’ll probably share more about that in writing in the future. Let me know if you have any particular insights on solo travel. I’m all ears as I reflect on my own experience.