Japan 2019 - Kyoto Day 6

2019/11/16

Ruriko-in - Oboroya Zuiundo - Harbs - Kifune Shrine

Today we are going around Kyoto visiting shrines and temples that have beautiful autumn foliage!

Many many places in Japan participates in maple tree festivities and night illuminations, make sure to research a bit and find your favourite places to go.

This site lists participating places in Kyoto!

瑠璃光院　Ruriko-in

Our first stop today is Ruriko-in! I've heard many horror stories of hours long wait at shrines and temples when its a special occasion (ie. Kinkakuji during a snow day...) Thus, I was determined to wake up bright and early so we can successfully pay a visit to the temple.

Ruriko-in is famous for its picturesque view of autumn leaves on the second floor, it is also only open to the public twice a year (spring and autumn), it has become one of the most popular spots for tourists to visit in Kyoto.

One of the easiest routes to Ruriko-in in my opinion is by taking the Eizan Electric Railway (bound for Yase-Hieizanguchi) at Demachiyanagi station. The temple is just a short 5 minute walk from the Yase-Hieizanguchi station.

The beautiful Hiei train running from Demachiyanagi to Yase-Hieizanguchi. Since this train is considered as a sightseeing train, the exterior of the car is very distinct and different than regular trains.

My friend's friend is joinging us today as she also have not been to Ruriko-in before. She arrived early and bought the tickets first.

Fortunately the line was not super long when we arrived. Along with the ticket, they give you a time slot to enter the temple to prevent overcrowding as the building itself is small.

Rurikou-in sits under Mt. Hiei, every direction you look will be surrounded by autumn trees and mountains.

We even encoutered a wild crane by the river?!

It was time to enter, an employee will direct everyone to the temple. A short walk uphill and here we are!

A Japanese garden leads to the entrance of the temple...

Ruriko-in is an old temple so it does not have a heating system installed. It was sunny but quite chilly by the mountains, I would highly recommend to dress warmly if you are visiting. You are required to take off your shoes when entering, the wood flooring can really make it feel colder after a bit of time inside...

Inside of the temple there are clear signage posted directing the route for tourists to take. We were immediately taken to the second floor, to the drawing room or shoin (書院).

isn't it breathtaking? ✰

This is the room where this famous scenery is taken. An employee will instruct everyone how to take the photo, there is essentially a glossy black tea table that perfectly reflects the garden view. We were actually still too early so the foliage have not yet all turned red, there was still quite a bit of greenery.

Since this is a shot everyone wants to take, the employees will constantly ask everyone to not take up the space if they are done with their photos. The room was pretty crowded, after we got our perfect shot, we went on to the next room.

When you buy a ticket, they will give you a goody bag? of items. A pamphlet, a pen, and papers for shakyo.

Shakyo is a buddhist practice to trace the sutras. People do shakyo to reflect on oneself or obtain mental wellness from tracing the scriptures. If you want to participate in this activity, there are tables and pen in this area for visitors to use.

At Ruriko-in, the goshuin is pre-stamped and written on a looseleaf paper available by the shakyo table. It operates by the honour system, visitors can take one after paying the stated fee. The date is to be filled by the visitor themself... so please disregard the ugly characters written on mine... haha ( I even wrote an extra letter by accident... oops!)

Though you are not allowed to stay in the drawing room, a separate room serves as a tea room. Back on the first floor, guests can sip on hot matcha tea and enjoy views at one of the most beautiful gardens at Ruriko-in, Ruri no niwa (瑠璃の庭).

Seats are only reserved to those who order tea (tea is 800 yen/ tea+snack is 1000 yen). Unfortunately there was a waitlist of up to an hour! There wasn't much to do here or around the area to kill time so we went on to the next room... :(

a screen from the Tensho Era

This is the Japanese styled steam bath or Kama-buro (かま風呂). A rare replica of the Yase Kama-buro. The interior is lined with straw mats to lie down on. I really like the round exterior, it looked super cute, and really, just like an oven haha!

Finally, the last room with views to another garden.

I wish we could actually walk outside, I really love the hallways of old Japanese buildings.

During the autumn months, Ruriko-in also have night illumination viewing tours available on selected weekend nights. The trees and paths around the temple will be lit up, exhibiting a different view of the temple. The price of the tour is 6000 yen per person, which includes a roundtrip train ride from Demachiyanagi station to Yase-Hieiguchi and Ruriko-in's entrance ticket.

As much as I wanted to come here at night time, 6000 yen is just too much for me, but if you don't mind, I highly recommend looking it up, from the pictures I've seen online, it was definitely an entire different experience than the daytime.

Ruriko-in's regualr 2000 yen ticket also includes free admission to the nearby Louis Ikart Museum ルイ・イカール. To get our money's worth, we decided to go take a look. This museum is only open for the duration Ruriko-in is open (spring and autumn).

Though we didn't know who this artist was, the paintings were very interesting to look at. This was also a great place to just relax and take a break in a heated room after visiting the temple... was exactly what everyone was thinking. One of the larger gallery rooms was furnished with some benches and chairs and it was packed! lol.

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朧八瑞雲堂　Oboroya Zuiundo

After all the fun we had in the morning, we were getting kind of hungry. Since we don't have any official plans for the afternoon, we decided to go back to Sanjo and shop around. But, before going back, I wanted to visit a wagashiya I saw trending on ig.

Oboroya Zuiundo is tucked away in a residential area, it is small, compact, like your neighborhood snack shop. Took us a bit of time to find the place, but you can't miss it with the big blue curtains outside!

Other than the Nama dorayaki we came for, they also offer a wide range of Ja[anese sweets such as warabimochi, anmitsu, yokan, dango, and etc. Everything looked very appetizing, but since we are not going home immediately, I only got one item. :((

One of the most popular sweets from Oboroya Zuiundo is their nama dorayaki 生どら焼き. They are made fresh daily, due to the popularity and limited amount, each customer can only purchase one.

Although it was a Saturday, maybe becuase we arrived around lunch time, the store was pretty quiet and they still have many available.

Flavours include: red bean, matcha, fruit, strawberry, coffee, black sesame, yam, etc.

I chose the OG dorayaki flavour - ogura red bean.

Seeing this in person is quite mind blowing! An 8cm high dorayaki is something I think we all have dreamed of ♥

yum!

A large portion of the filling is red bean whipped cream and regular dorayaki portion of red bean paste. I would recommend sharing one as the cream can feel a bit rich by the time you finish it. Surprisingly, the nama dorayaki is not super sweet but balanced out by the whipped cream.

If I ever get a chance to come back, I would absolutely try a different flavour and buy all the other items in the shop!

Harbs

After dorayaki, we went back to the Sanjo area and shopped a bit at the nearby shopping malls, and headed for a late lunch at... HARBS! YAY!

I did some research looking at Harbs' menu before we went and noticed they do lunch service. A lunch set includes a salad, pasta, half a piece of cake, and a drink for 1700 yen, pretty affordable imo!

*One important thing to note* pasta and cake choices are only limited to a few, make sure you ask the server which ones are included.

After hearing the cakes I can choose for my lunch set I decided to order à la carte so I can try some new seasonal items. Unfortunately, all the seasonal cakes were sold out and only a few flavours left. I picked the last chestnut related cake I had the previous time we came to Harbs.

Our server kept double checking if I was sure I wanted to order everything separately and reiterating how the portions will be larger, the price will be higher. But, it's not everyday I come to Harbs so I had to keep saying daijyoubu like a good 10 times... lol.

Now that I think back, why didn't I just order a lunch set and get another full size cake I wanted on the side?...

Fresh Green Salad

The salad comes with the pasta even if you order it à la carte.

Pescatore Pasta

Seafood tomato pasta, pretty good, a nice savoury option to have before a creamy cake!

Marron Tarte

My definite favourite from last time. I missed the chestnut cream texture and the chocolate bits yumm~

Here's the two my friends chose to go with their meal.

New York Cheesecake

Marron Cake

Also a chesnut cake, but I'm not a big fan of sponge cakes so I would take the tarte over this any day.

If you haven't already seen and is curious, here's an in depth review from my first visit at Harbs!

貴船神社　Kifune Shrine

As the sun set, we made our way to Kifune Shrine as they also have autumn night viewings of their foliage.

To get to Kifune Shrine, we also took the Eizan Electric Railway, but the opposite route from our trip to Ruriko-in this morning, to Kibuneguchi, bound for Kurama.

photo credits: Eizan Railway HP

The panorama train Kirara runs on this line. As the name states, there are large glass windows all around the train, passengers are able to see a panoramic view of the outside scenery when aboard.

The special thing about this route is during autumn, the Eizan railway maple tree tunnel is available between Ichihara station and Ninose station.

photo credits: Eizan Raiway HP

When going through this area, the train will slow down and passengers will be able to experience the night illumination of the maple trees outside.

My attempt to film this was a fail, so here's an example taken by chuchikomo.

Isn't it magical, like going through a maple tree time machine...

Arrived at Kibuneguchi station!

The station is actually still some distance away form Kifune Shrine, from here you have the option of taking a 5 mins bus ride, or if you have time and are feeling ambitious, you can walk? (around 30mins).

Lanterns showcasing the restaurants offered here...

The famous red lanterns of Kifune Jinja.

These seasonal limited maple leaf ema were so cute, I had to grab one!

After hanging my ema, we headed upwards towards the main shrine.

Although, the day is dark, there are still many visitors...

Kifune Shrine is dedicated to the God of water, thus, they have a special water omiukji here. First, purchase your omikuji and bring it to the side where there is water.

If you are unsure what to do, there are also instructions.

Leave your omikuji on water, after a few moments, your fortune will slowly appear!

A pretty interesting experience, the only downside is you won't be able to read when the paper dries lol!

▲ Actually just noticed while looking at the omikuji again, in the middle on both sides is a small qr code. If you scan it with your phone, it will take you to a webpage that can translate your fortune for you in 5 languages! Talk about convenience!

Honestly, really impressed haha!

I also got another goshuincho here as the cover is made of silk and of a pink sakura❀ pattern. This one will be to record goshuin from shrines!

stamp!

If you exit the main shrine and keep walking up the hill along the road is the oku miya, the most inner shrine. Unfortunately, we were there too late, so everything was closed...

& i'm missing a goshuin from here qq.

It was getting late, we didn't want to miss the bus going back to the station so we turned back.

Along the Kibune River are these small lanterns floating on the water. Some had cute illustrations on it.

Now back to Kibuneguchi station, heading back to central Kyoto.

We rode through the beautiful maple tree tunnel for the last time.

On our return trip back to the city, it was a normal train, not the Kirara we were on earlier. I noticed a cute heart shaped handle... ♡♡♡

Mos Burger

It was late but we were a bit hungry since we didn't eat dinner, most stores were closed and we weren't particularly craving anything. There was a Mos Burger nearby so we went and got some food.

I really like Mos Burger, it is one of my favourite asian fast food chains, best known for their rice burgers. The japanese menu is different from what I'm used to seeing in Taiwan, with more extensive selections.

I ordered a yakiniku rice burger with clam chowder. lol I know it's a weird combination but I really wanted some soup. And tbh, it wasn't bad, I think even better than canned clam chowder.

The burger was just as I remembered, hot and juicy, yum!

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