i always thought that i wouldn’t like Kyoto as much as Tokyo. I’m quite a city girl that love the hustle and bustle. i like laid back city as well. but if you asked me to choose, i will definitely prefer to go to more crowded ones. not very sure why i feel that way tho. haha.
when i step my feet to the city of Kyoto.. its a whole different feeling. it feels good and much better than Tokyo and Osaka. it’s like im falling in love with Kyoto at the first sight. *lebay*. we arrived in Kyoto about lunch time, and just nice that the weather is perfectly nice.. a bit windy and cloudy but it diidnt rain.. well it did rain a while after we reached our hotel.. but after that the weather is so good to walk in.
since it was already passed lunch time. we quickly put our luggage in the hotel and asked the where to eat good okonomiyaki restaurants nearby the hotel. and they recommended this restaurant..
Chibo *inside the Avanti Mall, nearby Kyoto station*
Kyoto Minami-ku, Kyoto Higashikujonishisan’no-cho, address 31 Avanti B1
*Tonpei Grilled – Pork Omelette, this one is suppa deliciousoo*
*Beef Tongue – Teppanyaki style*
*Buttery Scallop with Asparagus, another lovely dish*
*The Main dish of the day, Mixed Grilled Okonomiyaki – Pork, Squid and Shrimp*
*Yakisoba – regret to order this =(.. i dont really like it. huuu*
After we feed the hungry bear inside of us. we quickly find our way to Kurama mountain to enjoy the hot-spring. Actually i didnt want to go for this Onsen (hot-spring), since i dont want to get naked with everyone! and could not imagine to bath with many random naked women. haha.. *ya aneh aja kan perasaannya.. bugil2an sama orng yg ga di kenal.. duhh.. big no no bngt dehh di pikiran gw.. tapi temen gw si Thirza bilang kalo itu tuh the best moment ever.. kayak bersatu dengan alam gt* haha..
well. after so much consideration and contemplation and all *bujuk rayu* from my travelmates, finally i give in and brave myself to get naked with the nature. hahaha.
i cant really remember on how we go to this place. haha.. we just rely on googlemaps on how to go from Kyoto station to Kurama station.
This Kurama mountain located at the northern part of Kyoto. if im not wrong, you must take the Demachi-Yanagi line to get here and change to the other train for Kurama st.. The travelling time is about 45-60 minutes. and they will provide you a shuttle bus just infront of the Kurama station.. how convenient ya! but be careful, they shuttle bus are not available all day long, so you must check because you dont want to stranded there.. unless you planned to stay at the Ryokan *traditional japanese hotel – room without bed*.
when we reached there, the shuttle bus just left the station. but we tried to wave to show that we want to take the shuttle as well. luckily the shuttle stops and we quickly ran to enter the minivan. how lucky. haha.. when we reached there, they show us 2 options. 1 is open-air Onsen and another one is the indoor Onsen. since we wanted to get naked with the nature, of course we chose the outdoor Onsen. haha.
Kurama Mountain / Onsen
*station.nya looks super jadul yaa.. so cutee.. hehe*
*Its the information centre, together withe indoor Onsen and the receptionist for the Ryokan hotels as well*
*ya emang negara vending machine yaa.. sampe tiket masuk Onsen aja harus beli di vending machine. haha* We need to purchase our tickets from the vending machine which just located infront of the outdoor Onsen. you can buy a towel as well if you forgot to bring one..
And here where we must go separate ways.. and Below are the place to put our sandals, the instructions to enjoy the Japanese bath and the changing room! and we can only took this picture, since no photography allowed over here.. which is makes sense.. you dont want to get captured when you are naked. haha
Basically we must bath first before we can go in to the hot-spring, because they want to make sure that we dont contaminate the water.. so, before me and Yana take off our shirt, we made an agreement on who goes first to enter the Onsen, since we dont want to see each other’s body, too awkward for us! haha. *pokok,nya gw bilang. Yana.. elo duluan yahh. kalo udah masuk kolamm. tereak ajaa.. nanti gw baru masuk abis itu.. kita ujung2an aja biar ga ngerasa aneh. hahaha.. yess.. gw segitu.nyaa.. kyknya klo elo telanjang di dpn cewek2 jepang ato tourist lainnya lebih mendingan drpd kliatan naked di dpn temen sendiri. ga enakk aja gt rasanyaa. hahaha*
for those of you who wants to see how the Outdoor Onsen looks like.. please enjoy the photo below.
*source : metropolis.co.jp*
So pretty, isnt it?? maybe it’s how Adam and Eve bathing when they were in Eden. haha..*apasii*
when i first enter the Onsen area, it was still very uncomfortable to see many naked woman that can just go in/out from the Onsen like a FHM model. haha. oh btw, you cannot stare over here. they if you happen to look, just look away immediately.. haha. but not so long after that.. the beautiful sceneries really helps to make me at ease.. and the hot-spring. omg, it was very very relaxing, the aroma, the warmness of the hot-spring in the middle of cold-windy weather, it was just perfect..
since the water contains sulphur, it can really relaxes our tired muscles, and repair your skin..it was our 6th days of the trip, our legs was terribly tired, and it was like a magic water.. just right after i went out from the Onsen, it feels like you have a brand new leg. hahaha. you cant feel the tiredness anymore.. and owh.. i pour some water on my face.. was just trying to see if it can cure my pimple. haha.. and you know whatt? when i see myself on the mirror, you just need to ‘pop’ the pimples. because it’s already dried up. hahaha. *sorry for being disgusting*
overall experience, it was awesome beyond words. as i mentioned on my Instagram before.. it was awesomely awkward! hahaha.
after that most memorable experience of the trip, we went to try Kichi Kichi. the Omurice was very happening in youtube.. so, since we are in Kyoto already.. of course we must give it a try. hehe..
it was very hard to find the restaurant, since it’s just a small (9-10 seaters bar) restaurant, and the location was very unpredictable.. you must go in to small alleys and in that small alleys, they have another small alleys. ~.~’. But thank god that we managed to find it. *ga nyasar2 amat lahh stelah di pikir2. hahaha*
Kichi-Kichi Kyoto
185-4 Zaimokucho | Sanjo Pontocho-dori Kudaru, Nakagyo-ku,Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan +81 75-211-1484
i recorded one video for you to take a look. hehe..
to see the open-flap egg like that was like magic.. so interesting to see.. he made 4 of it one by one, and it never fails to entertain us.. haha. i wonder how to make that kind off eggs. *bisa pas bngt gt luar.nya mateng, trus dalemnya kyk setengah mateng gt.. dan telur.nya bisa meleleh gt pas di belahh.. aigooo..*
the Omurice itself is supernice.. the only thing that overpower it is the sauce.. if he never put that much, maybe i can enjoy it more. but well, i think it depends on the individual as well.
Oka can understand Japanese, and they chit chat for a while. he said, he stayed in Jakarta before when he was younger, and that time he was still thinking on what to make.. and he thought of making this Omurice + sauce when he was in Jakarta! amazing story to listen. very heartwarming to know that Jakarta was the place where he got Inspired. way to go Mr. Chef ! *i did asked for his namecard, but i cant rmber where do i put it. i’ll let you know his name when i found it. hehe*
Another good nite from a happy tummy.. ❤
JENITA DARMENTO 