Day Trips from Osaka & Kyoto ⛩️🚅 (Kansai, Japan)

[@rossb9984587]

If you go to Nara from Kyoto, you can stop off at Uji which is on the same train line a few stops before Nara. It has the Byodoin Temple, which is the temple on the 10 Yen coin, and is a very pretty town. I love Miyajima, the shrine there is one of the most beautiful place I've ever been.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Ooh I've seen pics of Byodoin, it looks beautiful! Definitely on my list if I go back to Kyoto!

[@rossb9984587]

@@cakeswithfaces It's also very good for green tea. My Japanese teacher was very pleased when I brought back some Uji matcha for her

[@SnoogyWoogy]

Hiroshima is a gorgeous city. We only stayed there two nights and wish we had stayed more. We walked from Hiroshima station to our airbnb right beside Hondori (took us about 25-30min) and while a bit long with our luggage the streets and paths were so well made and maintained that it honestly wasn't that hard to walk it and walking along the river was well worth it. So I feel staying in Hiroshima is 100% worth it if people can on their trips.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Great recommendation! Good to know there's enough to do there for at least two days! I walked back from the Peace Park to the station instead of getting the bus, just to see what it was like (no suitcases though!!).

[@finnaaalllyyygoddamnn]

As a teenager from Essex, you've really helped me believe that one day seeing and exploring Japan will be possible! Hope this (small) donation somehow helps you follow your dreams just as you've made mine! I look forward to you getting back into Japan!

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thanks so much, I really appreciate it! It means a lot to know you enjoy my videos - and yes, you can make it there one day! Keep following your dreams (and saving up!) and it'll definitely be worth it! 💖 Can't wait to bring you more videos from Japan!

[@ahmed25janegy]

This is a great informative vid. Thank you Cakes!!

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thanks, there are so many things to do around Kansai!

[@tripseye]

❤️🇯🇵thank you for 🎬 👍🏻🌹💫🌏 Japan Amazing Relaxing places 👋😉

[@cakeswithfaces]

So many beautiful places!

[@GirlLoveAnime18]

Thank you for the video Amy :) Hopefully next year travelling to Japan will be possible!

[@Delphi450r]

Next year¿😳 We’re hoping for THIS YEAR!

[@cakeswithfaces]

Fingers crossed, I can't wait!!

[@rapthor666]

Rewatching as I'm trying to book for late August 😊 Week in Osaka to make up for only 2 days in '19. And yes, Himeji is definitely on The List. But also a mega DonQi and Denden Town

[@cakeswithfaces]

Excellent, glad you'll be going to all the places you didn't have time for last time! There's a lot to do in Kansai.

[@NinjaMaruSensei]

Yes!! Tiger Temple!! That place is like a buddist disneyland!! Thank you for sharing!! 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

[@cakeswithfaces]

So much fun - can't believe we never hear about unique places like this!

[@einfachnurleo7099]

Thats the typical crazy Japan we know and love... putting Himeji Castle into a house to renovate it ^^

[@leewhite4578]

So thankful for this video. Taking notes as this is where I'm going for my (delayed) 40th birthday trip

[@cakeswithfaces]

Maybe a 41st birthday by the time you get to go...! But it'll be worth it, and good to be able to celebrate twice!!

[@heatherloveseevee9778]

Bunny shrine now added to my itinerary! 🐰💕

[@cakeswithfaces]

It's so cute isn't it! Those little bunny charms! 💖

[@johanvandersteen]

Thanks for the tips! Definitely adding Himeji to my trip in October

[@cakeswithfaces]

Have an amazing time!! 🏯🏯🏯

[@Astran0th]

Miyajima is totally worth it even with the gate being under construction, but I'd really recommend planning a whole day there and going up the mountain! It's also really beautiful at night when all the lanterns and such are lit up. If I went there again, I would book a Ryokan there for a night. And Himeji is on my list for next time as well!

[@cakeswithfaces]

Ooh everywhere looks so magical with lanterns, just as it's getting dark! 🤩

[@brooklynjapan]

Great video

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thank you!!

[@hairyflea03]

That was an enjoyable 15 minutes! I like the you included the renovation details for some of these places because sometimes the actual experience is spoiled by bad timing. You should see the iconic selfie I have of Big Ben in scaffolding :) Anyway, I really like that you can still put together a very watchable video after all this time away. Cheers!

[@cakeswithfaces]

Haha, at least you have a unique photo!! :-) Glad you enjoyed it! I have a list of video ideas for another year or so of videos, but I hope travel opens up before then!! :-)

[@ShadowNerd92]

Very good timing. I was looking at things for my group around Osaka. Hopefully things are a go next March.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Fingers crossed!! Enjoy all the planning! :-)

[@etherdog]

Quite nice tips, Amy!

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thank you, hope they come in handy!! :-)

[@194DAG]

Great video as always. I spent a day in Kobe and really enjoyed it. Can't wait to go back.

[@cakeswithfaces]

It'd definitely be on my list if I go back to this area!

[@primokarma9841]

Many people in this will see this as helpful/useful I see it as new more far-out new ways to get me lost into another country hahaha

[@cakeswithfaces]

Don't call it getting lost... call it exploring!

[@primokarma9841]

@@cakeswithfaces Had an edit my comment haha, I'm not a morning person, exploring is great if you don't have a time frame or in a place where everyone speaks English haha

[@WayneHendersonVO]

These look like wonderful day-trip locations. Planning our trip ideas (with your book at our sides) now.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Ooh enjoy!! Always love planning trips and looking forward to all the thing you're going to do one day! :-)

[@awesomeadamfrom2099]

Awesome job Amy .

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thank you!!

[@awesomeadamfrom2099]

Your welcome see you in two weeks

[@briannotbryan3888]

Great tips on how to get around Kasai to some of the popular and lesser known areas.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thanks! So many interesting places in this area! :-)

[@Gazereths1234]

Thanks for the recommendations Amy, great video. Hiroshima castle is one of the best around, I went on the way to Miyajima, what a fantastic day that was! Definitely recommend Kobe as well, it's a great little city for a night or two. Let's hope we can get back to Japan later this year or early next 😀😀

[@cakeswithfaces]

Awesome, great that you enjoyed them! So many places to visit - can't wait to get back! :-)

[@JoshuaEadie]

Me and my close friends are planning to go to Tokyo and Osaka next year around September/ October time hopefully. We are very excited!

[@cakeswithfaces]

Fantastic, you'll love it! Enjoy planning your trip - lots of ideas on my channel! :-)

[@yelenafadeyeva2848]

Hi! Thank you for the video. Do you think it would be doable to visit Himeji in first part of the day and visit Kurama & Kibune in the afternoon? or will it be too much for one day? Thanks in advance.

[@cakeswithfaces]

While they can both be done as half day trips, they're in opposite directions from Kyoto. Personally, I'd do them on different days if you can - that way you can spend as long as you want there without having to watch the time, then fill the rest of the day locally in Kyoto.

[@rapthor666]

Stayed in Osaka way too short back in 2019. If 22 allows, i be back. If Himeji is authentic, then it's a must go. Loved Osaka and Nijo castle so far. Near Nara station is an onsen where we stayed as well, just the smell of the tatami mats..oo! Fun thing about Kyoto will always be walking in a big city but discovering shrines everywhere. Like a boar shrine next to the Palace Side hotel. The woodcarved boarhead was beautiful

[@cakeswithfaces]

I found it interesting how in Kyoto there's such a mixture of buildings - how you can come across really old houses in the middle of a modern street. A unique place!

[@Cptalbertweskerful]

I highly recommend Kinosaki onsen, it's one of the most picturesque onsen town we've been to and the seven onsen are fantastic, it would be a shame to go as a day trip though, you need to stay at one of the many ryokan, the visit Kinosaki website is brilliant, and for meat eaters (sorry Amy) Tajima Beef and Snow Crab have to be tried!! I can't wait to go back again at some point ❤️

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thanks for the recommendations, that's good to know! I'll stick to some nice tofu & veggies..! :-)

[@mPDC-gh8jy]

Osaka and Kyoto are places where I can visit as a day trip destination from my town. But I would probably have to spend a fair amount of money to visit some of the Scottish whiskey distilleries.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Apart from the money you'd spend on buying whiskey there...! :-) It must be nice to be able to visit Osaka and Kyoto on day trips!

[@Jiskle]

We loved Nunobiki herb gardens, they have lots of products that are made with local herbs and they have a mini information hub at top where you can smell all the scents they use to make them. Only downside is you just gotta know how to get there from the station, was a bit of a windy path. Love the idea of the mountain walk with the Soba noodles, might put that on our trip list for when Japan opens back up. Great vid as ever btw!

[@cakeswithfaces]

Sounds good - I was most excited about the waterfall but now the herb garden sounds great too!

[@Jiskle]

@@cakeswithfaces Yeah it's a fair treck to the waterfall too, you can see it from the cablecars as you travel up to the top of the herb garden. The views up there are great and you can walk all the way down from the top and see all the herbs they are growing there.

[@606Jelly]

We loved the herb gardens too. It's so peaceful up there, and as well as the herbs and flowers, there are hammocks you can relax in near the lower cable car station.

[@Jiskle]

@@606Jelly we didn't get a chance to get on the hammocks as it was very close to closing time when we arrived but it certainly looked like somewhere to laze and take it all in. You're right, it's a welcome break from the hustle n bustle. It's quite ghibliesque we think.

[@cakeswithfaces]

@@606Jelly Sounds lovely!!

[@nanangcb6432]

Thank you

[@cakeswithfaces]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@meylinguzman3235]

I promised my niece that for her quincenera present from me it was a trip to Japan. It was supposed to be this year but you know covid-19. But now you have me ideas on where to go and where to take her. Also have you ever heard of the longest slide in Japan? I it's in tabayama, it's an hr away from Tokyo. There you will be able to ride the longest slide.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Wow that's be something funny to say you've been on!! Enjoy planning her special trip! It'll be worth the wait - you'll both enjoy it all the more after this year!

[@gdore15]

For sure there is much more options, many of them are not that well known. Some that I've been to include Jinaimachi, Kashihara/Asuka and Sakai. The nice thing is that they are not as known by foreign tourist, so there is not much crowd.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Sounds good! Thanks for the recommendations!

[@Delphi450r]

Day trips.....yah 👍

[@cakeswithfaces]

Yesss!!!

[@acfbrown1]

I went to Kobe in 2017 for a medical conference. I also went there in 2016. In 2016 I went for a day trip to Himeji from Osaka but Himeji castle was covered in scaffolding then. I have a friend who went to Himeji in 2019 after going to a linguistics conference in Fukuoka.

[@cakeswithfaces]

It's lucky if you have business trips near places you want to go anyway - and if you have some free time to explore the local area!

[@railvlogger1439]

Hi, a very informative video. We are visiting Japan in September. We had planned to stay in Hiroshima for 3 nights and Osaka for 3 nights, however do you think we would be better off to base ourselves in Osaka for 5 or 6 nights and explore the region from there? We intended to go straight from Tokyo to Hiroshima and work our way back to Tokyo staying our last 3 nights there. Will the JR Pass cover us for the day trips you suggested from Osaka? Sorry to be a pain and bombard you with these questions. I will buy your book and have subscribed. Thanks.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thanks for buying my book, that's very much appreciated! I hope you enjoy it! Really it depends what you're interested in doing. There's certainly enough to do in Osaka for 5 or 6 nights - especially given that Kyoto is so close, and there are so many day trips around the Kansai region. You can even go to Hiroshima on a day trip from Osaka. However, I'm hesitant to recommend not staying in Hiroshima, because so many people only go to Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka, so they're the most touristy places, and there's so much more to see around the rest of Japan! So you can have a more unique experience in other locations, and it'll be less crowded and probably more enjoyable. If you're going to Hiroshima, I'd definitely recommend visiting Miyajima - it's so beautiful! The short boat ride there is covered by JR Pass. :-) (Here's my video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5zPi6apqbRkgqM ). It'd be lovely to stay a night there. And Onomichi is on the coast between Hiroshima and Osaka - a beautiful town that's by the start of the Shimanami Kaido cycling route (even if you don't want to do the whole thing, you could cycle to the first island and enjoy the views). The JR Pass covers many of the day trips in the video, but there are a few on train lines run by other companies. Some have a tourist pass for the train that gives you a discount. The JR Pass will be well worth it on your trip. The easiest way to see how to get somewhere is to check on Japan Guide, which as a really useful "How to get to and around" page for each attraction - eg here's the page for Nara: www.japan-guide.com/e/e4107.html Hope that helps! :-)

[@railvlogger1439]

@cakeswithfaces Thanks for the advice. The book was despatched today, so should receive it soon. As we are in Japan for 12 days to get the most use from our 7 day JR pass I thought we go straight from Haneda Airport to Osaka and spend most of our time exploring from there, returning to Tokyo for the final 4 days, where we won't really need the railpass. A Suica card should be enough for Tokyo. Really looking forward to reading your book.

[@cakeswithfaces]

@@railvlogger1439 Yes you're absolutely right - you only need the JR Pass when you're travelling long distance; you don't need it while you're in Tokyo. Hope your book arrives soon!

[@gongwiththewind402]

Hello Amy... Great information today... makes me really want to go to Japan even more now!!! Are all the places you described today in your travel book? About the incentives to travel Japan before pandemic were they for out of country visitors and have you heard of it being reinstated?

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thanks!! Yes they're all in my book 😊 Sadly the Go To Travel campaign is finished now, it was just for residents - wouldn't it be nice to get half price tickets though?!! If only!! 😊✨

[@chinesekangaroo]

Temple stay was $950 for 1 night unfortunately, so we had to make it a day trip which went perfectly fine.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Wow that's quite pricey!

[@chiragganguly]

I'm actually surprised you left out Amonohashidate. Isn't it supposed to be one of the most picturesque sights of Japan?

[@cakeswithfaces]

It's one of Japan's top 3 scenic views! There's so much to do in this region!

[@hobie18sailer]

Hi, I was hoping you could help me as I can't seem to get any clarity on the JR West passes. I know I can buy a JR West pass online before arriving in Japan, however I can't seem to see if you can actually use the pass to book online ahead too. I can see how easy it is to book tickets online prior to arriving, but applying the pass in that booking doesnt seem clear or at all possible? Thanks!

[@cakeswithfaces]

I think with JR West you can only make seat reservations when you get to Japan. I've always made my seat reservations as soon as I arrive, and never had any problems, so hopefully it'll be ok! :-)

[@hobie18sailer]

@@cakeswithfaces awesome thank you !! Love your channel by the way !! I’m in a party of 5 and likely right in the middle of cherry blossom season so a tad worried my travel plans maybe thrown into a mess if I can get on a number of key Shinkansens !!

[@cakeswithfaces]

@@hobie18sailer I'd make a list of the reservations you want to make, then make them all as soon as you get there, and it should be ok! I'm not sure if you saw it already but here's how to make seat reservations at the machine: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4G3c6Coqb9rhNk With a regional rail pass, instead of pressing "Japan Rail Pass Reservation" at the start, you press "Seat reservation with coupon ticket", but otherwise the process is very similar. You also don't need to input all your passport details like with the JR Pass for the whole of Japan, so it's slightly easier!

[@hobie18sailer]

@@cakeswithfaces great advice thank you !!! Any time savings well worth it !!

[@AyaV18]

Just a question if you or anyone has an answer. Me and some friends are getting the JR pass, and we are wondering how you get around Kyoto and Osaka with the JR Pass. Is it an option, or would we need to get a region pass for the day we will be in each city? Thank you!

[@cakeswithfaces]

The JR Pas sis mostly for long distance, intercity travel. When you're in Kyoto or Osaka, you can use it on JR train lines (lines run by Japan Railways - the name tends to start with 'JR'). You'll also need to use the metro. For that you can get individual tickets, a day pass or an IC card. Personally I prefer IC card, because you top it up with credit, then it's valid for everything, so it's the easiest way to pay for your trains and buses.

[@AyaV18]

@@cakeswithfaces Thank you for your response!

[@Omni0404]

7:21 Wow I didn't expect to see those cranes. The Kanji 逝 departed is made up of road and fold (using RTK keywords anyway.) The story I use to remember it is that to honor the departed Sasaki Sadako, people folded up so many cranes that they line the road.

[@cakeswithfaces]

That's a good story to remember it!

[@あいうえお-o6s1f]

Much places to go.🙄 Much things to do. 🤔 We don't have enough times !😂

[@cakeswithfaces]

Always the problem!! :-)

[@あいうえお-o6s1f]

@@cakeswithfaces Thank you for reply ! Yes, you're right !😂

[@cstpa1]

It looks like the yuraku onsen in osaka has permanently closed

[@cakeswithfaces]

That's a shame, I hope all the ducks went to good home!

[@kc3302]

Great video as always 🙂 I do the same when visiting the area - I stay in Osaka (near a train station) and do day trips to the surrounding areas of Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, etc. Another couple of suggestions are: -Arashiyama (Kyoto) for the bamboo forest and old-style area (also the Monkey Park if that takes your fancy); also ride a scenic tourist train from Torokko Arashiyama station - Kurama (Kyoto) for Kuramadera Temple - easy to get there by train and cable car, also nearby you can get the train to Yase-Hieizanguchi Station and ride both the cable car and Ropeway for great views of the region; - for cat lovers you can ride the train from Wakayama (South of Osaka) to Kishi Station which has a cat station master and the trains and the station are all cat-themed.

[@cakeswithfaces]

Thanks for the recommendations! Kishi Station was in one of my train videos, it looks really cute!

[@gongwiththewind402]

Thanks for these additional places Ken. Can’t wait till we can travel.

[@kc3302]

@@cakeswithfaces Cool, I'll have to look for that video in your channel 😀

[@craigmaddison8254]

Interesting one this, you must do lots of research Amy.

[@cakeswithfaces]

I enjoy researching videos like this as it feels like planning a trip! :-)

[@craigmaddison8254]

@@cakeswithfaces yeah, if only we could plan a trip with some degree of certainty! Maybe next year.

[@explorventurer]

Koyasan is definitely not the start of the 88 pilgrimage, as it’s not in Shikoku. Otherwise I’ll be checking out some of these sites, thanks

[@cakeswithfaces]

Absolutely, I must have been looking at an alternate version of the pilgrimage route with additional sections added on.

[@alvinwhitehead1069]

Won’t have the money and time plus I really want to go but money, time and dealing with work won’t allow that to happen!

[@cakeswithfaces]

Ah noo - you never know what will happen in the future though! Hope you can make it there one day!

[@alvinwhitehead1069]

@@cakeswithfaces like I keep telling people money, time and I have to deal with work

[@sujoynandi1]

hey i would like to own the book but dont u have a kindle edition ?

[@cakeswithfaces]

I thought about making an e-book version when I was writing it, but as there are sections to fill in, for planning and to record your memories, etc, it works best as a printed book so you can write in it. :-) www.cakeswithfaces.co.uk/product/japan-travel-guide-book/