Day 11 – Kinosaki Onsen, just too kute

Time to leave Kyoto for somewhere a little less crazy. Time to take a breath. Time to get cleaned up. Time for Kinosaki Onsen.

But not right away obviously. First there was a half hearted morning run up to the Imperial Palace, final coffees from Weekender Coffee and lunch at Isetan department store (a delicious Omurice omelette dish with curry sauce and tempura – squeeee!). Finally into a regional train bound for Kinosaki Onsen. A cute little onsen (natural hot spring bath) town a couple of hours north west of Kyoto.

Everything went smoothly and was perfectly on time – I love the Japanese rail system – and we arrived at Kinosaki around 4 pm for the short walk to our lovely ryokan accommodation – the Mikuniya. Honestly the staff were so helpful and polite – I instantly felt guilty, but I guess that’s my cross to bear. Our room was small but cool – tatami mats, futons, sitting on the floor etc etc. They also supply you with Yukata (a kind of informal kimono) that we were obliged to wear when using the private onsen or moving around the ryokan. It felt weird – but when in Rome…..

We tested out one of the private onsen before walking to a neighbourhood izakaya called Fukutomi. We were the only gaijin there, and the food was soo good we forgave the idiot smoking near us (it’s still a thing in some Japanese public spaces). A post dinner stroll showed us just how lovely this town is – canals and streams and fairy lights and of course the 6 public onsen. This is the off season for onsen so it’s all relatively calm and relaxed. Perfect.