Backpack trails in Japan - Kansai 關西篇
Chapter A - Osaka 大阪
[Osaka Memory-A] Shinsaibashi 心齋橋 (Tenjin Matsuri 天神祭), Tenjinbashi-suji 天神橋筋
It was already 12:30 am in Osaka when I arrived at Greenwood Hostel, which is located near the airport. (Ps. I took the flight from Fukuoka in Kyushu to here, you can see more about my Kyushu trip in my last blog). There are only a few hostels in Kansai that allow the late check-in, and Greenwood Hostel is one of them. Thankfully, the hostel is very clean and fully self-service.
After all of my things were ready in the morning, I met a Japanese uncle visiting Osaka. His nickname is 24-7, Nishina. He came to Osaka to relax and drink. While chatting with him, I found out that he has traveled to many countries. I also met a chef from the Netherlands, and we both had the same backpack, except mine had a slightly worn logo:( But mine is a newer version! After searching, I found that Ospery (my backpack brand) started to produce the backpack with eco-friendly materials, so worse quality than the previous version:(
In the afternoon, I headed to the city center. However, something came up; I had to be busy with my university stuff at the hostel for a few hours. Later, I went for a stroll around Shinsaibashi. I notice the obvious difference between Kyushu and Osaka. That is, Kyushu is all about nature (mountains, rivers, and hot springs), while Osaka is all about shopping districts, commercial streets, and nightlife. The Shinsaibashi area is very lively, with a lot of shops, restaurants, and bars. It's a very busy area, packed with people:)
Thankfully, the weather was great, and I was lucky! I happened to catch the Tenjin Matsuri (天神祭), the annual festival of Shinsaibashi. There were boats cruising on the river, and they were also singing. The festival atmosphere was definitely in the air. For dinner, I had Okonomiyaki, which is essentially the same as the style from Hong Kong. Not really recommended:) The area around Shinsaibashi is all commercial, and I visited Parco for some shopping. It felt quite similar to the area around Shibuya in Tokyo. So I didn’t spend much time here.
[Osaka Memory-B] Namba Park, Yasaka Shrine, Tsutenkaku, Tennoji Park, Izakaya Karaoke
In the hostel around Namba, I met Yupeng, a chinese university student traveling here from Heilongjiang, who had just finished his first year of college. I introduced him to some of Osaka’s local shops and more affordable restaurants. We had lunch together, enjoying some bento, and then started heading out to explore the nearby shopping streets. We checked off various tourist spots in Osaka, and I had to say again that the differences with Tokyo were tiny. Both cities have commercial districts, and the shrines are quite small as well.
In the evening, we visited the Tsutenkaku (通天閣) shopping district. Then we went to an izakaya 居酒屋 where we had grilled chicken and sang karaoke. We met a friendly Japanese uncle here, who was good at singing! Each time I sang a Chinese song, he would give me a thumbs up and find a Japanese song to follow up. He told me that many Japanese songs and Chinese songs are similar in style, and many of them are just different versions, such as the songs “千千闕歌” (corresponds to 夕焼けの歌) and “Monica” (モニカ). So each of us took turns singing one. It was a lot of fun!
[Osaka Memory-C (Revisit Osaka)] Memorable encounter with a group of chinese students
Apart from this backpacking trip, I also want to reflect on an unexpected yet memorable encounter with a group of Chinese students in Osaka when my journey was nearing its end. Honestly, transitioning from Kyushu to Kansai made me feel a bit out of place due to the sudden shift in travel style. Osaka was teeming with tourists, and I also found myself meeting more young students along the way. Unfortunately, most of our interactions revolved around topics like schools, majors, careers, or opinions on national policies—conversations I found a bit dull:(
This time, however, I encountered a refreshing burst of youthful energy. They were polite yet full of daring dreams and youthful vitality. I happened to meet them at a guesthouse, and coincidentally, we were all leaving Osaka that day. While they were bound for Tokyo, I was heading in the opposite direction (to the Kansai International airport). After checking out, we struck up a conversation and ended up playing board games together. It was such a genuinely enjoyable and unforgettable moment that none of us wanted it to end.
Later in the afternoon, I walked with them to the subway station. Their original plan was to catch the Shinkansen to Tokyo at 2 PM. But we were enjoying ourselves so much that they didn’t leave until after dinner, nearly 6 PM :) We ended up standing and chatting in front of the subway station the whole time, yet none of us felt tired. All we could do was lament how short the time was. This experience also made me reflect my own stereotypes about Chinese students. I realized how unfair some of my assumptions had been and felt genuinely apologetic. Below is a photo we took together—hopefully, we’ll meet again someday!
Chapter B - Nara 奈良
[Nara Memory-A] Wakakusa Hill 若草山, Walking with Deer
On the second day, I left Osaka and started heading to Nara. After dropping off my luggage at the guesthouse, I headed to Nara Park. To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations at first, but my mood lifted when I saw the park filled with little deer.
I discovered that you can feed the deer by picking leaves from the trees, so there’s no need to buy deer crackers. I took some photos and videos with the deer and wandered around the park. Eventually, I made my way to Wakakusa Hill (若草山), which is like a small hillside, though there were quite a few tourists taking photos there. I climbed to the top of the hill and took some photos of the view. It was a bit tiring, but the view was worth it. I could see the whole of Nara city from the top of the hill.
Different from most tourists, I didn’t leave after taking photos as I would stay here overnight. I found a quiet spot on the hill and sat down to enjoy the view. I stayed there until evening. On the almost empty hill, I lay back and watched the night sky—it was really peaceful and relaxing. I just sat there, enjoying the moment, and felt like I was in a different world. It was a very special experience for me.
[Nara Memory-B] Kasuga Taisha 春日大社 - Todai-ji 東大寺
I originally planned to go to Uji after the first day in Nara. But in the morning, there are suddenly many things to do with my university stuff. Besides, I met Zhihao here, a high school graduate traveling after finishing school, who is majoring in broadcasting at Sichuan. He has travelled to many places abroad after the college entrance examination. As we were from the same hometown and got along well, I changed my plan and decided to explore Nara together. The only problem with this day is the temperature, which was really hot. That’s the reason why I’d like to wear a hat in the photo:) The left photo is an exception because the scene was so beautiful with the sunlights.
For lunch, we found a nice ramen restaurant, and the ramen here tastes similar to the AbraSoba (which I tried in Kyushu and it’s been my favorite ramen since then). In the afternoon, we explored the other side of Nara Park. We then checked out Todai-ji 東大寺 and Kasuga Taisha 春日大社. In the evening, I enjoyed the view from Wakakusa Hill again. I have to say I would never be tired of this beautiful view at Wakakusa Hill.
Chapter C - Kyoto 京都 (森之京都)
[Kyoto Memory-A] Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺, Yasaka Shrine 八坂神社 - Gion Matsuri 祇园祭, Sannen-zaka & Ninen-zaka 三年坂二年坂, Kamo River 鴨川, Hanami-koji 花見小路
Today, I have to leave Nara and head to Kyoto. During the subway ride, I continued to work on my research:) I had Chinese cuisine for lunch, then visited some nearby attractions. I have to say that Kyoto has too many tourist attractions, but the good thing is that many of them are quite close to each other. So it saved me a lot of time for the transportation.
Kyoto has so many temples, and the sights are packed closely. In the afternoon, I walked from Fushimi Inari Shrine 伏见稻荷神社 all the way to Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺, then stopped by Yasaka Shrine 八坂神社. Along the way, I passed by many other temples, almost all of which required an entrance fee. As I have seen a lot of temples in China, I do not want to pay for this kind of sight:) But you should know that there are still many must-visit temples in Kyoto, such as Kinkaku-ji 金阁寺, and Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺:)
In the evening, I coincidentally arrived during the Gion Matsuri 祇园祭, a large festival in Kyoto (I am lucky!). The streets were even patrolled by police to maintain order. It was my first time seeing such a grand event at a tourist site (much larger than the event in Osaka), but there were so many people that I couldn’t capture all the details. I also saw journalists taking photos and interviewing people; the crowd seemed to be in the hundreds. The streets were lined with lanterns and painted with various mythical creatures.
After a short rest at Kamo River 鴨川, I headed to Hanami-koji 花見小路, a famous street in Gion. However, it’s too late, and most of the shops were closed. I have to walk a long way back to the hostel. This let me feel pretty exhausted, especially since I was carrying a lot of things and such a busy day. But I still enjoyed it, as Kyoto is so different from other cities in Japan. It has a unique atmosphere and is full of history and culture.
[Upper Right] Gion Matsuri 祇园祭 with lined lanterns and painted mythical creatures. [Lower Right] Chion-in 知恩院.
[Kyoto Memory-B] Arashiyama 嵐山-竹林之道, A Temple-Hopping Tour 寺廟之旅, and Late-Night Conversations with Kim, a Former Korean Special Forces Soldier
I had to work again this morning, but fortunately, I had prepared many things in advance. I found a guide on 小紅書, which provides a clear route for Arashiyama 嵐山. Along the way to Arashiyama, there were so many temples and sights. Unexpectedly, so many tourists were here too, making Kyoto feel less unique. Besides, tourist attractions like various temples let me feel a bit tired to visit, lowered the sense of novelty for me. Most of the temples require an entrance fee, so I skipped them.
I found that the view at the bamboo forest was quite beautiful, and this could be my favorite place in Arashiyama. I also visited the famous Togetsukyo Bridge 渡月橋, but the sun was too strong. After Arashiyama, I originally planned to go to Uji, but I found that many shops had closed. I had to change the plan: just sat by the Kamo River to relax for a while before heading back:) It is good to travel alone sometimes, as you can change your plan as you like and nobody will be affected:)
In the evening, I met Kim in the hostel, a South Korean tourist. He used to be in the military for 7 years, possibly in a special forces unit. He told me he had even carried out assassinations during his service:| While protecting United Nations (UN) personnel in the Middle East, he encountered terrorists and got injured in his leg, which led to his retirement. Now, he works for an automotive company. What surprised me is he said that he has been in relationships with nine girlfriends before:! He even showed me his Rolex, a gift from his Hong Kong girlfriend. We drank beer together and chatted late into the night. We joked about how it would be great if we didn’t need a visa to travel freely between Korea and China, but unfortunately, that’s not possible.
Kim mentioned that the Chinese people he met were very friendly, but he’d seen a lot of negative information about Chinese on YouTube. He reflected on how vast the differences in perception can be. Indeed, from my perspective, mainland China can’t access international information online (due to the firewall), so most of us unaware of many things, including negative information. The impact of this information in this regard is minimal, thus making it difficult to correct these misconceptions. There’s not much we can do about it.
He also showed me videos and photos from his military service, and it was clear that he really looked the part of a special forces soldier back then. He even participated in some army demonstration videos on YouTube. One funny thing is that even if we go out for just 5 minutes, he insists on moisturizing his face before leaving. It’s amusing:) He’s a really straightforward guy, and we had a great time chatting. We also followed each other on Instagram.
Chapter D - Maizuru 舞鶴 (海之京都)
[Maizuru Memory-A] Century-old hot spring - 若の汤, and enjoying a seafood rice bowl 海鲜丼饭.
Today, I left Kyoto and headed to Maizuru 舞鶴. For lunch, I stopped by a nearby restaurant, Kamo River Noodles 鴨川制面所. The food was quite good, with a tempura and cold noodle set. In the afternoon, I started my journey to Maizuru, and after two and a half hours of traveling, I finally arrived:)
I stayed at Guesthouse Saikaan, which was really nice! The common room was spacious and included a traditional Japanese room and a garden! It was so good to stay in this kind of place after a long day of travel. Also, I have to say that the guesthouse in the countryside is usually much better than the one in the city. I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Maizuru.
In the evening, I went to a local onsen, 若の汤, which I read in the newspaper and has been around for over 100 years. Actually, It had been a long time since I last tried an onsen in Kyushu, so I relaxed my muscles a bit. The interesting thing is that during this onsen time, a heavily tattooed man suddenly came in, which is quite scary. So I quickly retreated to a more private area. Now I understand why many Japanese onsen ban people with tattoos from entering:)
After the onsen, I went to a recommended restaurant nearby, where the head chef was a kind woman in her sixties. Although I don’t speak Japanese, I communicated with the staff, and one of the young women helped translate for me. She was surprised to hear that I was a student at the University of Tokyo and that I was traveling around Japan. I ordered a seafood donburi, which was delicious! They cheered me up and also gave me some freshly fried kara-age (Japanese fried chicken) as a gift. I also met bouenkyou-san here, who just finished his long trip and was going back his home tomorrow. However, since it’s so late, we didn’t have much time to chat.
[Maizuru Memory-B] Amanohashidate 天橋立 (Japan’s Three Scenic Views), Matsuyama Park 松山公園
In the morning, I met a Taiwanese traveler who was staying in Maizuru and helped her check in with her luggage for a bit. She told me that there are so many things to see in Maizuru. However, I already planned to leave this day, so I couldn’t stay longer. After that, I set off to visit Amanohashidate 天橋立, one of Japan’s Three Scenic Views. Actually, the first time I heard about this place was from the grandmother I met in the restaurant yesterday. She told me that it was a must-visit place in Kyoto and gave me a poster of Amanohashidate.
Since I was expecting a meeting in the afternoon, I brought my laptop along for the journey. I took the Umi no Kyoto (海の京都) train, passing over a large sea bridge. It was only then that I realized the moment I crossed the bridge was exactly what many photographers were trying to capture:) Such a wonderful experience.
Upon arriving at Amanohashidate, I rented a bike and started riding across the sea. The sea here had a similar feel to Okinawa—extremely beautiful and clear. I sat by the shore and ate a sandwich, played with the water, then continued biking to the other side, where Matsuyama Park is located. Due to time constraints, I took the cable car up and down the mountain to catch a full view of Amanohashidate’s stunning landscape. Although there’s some controversy, it was still incredibly beautiful. Not everywhere do you see a large landmass stretching across the sea — so quiet and harmonious. I heard that if you look at Amanohashidate upside down from the mountain, you’ll see a different kind of view. I tried it out — didn’t quite work :) but I still took some photos. Since I had a meeting in the evening, I had to head to McDonald’s for WIFI.
[Maizuru Memory-C] Ferry to Hokkaido 北海道: Kyoto Maizuru 舞鶴 -> Hokkaido Otaru 小樽
Afterward, I took the train to Higashi Maizuru 東舞鶴 and boarded a ferry to Hokkaido 北海道! The left photo was captured when I was heading to the ferry. I just bought a bag of food and drinks for the one-day ferry trip, which is quite heavy. Finally, it’s time to say goodbye to Kansei. It gave me a different experience of Japan, and I met so many interesting people. I hope I can come back to Kansai again in the future.
I spent the whole day on the ferry, and the signal was pretty bad. But the good thing is that I can rest for a whole day and enjoy a good night’s sleep. I also managed to organize some photos on my phone since I was running out of storage:) In the evening, I arrived in Otaru, booked my next guesthouse, and began to rest. I was so excited to explore Hokkaido.
[Upper Right] The ferry ticket; [Lower Right] My bed on the ferry.