A must-see for fans! [Detective Conan: The Scarlet School Trip Arc] Kyoto Holy Land Pilgrimage Guide!

One of the longest-running anime productions in Japan is “Detective Conan”. Detective Conan’s stories take place in various tourist destinations in Japan. Not a few of them are set in Kyoto, and all are masterpieces. Here are some of the places of interest that appear in the ” The Scarlet School Trip Arc”. Would you like to actually feel the world in the anime? Yasaka Shrine is the first Kyoto spot to appear in the Detective Conan anime. The famous “Bigozensha” is located within the grounds of Yasaka Shrine, where many geisha come to pray for good looks. The spring water, called “beauty water,” is the focus of attention. It is said that if you take a few drops of this beauty water and apply it to your skin, it will not only make your skin beautiful but also your mind beautiful and polished. Maiko (apprentice geisha) and geisha from the Gion area have been using this beauty water for a long time. It is a “power spot of beauty” where you can become a Kyoto beauty! Kiyomizu-dera Temple, built in 780, was named after the “pure water” of Otowa Falls. Kiyomizu-dera Temple, one of Kyoto’s most popular tourist attractions, is a spot that has appeared in numerous anime. Even in ” The Scarlet School Trip Arc” there is a famous scene on the Kiyomizu stage. Kiyomizu-dera Temple overlooks Kyoto, and the scenery is exceptional and elegant in every season. In the ” The Scarlet School Trip Arc” the setting was during the autumn foliage season. Yasaka Koshindo Temple is a popular temple among women and is one of the spots Shinichi and Ran and their friends visit on their school trip in ” The Scarlet School Trip Arc”. The precincts of the shrine are decorated with colorful “kukuri monkeys” praying for peace, misfortune, family happiness, and marriage. In the cartoon, they’re taking a picture with the brightly colored kukuri monkeys in the background! A scene looking at the Yasaka Pagoda from the street in front of Yasaka Koshindo is also depicted in the anime. The streets of old Kyoto are full of atmosphere. One of the spots that cannot be missed on a school excursion is Sanjusangen-do. Officially named Rengeoin, the temple is called Sanjusangen-do because the 125-meter long main hall has 33 spaces between the pillars. A total of 1,000 standing statues of the thousand-armed Kannon stand side by side in the main hall. It is said that each statue of Kannon has a unique face, and that there is always a statue that resembles the person you wish to meet. Pontocho in Kyoto is a small street running north-south along the Kamo River for about 500 meters. Pontocho appears several times in “Detective Conan”. It is an elegant area with a high concentration of old-fashioned stores, including maiko training halls, teahouses, and restaurants. The restaurant where Ran, Sonoko, and Sera tasted fruit sandwiches is YAOISO, a long-established fruit store in Kyoto established in 1869. Fruit sandwiches are a specialty of YAOISO. Each fruit is characterized by its large size. When you come to Kyoto, why don’t you visit sightseeing spots while thinking of a scene from an anime? There are a variety of places to visit, from famous tourist spots to sacred places that look great on SNS, so this is a great way to travel around Kyoto!

8 Best Places to see Hydrangea in Kansai

Hydrangea is a seasonal flower which is native to Japan and there are more than 50 diverse varieties of this flower. In Japan, a rainy season called Tsuyu starts around mid-June, and actually many people hate this season because of this gloomy weather. However, at the same time, you can feel many Japanese attractions which can’t be found in any other season, and Hydrangea is one of them.   Hydrangea flowers change color depending on the acidity of the soil. We will introduce spots in Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo where various kinds of hydrangeas such as blue, purple and pink bloom. <Table of Contents> 【Osaka, Suita】Expo ’70 Commemorative Park 【Osaka, Ikeda】Kyuan-ji Temple 【Kyoto, Ukyo-ku】Umenomiya-taisha Shrine 【Kyoto, Nishikyo-ku】Yoshimine Temple 【Kyoto, Nagaokakyo】Yanagitani-Kannon 【Hyogo, Kawanishi】Shounsan Raikouji Temple 【Hyogo, Kobe】Kobe Municipal Arboretum 【Hyogo, Rokko】Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden About 4,000 hydrangeas of about 30 varieties, including Western hydrangeas and Yaenoamacha, will be in full bloom at the Hydrangea Forest in the Nature Park of Expo ’70 Commemorative Park. Enjoy the fantastic space surrounded by diverse hydrangeas in red, blue, pink, etc. Kyuan-ji Temple has a path of hydrangeas so overgrown that they hide people. The gradation of hydrangeas on both sides of the path is a feast for the eyes. Floating hydrangeas on the pond are also popular as they look great on Instagram. The “Ajisai-Ukabe” usually held from mid to late June is even more impressive than the “Hana-Chozu”(flower water with handkerchiefs)! At Umenomiya Taisha Shrine, visitors can enjoy approximately 140 varieties of unique hydrangeas from the East Shrine Garden to the North Shrine Garden. You can also appreciate Hanashoubu, which blooms at the same time of the year. Located in the precincts of Yoshimine Temple halfway up the mountain is the Hakusan Hydrangea Garden, which boasts an area of 3,000 tsubo (about 1,000 square meters). About 8,000 hydrangea plants, including gaku hydrangea, color the entire slope of the garden. Visitors to Yanagitani Kannon can enjoy a cluster of about 5,000 hydrangea plants, including Japanese and Western hydrangeas. The hydrangea corridor in the precincts of the temple allows visitors to view the hydrangeas at their leisure without getting wet, even if it is raining. Yanagitani Kannon is famous for its “Hana-Chozu” (flower water with handkerchiefs). Many visitors come to the temple for Hana-Chozu, which is decorated with colorful seasonal flowers. Shounzan Raikoji Temple is commonly called “Hydrangea Temple. About 500 plants, including Western hydrangeas lovingly nurtured by the temple’s priests, bloom in large profusion. Take a stroll through the temple grounds and enjoy the different colors of the flowers. The Kobe City Forest Botanical Garden is home to many rare hydrangeas, such as the fantastic Citidanka flower and the clustered white Annabelle. The forest of approximately 50,000 hydrangeas of about 350 varieties is a sight to behold. At the Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden, located near the top of Mt. Rokko, 865 m above sea level, the “Shichidanka” hydrangea, said to be a phantom hydrangea, blooms. Characterized by its double-petaled flowers with overlapping petals, visitors can enjoy its pretty purple appearance. Also recommended is the “Hydrangea Garden,” where a wide variety of hydrangeas bloom, including the “Himehydrangea,” the city flower of Kobe City. Hydrangeas shine in the rain. Feel the change of the season by looking at the pretty blue, purple, and pink flowers.

12 excellent sweets recommended by Kyoto people

There are many delicious sweets in Kyoto, but many people are interested in what people living in Kyoto eat. Simple but lovable confections that Kyoto people eat in their daily lives. We will introduce 12 selected stores along with nearby sightseeing spots. Demachi Futaba is a popular store where there is always a long line. The “Mame-mochi” here is a sweet and salty Daifuku that even the locals want to eat regularly. The combination of salty beans and red bean paste is addictive. There are many other products in the show window. In addition to mame-mochi, we also recommend sakura-mochi, whose leaves are soft and can be eaten as they are. Kamehiromune is a small Japanese confectionery established in 1953. The specialty here is Ubadama. It is a bite-sized round of koshian (sweet bean paste), and the taste of red bean paste and brown sugar mixed together is very addictive. The glossy appearance is like a chocolate candy. It goes great with green tea or coffee. Murakami Kaishindo is famous for its traditional baked sweets. They are so popular that there is a waiting list for reservations if you want to buy them in a boxed set. Kyotoites buy their favorite ones in small pieces and enjoy them as a snack at home. The buttery taste that spreads gradually and the crispy dough are the best. Toraya is a long-established yokan shop. The Ichijo main store offers Kyoto-like flavors such as green tea and white miso (soybean paste), but we recommend the classic Ogura Yokan, Yoru no ume. The bite-size pieces are easy to eat and really useful. Also, the package that changes with each Chinese zodiac sign is often used for New Year’s treats. Kofukuya’s sweets are just beautiful to look at. They are filled with a sense of the season, and are enjoyable to eat with a good cup of tea. Summer sweets and goldfish bowls have a firm sweetness, but the design is cute, as if it were a scene taken directly from the scene when the goldfish bowl is removed. This is “sudare” which comes out in early summer, a little before the goldfish bowl. It is a windy confectionary with red bean paste and green maple leaves in a transparent sudare. The sweetness is moderate, and you can enjoy the moist strained bean paste. Warabimochi are also popular and always available. As the name of the store suggests, the specialty is Uiro. It is characterized by its simple but good handmade taste. The Kyoto people recommend the sekihan manju (red rice bun). The slightly sweet dough is filled with chewy sekihan (red rice). If you eat one or two of these when you are hungry, you will not be hungry at all until dinner. Gion Chigo Mochi is Sanjo Wakasaya’s signature confectionery and is served during the Gion Festival. The whip-cracking white rice cake has a simple flavor that has been loved for centuries. This is a rare confectionary made of amber sugar with tree buds. Amber is one of the dried confections, but it is beautifully transparent like a jewel, and tree buds are placed on top of it. Sold only from February to around May, it has become an annual confectionary with a crisp texture and the unforgettable freshness of tree buds. Although Patisserie Karan is located a little far from the tourist area, this cheesecake is something that every Kyotoite has heard of or received at least once. The cheesecake, which can be eaten in two bites instead of one, is a fluffy soufflé, yet rich in flavor. Mugite mochi is said to have been eaten in between farm work. The thick rice cake is filled with sweet bean paste, making it a very satisfying dish. The photo shows a large-sized one, but smaller-sized ones are also available. Shoraku is also famous for its famous sweets “Okusaga” with mugwort and “Taisha Sake Manju”, the founder of sake, as well as for its ohagi (rice cakes). The store is also notable for its seasonal sweets. Seasonal, but a must-try is the “Strawberry Sakura Mochi” sold in spring. It is a highly satisfying dish of sakura mochi filled with sweet and sour strawberries. One of Kyoto’s most famous souvenirs is the yatsuhashi, and we recommend the Shogoin Hatsuhashi, which has a slightly richer series of yatsuhashi. One of the particular series such as strawberry, sansho (Japanese pepper), and black sesame is chocolat. It is a surprisingly light and light product despite its chocolate filling. How was it? Kyoto people go to popular stores with lines out the door, as well as to small, lesser-known Japanese confectionery shops. Spring sweets, summer sweets, occasional sweets, Kyoto people eat sweets all year round. We hope you too will enjoy the flavors of Kyoto when you come to Kyoto.

Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe Spring Flower Spots

Spring is the season when all the plants and flowers that have been sleeping begin to move at once. Why don’t you go out to see colorful plants and flowers that give you a warm spring feeling? Here are some spots where you can enjoy flowers and plants in Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. Poppy is a member of the poppy family that has long been cultivated for ornamental and medicinal purposes. The seeds are also used in cooking. The Expo ’70 Park’s Shizen Bunka-en (Nature Park) and Hana-no-oka (Flower Hill) are decorated with approximately 380,000 poppies. The contrast of colors between the yellow and orange poppies and the fresh blue nemophila can also be enjoyed.   Best time to visit: early April to early May The Japanese Fuji is a species endemic to Japan and is mentioned in the Manyoshu (Anthology of Myriad Leaves). The long, hairpin-like flowers hang down in a drooping manner. Purple flowers are common, but white and pink flowers also exist. At Nakayama-dera Temple’s Star Plaza, there is a magnificent wisteria trellis that stretches about 80 meters. The rows of white wisteria flowers look like “clouds floating in a blue sky. The sweet fragrance of the flowers can also be enjoyed.   Best time to visit: Mid-April to late April Yamabuki is a deciduous shrub in the rose family with beautiful, almost orange-yellow flowers. The flower has been familiar to the Japanese people since ancient times. Matsuo-taisha Shrine, known as a place of famous water, has about 3,000 yamabuki trees, which turn the shrine grounds yellow. The Yamabuki Festival is held every year when the flowers are at their best.   Best time to visit: mid-April to early May It is very familiar in Japan and is often planted as a roadside tree or garden tree. It is loved by many people for its very vivid flowers. Vivid Kirishima azaleas are in full bloom at Hachijogaike Pond at Nagaoka Tenmangu Shrine. The crimson-tinged path surrounded by azalea plantings more than 2 meters high is magnificent.   Best time to visit: Late April – early May The peony is a plant that symbolizes beauty and has long been used as a design for crafts and paintings. It produces beautiful and large flowers like roses. There are 2,000 peony plants of about 30 varieties at Otokunidera Temple. Protected by white Japanese umbrellas for sun protection, the bright pink and red buttons bloom in large profusion.   Best time to visit: mid-April to early May Aomomiji refers to the leaves of maple trees that turn from young leaves in spring to increasingly darker green. You can enjoy the fresh and crisp leaves of ao-momiji until they turn red in the fall. Minoh Park is famous for its autumn leaves, but it is also very beautiful in the fresh green season. Enjoy forest bathing surrounded by the sparkling green maples in the sunlight while listening to the murmuring of a mountain stream and the chirping of wild birds.   Best time to visit: Late April to late May Roses have long been cultivated for perfumery and medicinal purposes.” It is said to be “the flower that symbolizes love,” and is often used in arrangements and bouquets because of its gorgeous appearance and wide variety of types and colors. At Aramaki Rose Park in Itami, approximately 10,000 roses bloom in a stylish southern European-style garden. The view of the park, with its sloping terrain and colorful colors, is a must-see. Best time to visit: Mid-May to mid-June Japanese Primrose is the largest member of the primrose family, with flower stalks that can reach 80 cm in length. It grows in clusters in wetlands at the foot of mountains. At the Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden, numerous alpine plants bloom from May to June. The 5,000 or so Japanese Primrose that fill the wetlands are especially breathtaking. Best time to visit: Mid-May to late May Water lilies are striking aquatic plants with flowers that seem to float above the water. It is widely distributed in ponds and swamps. Kyoyoike Pond at Ryoanji Temple, a World Heritage site, is famous for its water lilies. Not only white but also red and pink flowers cover most of the pond. The flowers often open in the morning and close at noon, so the best time to see them is in the morning.   Best time to visit: Mid-May to late August The colorful flowers that bloom in spring are a source of comfort and relaxation for those who see them. Why don’t you take advantage of the warm, sunny weather and visit some of the best places and spots for flowers in Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe?

Kyoto Cherry Blossoms – Famous Spots and Holey Spots

Kyoto is home to many elegant cherry blossom viewing spots. If you go to the trouble of viewing cherry blossoms, you may want to visit multiple locations to enjoy the once-a-year spring scenery. You can never miss the famous spots! I want to go to a hole in the ground with as few people as possible! Here are some cherry blossom spots in Kyoto that can satisfy both of your needs. 【Arashiyama】 Arashiyama is rich in seasonal changes. The clear Oigawa River and the graceful appearance of the Togetsu Bridge over it attract people’s hearts no matter what time of year they visit. In spring, the view of cherry blossoms, mountains, river, and bridge together is magnificent. Wataritsukibashi Bridge over the overflowing cherry blossoms and the view of Arashiyama beyond are as beautiful as a picture scroll. A tunnel of cherry blossoms appears between Narutaki and Utano Stations on the Randen Kitano Line. Someiyoshino cherry trees line both sides of the line for about 200 meters. The retro trains that run through the cherry blossoms are also attractive. Tenryuji Temple was built by Ashikaga Takauji. It is a beautiful spot with cherry blossoms in the distance, such as weeping cherry trees blooming against the backdrop of Dahouden Hall and Mochikyo-no-oka overlooking Arashiyama in spring. Cherry trees are planted around Osawa Pond, the oldest man-made garden pond in Japan, and visitors can enjoy a 1-kilometer walk around the pond. The cherry blossoms reflected in the water mirror are also beautiful. 【Higashiyama】 Higashiyama is home to a concentration of Kyoto’s most famous sights. The area, which is easily accessible from downtown Kawaramachi, Kyoto, is dotted with cherry blossom viewing spots. Please enjoy the town of Higashiyama dyed in pink. Wherever you go along the Philosopher’s Walk, there are cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms! The side trips to shrines and temples scattered along the way are also enjoyable and make you lose track of time. Most of the cherry trees that adorn Heian Shrine are red weeping cherry trees. As the name suggests, these cherry trees are bright red in color. The contrast with the vermilion shrine pavilions is magnificent. A total of 582 meters of inclined railroad near Nanzenji Temple, and now visitors can freely walk on the rails. In spring, you can enjoy the romantic scenery amidst the rows of cherry trees that fill the area. This Zen temple was built by Nene to mourn the loss of Hideyoshi. In spring, weeping cherry trees in the Hojo Garden bloom beautifully, their bright pink color shining on the white sand of the garden. 【Mukou City】 There’s even a spot away from the city center of Kyoto where you can enjoy the cherry blossoms! Enjoy the cherry blossoms in a relaxing atmosphere at this ancient shrine nestled in the nature of Nishiyama. The “Garden of Birds and Animals,” lined with stones that resemble animals and birds, is a beautiful spot where weeping cherry trees stand dignifiedly. The most notable cherry blossom on the grounds of Oharano Shrine is the “Sengan-zakura” (cherry blossom with a thousand eyes). It is said to be a phantom cherry blossom that blooms for only two or three days, and if you are lucky enough to see it, your wish will come true. At Shoujiji Temple, commonly known as “Flower Temple,” about 100 cherry trees spread their branches spontaneously. The temple is famous for the “Saigyo Cherry Blossoms,” which are said to have been planted and loved by the monk Saigyo. Various varieties of cherry trees, including higanzakura (higan cherry), shidarezakura (weeping cherry), yamazakura (mountain cherry), and botanzakura (botan cherry), color the spring scenery in the precincts. The temple is also famous for its dynamic view. You can enjoy a panoramic view of the city of Kyoto. Kyoto has many cherry blossom viewing spots. By narrowing down the area, you can efficiently visit several spots with different scenery. Try touring both the famous and the obscure!

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