I was able to take a break and visit Osaka and Kyoto with some fun friends for a long weekend. Day 0.5: Starting at the Hilo Airport, we had some laughs as we found that some of our traveling partners got confused with all the zeroes on the Japanese money and thought they had more money than they actually did! 😂 Other than that, traveling to Japan was smooth and easy with this easygoing group of friends. We flew on Hawaiian Airlines to Kansai Airport and got through immigration and customs pretty quickly. We hired a driver to take our group of 7 from the airport to the St. Regis Hotel Osaka where we arrived a little after 8 pm. Door-to-door service is so convenient. The hotel with its large room was lovely and we even had a butler who brought some green tea welcome drinks to our room. After a quick drop off of our luggage, we headed to Rakuzo, an izakaya right across the street for dinner and drinks. After closing down the restaurant, we hoped to get seats in the beautiful lobby bar for a nightcap (or more) but our group was too large to be accommodated so we ended up enjoying wine and champagne in a beautiful suite that one person reserved for us with the idea that we would be spending time together.

Day 1: As expected, I was up at 3:30 a.m.! I took advantage of the quiet time and did some work while waiting for the sun to come up. When the day started, the other early risers and I went walking in the neighborhood before having breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, we walked to Dotonbori and Doguyasuji before things got too crowded. After being on our feet for hours, we headed to the basement of Daimaru Department Store where we found seats at the World Liquor Bar that Craig had visited before. The owner remembered him and we had a great time chatting while enjoying a variety of food from the vendors on that floor with the drinks we ordered from the bar. After that refreshment break, we made a stop at Daiso before freshening up for an amazing private teppanyaki dinner at Wajo at the St. Regis Osaka. Every course and its paired drink was amazing.

Day 2: Woke up at 3 a.m. and waited until around 6:30 before getting a morning walk and visiting several combini to find some fun morning bites to eat for me and Aaron. After checking out of our hotel, we headed straight to Kyoto. Our first stop was at Fushimi Inari where we got our steps in as we did a short hike to see the famous torii. We picked up omamori because one can never have enough protection for good health and good luck. The next stop was Nishiki Market where I picked up some pantry staples like my favorite goma and furikake. It was so crowded at the market! We headed to Nazuna Tsubaki-Dori Ryokan where we checked in and relaxed and decompressed as we each soaked in our private outdoor furo before dinner. We were again blessed with a private room for dinner during which many of the ingredients featured were from Kyushu.

Day 3: On our final day in Japan, I soaked in our private ofuro and when the sun came up, my husband and I went walking in the neighborhood. Today was the chilliest day of the trip and Aaron realized that he would finally have to wear long pants and shoes on this 45-degree day. I was happy to come across a neighborhood supermarket where I bought some more pantry staples and snacks to bring home. We got back to the ryokan, packed in preparation to check out before heading to our ryokan breakfast. The Japanese breakfast turned out to be a gourmet ochazuke spread that included everything from salmon, saba, grilled shrimp, pickled veggies, and miso soup. I’ve never had ochazuke as gourmet as this. We checked out of the ryokan and headed to rainy Kiyomizudera where the umbrellas made things seem more crowded. Despite the cold, rain, and crowds, it was beautiful and we bought some tsukemono and ume to bring home. After a teishoku lunch, we headed to Kinkakuji for some afternoon photos and more snacks to buy. Final stop, a 30-minute shopping spree at Donki, and then a 1.5-hour drive to Kansai airport. After repacking, checking in, and breezing through the security checkpoints, we were able to access the JAL Sakura Lounge due to our Platinum status on Hawaiian Airlines to enjoy curry and charge our phones before our flight. Living Hilo Style for three days in Osaka and Kyoto.