This trip was done in the autumn of 2020 (November 2020). I had long planned to visit the Kansai region, especially Kyoto and Nara prefectures (due to the temples, deers, etc.) via plane. Furthermore, it was the time period when autumn leaves 🍁 were visible almost everywhere, especially in Kyoto. Without further thinking, I booked a plane ticket from Peach Airlines and flied from Tokyo (Narita) to Osaka.
This was a weekend trip, so the itinerary list was short but jam-packed, especially when I had only 2 days to explore these places.
Day 0 (Friday) – From Tokyo to Osaka
This day, I worked at home, so there was little rush in heading to the airport. As soon as I submitted my daily work report, I grabbed my backpack, left home, and hopped onto the limited express train bound for Narita International Airport.
I chose to fly with Peach Airlines, a first for me. I was surprised to know later that you cannot do online check-in, and you can only perform check-in at its kiosk or counter. I learned later that an online check-in service was not available because they did not have one in the first place! It may be due to cost cutting (why bother spending money on unnecessary stuff, right?) (source, Japanese only).
I arrived at Osaka International Airport sometime after 9 pm after an hour and a half long flight. However, I did not planned to stay in Osaka, but Kyoto, its neighboring prefecture. I hopped onto the local train lines and managed to successfully arrive in Kyoto (specifically JR Kyoto station) after midnight.
Along the way while making the transit (involving changing to different railway companies and track platforms), I managed to grab a quick bite (I hadn’t had proper dinner!) of sandwich. I also noticed how big the Osaka train stations were. Totally comparable to Tokyo’s JR Shinjuku, in my opinion.
I finally arrived at my place of stay sometime after midnight, which is a ryokan (旅館, Japanese inn). It was pretty cheap (about 2000 JPY per night) as it was heavily discounted during the Go to Travel campaign period. I took this opportunity to stay at a comfier place.
As it was quite late (near to 1 a.m.) and I wanted to wake up earlier the next day to explore Kyoto before the tourist peak hours kicked in, I went to bed after a quick shower. After a combination of long flight and train journey, I was quite exhausted, yet satisfied due to the beginning of a new trip.
That was it for day 0, I will write more about day 1 soon!
