01/09/2026
I can’t believe it’s September 1st!!
I usually shed tears Labor Day Weekend since it’s traditionally the end of summer 😭😭
It’s also been 3 months since the Culinary Travels group visited Japan! That’s so hard to believe. I still have so much content to share.
This was one of my favorite places of all 3 cities we visited so don’t miss it when you go to Japan 🇯🇵! It’s crowded but worth it in my opinion. It’s also a climb up stairs to the 🔝 where you will find the most beautiful pagoda.
Kiyomizuzaka, Sannenzaka, and Ninenzaka
The journey up the mountain is half the experience. The path is broken into historic, stone-paved pedestrian stairs and winding streets lined with traditional wooden townhouses (machiya). The Starbucks is in one of these wooden houses!
Crazy fun fact: During the Edo Period (1603–1867), a religious craze took hold where pilgrims believed that if they made a radical prayer to Kanon (the Goddess of Mercy) and survived a leap from the edge, their deepest wish would be granted. Records show that 234 people actually took the plunge. Miraculously, due to the dense foliage and soft ground below, about 85% of them survived the fall.
Along Kiyomizuzaka and the connected Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka slopes, you'll pass endless street vendors and shops selling local Kyoto crafts, fans, studio Ghibli merchandise, rental kimonos, and incredible street food. Don't miss the yatsuhashi (cinnamon-flavored triangle mochi traditional to Kyoto).
You will find A LOT of tourists wearing kimonos and taking pics as well bus loads of school kids on field trips. Bring your patience.
Have you been here?
