Western Japan 2009: Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto

Yes, I went to Kyoto AGAIN... :p What can I say, I just love Kyoto.. :) been there four times in my 2.5 years in Japan.. First time with my Japanese class classmates in summer in 2007, then again the next summer with my sister.. then I skipped class and went there again in autumn the same year.. and finally during this Western Japan trip.. Visited the last two touristy places that I missed in my earlier trips..

Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社)


Byodo-In (平等院) Temple


Then I went to Kobe.. for less than half a day.. I ended up checking out a waterfall, Nunobiki Waterfalls (布引の滝) which was just 10min walk from Shin Kobe subway station..


Finally Osaka.. Stayed there with my sister the previous summer.. this time round, I stayed in a budget hotel near Shinsekai (新世界) and saw a shadier side of Osaka.. with run-down shopping alleys, smoky pubs and watering holes, and pachinko parlors..


More photos of these 3 cities here..