Traveling to Osaka, Japan 2025 (7 Days) EP.2 Exploring the Sacred Land

Lifestyle and Travel > Traveling to Osaka, Japan 2025 (7 Days) EP.2 Exploring the Sacred Land
07/03/2025 08:00

18/02/2025 - Adventure in the Sacred Land

This morning, we woke up early to pick up a rental car at 10 AM from Toyota Rent a Car, which is located near the hotel—about a 10-minute walk. Renting a car here is very easy; you can book it online. The rental fee is about 3,000 THB per day. You can also use the expressway with an easy pass, similar to Thailand, and pay the toll when returning the car, which is convenient. However, the driver must have an international driving license, which can be obtained online through the Paotang app—very quick and convenient!

The first destination of the journey is Kiyomizu-dera Temple, also known as the "Pure Water Temple." It is called that because "Kiyomizu" means "pure water." The journey from our accommodation takes about 40 minutes.

Upon arrival, parking services can be found nearby. In Japan, valet parking services are quite common but tend to be expensive, so planning time wisely for each location is important.

The temple is located on a mountain, but the climb isn’t too steep. Along the way, there are various shops selling items such as grilled meat, sweets, food, and souvenirs for tourists to browse. This is a good spot to grab a bite before heading up to the temple.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple, also known as the "Pure Water Temple," is a famous Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its wooden architecture built without nails and its large wooden terrace that extends from the main hall, offering a stunning view of Kyoto—especially during cherry blossom season in spring and autumn foliage season in fall. Inside the temple, there are three streams of sacred water flowing from Otowa Waterfall, which are believed to bring good fortune in health, education, or love when consumed.

We took some photos of the beautiful scenery around the temple to share with you.

We got so caught up in sightseeing that it was already lunchtime! After visiting Kiyomizu-dera, we drove to find a restaurant and chose Kyoto Tempura Ten no Meshi, a well-known and highly recommended tempura restaurant. The restaurant is located in an alley, and parking can be found around the area.

After finishing our meal, we continued our journey to Fushimi Inari Shrine, which took about 20 minutes.

Fushimi Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷大社, Fushimi Inari Taisha) is a famous Shinto shrine in Kyoto, Japan. It is the head shrine of Inari, the god of prosperity, rice, commerce, and success.