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# Kyoto and Iwaki
- URL: https://mattstravelblog.co.uk/kyoto-and-iwaki/
- Published: 2023-07-06T23:01:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-15T18:53:25.000Z
- Author: Matthew Alfred Jones
- Tags: Iwaki, Japan, Kyoto, Amanohashidate, Festival, Oban, Shrine

Right so it is now 21 days (3 weeks) till I be in the air heading from Abu Dhabi towards Narita Airport. So now seems like a good time to come out with another post and without further ado here we go!!!

## Nagoya - Nagashima Spa Land

![Tempozan Harbor Village in Osaka, featuring the giant Tempozan Ferris Wheel, waterfront marina, modern buildings and blue skies filled with scattered white clouds.](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1761554464253-ca9f3b746d62?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDJ8fG5hZ295YSUyMHRoZW1lJTIwcGFya3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODQwNTE4MzZ8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)

Photo by [Gabriel Burgos](https://unsplash.com/@gburgos10?ref=mattstravelblog.co.uk) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)

Between traveling from Osaka to Kyoto which is only a 13 min ride on the Shinkansen I will also be travelling to Nagoya to channel my inner thrill seeker and go to a theme park which has some fun and quite big rides. I can't wait to go on the Steel Dragon 2000 which goes at about 95mph. There is also a fireworks festival.

## Kyoto - Old and Traditional Capital City of Japan

![Evening view across Kyoto's Higashiyama district, with traditional tiled rooftops, illuminated streets and Yasaka Pagoda rising above the city against distant mountains.](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1602764363500-e8e8455de955?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDE3fHxreW90b3xlbnwwfHx8fDE3ODQwNTE4OTF8MA&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=80&w=2000)

Photo by [Daisy Chen](https://unsplash.com/@cqy12854?ref=mattstravelblog.co.uk) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)

Kyoto is a major tourist hotspot and is also the cultural capital of Japan which is no surprise as it is home to a bunch of things like different Buddhist Temples, Shinto Shrines, The Imperial Palace and loads more.

A bunch of thing on my to do list for Kyoto are:  
**Arashiyama Bamboo Grove** \- A bamboo forest with pathways running through it and it is near a monkey park as well.  
**Amanohashidate** \- A town north of Kyoto which has a big massive sandbank and amazing views out towards the sea of Japan.  
**Kyoto Railway Museum** \- Museum with loads of history about the Japanese railways.  
**Mount Kurama** \- A nice hike up and about a 584m mountain with a shrine on it.  
**Oban** \- Japanese national day of the dead remembering those who passed on since the last Oban festival occurred. Also has fireworks and in Kyoto there is a special one.

## Iwaki

This city is located 33 miles south of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant and is quite a mountainous area with hidden gorges and parks nearby. While I am there, I will be visiting the Spa Resort Hawaiians which is a waterpark that comes highly recommended and boasts the largest open air hot spring in Japan.