Japan Honeymoon: Day 0 (Flight to KIX and First Impressions)

As we were planning for our honeymoon, we both wanted to spend it somewhere overseas that’s cold. We ended up with Japan because it has always been in our bucketlist, and we wanted to explore its beauty. Also, we opted to visit it in Autumn because I haven’t experienced that type of season yet. This has been our dream. We’re happy it turned into reality. This is going to be a series of blog posts! Read on to discover the highlights of our Japan Honeymoon, from exploring ancient temples to indulging in delicious Japanese cuisine.

Flight

We left for the airport at around 9 in the morning. Travel time took us around an hour, so we have enough time for check-in and immigration. Our flight is bound to KIX on November 19, 2024. It was scheduled to depart at 1:55PM and the whole travel duration is 3 hours and 55 minutes. Our airline of choice for this trip is Cebu Pacific Air because we got our tickets during their promo period. It departed on time. Also, there was no fuss in the immigration. I was asked about my job and travel purposes. We arrived in KIX with no delays and we got our baggages quickly. The chill was manageable for us who stayed in Baguio City for a while.

Commute Tickets

We headed straight to the JR Ticket Office to claim our One-Way Haruka Limited Express tickets bound to Kyoto which we bought through Agoda. The Haruka Limited Express Train is a reserved seating. Also, we claimed the 4-Day Japan West Kansai Area Pass. Again, we bought it from Agoda. Communicating with the staff is easy because they speak English well.

Train Transfers

We proceeded to Platform 4 to wait for the Haruka Limited Express Train. I appreciate that the train arrived on time. Also, it has a Hello Kitty theme which is so adorable. Although the train is reserved seating, the baggage storage is on a first-come first-served basis. Good thing that there were available spaces in other cars so we were able to store our baggages. Although the train wasn’t full, it departed on time. Our travel to Kyoto took 1 hour and 15 minutes. Throughout the trip, I couldn’t help but admire the familiar sights from movies and anime. Again, we arrived on time in Kyoto and its chilly wind greeted us. We realized we didn’t dress warmly enough for the weather. Thermal wears are a must.

Bus Transfers

Upon exit of the Kyoto Station Central Gate, we bought our ICOCA tickets at the vending machines. It cost us ¥2000 and it requires a minimum balance of ¥500. We boarded the bus bound to Shijo Omiya Bus station. The bus wasn’t crowded, so our baggages weren’t bothersome. The fare was ¥230 and travel time took us less than 20 minutes. Google Maps helped us plan our trip and transfers during our entire Japan honeymoon.

Hotel Check-in

We walked for a few meters from the Shijo Omiya Bus Station going to our hotel – Hotel M’s Plus Shijo Omiya. We chose it because of its convenient location. It’s near bus and train stations, convenient stores and restaurants. We reserved the Semi Double Room which we think is expensive for its size.