Well, I can safely say that after visiting Kyoto, all of my Japan wishes have come true. Cue 11-year old Kelsey – there she is sitting in Japanese class, unenthused by the Hiragana but with a desire like no other burning in her belly. I want a human-sized Hello Kitty she says. I want endless bags of Sensei’s foreign candy. What’s that? Is that a face towel with Totoro embroidered onto the side? I. NEED. IT.

I will say that 20-year-old Kelsey’s priorities have changed (sorry honey, no Hello Kitty…) but I feel like I did the younger version of me good (…great news - we got the face towel!!). Kyoto was the embodiment of the Japan I had built in my head. The streets are lined with thousands of stores ranging the cutest selections of the most pointless items, every tiny street vendor serves perfectly swirled ice cream cones and hot rice crackers and mochi every colour of the rainbow. The local girls walk around town in their floral kimonos, there’s that cosy small-town feel (even though Kyoto is the 8th largest city in Japan), and literally every corner I turned made me want to yell KAWAII from the top of my lungs.

When I wasn’t drooling over the key-ring stands, I was pleasantly surprised by the absolute wonder of the many temples and shrines of Kyoto, my favourite being Kiyomizu-dera. The red is piercingly bright, and the pagoda is as superlative as the photos show. Each of these structures are breathtaking to see, and are so huge and magnificent, you can’t help but feel like a flea walking amongst them.

Kyoto served not only as a taste of a more authentic Japan, but as the location of our first ever Christmas abroad as a family. Our beautiful Airbnb, sat on the edge of the Geisha District, made for the perfect setting for our (very cold) Caruana Christmas. Funnily enough, it was our least Christmassy Christmas ever. With Japan being a predominantly Buddhist country, December 25th went on as any other day; a bowl of rice and veg for breakfast (another first on Christmas!) and a day full of sightseeing at the Golden Pavilion and the Bamboo Forest on the outskirts of Kyoto. Christmas dinner? A sizzling hot tray of Yakisoba at Kyoto Station (I know what you’re thinking – a train station?! How bogan of us – but bear in mind this is a Japanese train station which means the restaurant probably had a few Michelin Stars and fed the Queen in 1975). Nevertheless, it was a very special Christmas indeed, one that I’m sure each of us will remember for a long time to come.

It’s been a glorious stay in stay in Kyoto, and I can proudly say my bag is stuffed full of Japanese sweets and sushi-shaped fridge magnets.

K x

Christmas in Kyoto