Kyoto Summer Festival: Gion Matsuri

Today was hotter than ever but that didn't stop us from reuniting with UBC exchange girls, hunting for shaved ice, and crossing a few things off my Japan bucket list!

In the morning, the three of us woke up and started getting ready for another big day ahead. We had plans to meet up with the UBC girls who are in Japan and met everyone in Kyoto for lunch. Eventually, we made it to the station and met up with everyone! Micchan picked out a cute vegan restaurant run by one person! It was so healthy and delicious!

The restaurant is called Padma and I highly recommend it for those looking for vegan and gluten free options!

After a big lunch, we were on a hunt for kakigori shaved ice, but with not much luck. We took a break from the search and cooled down in the shade of Nanzenji Temple.

Nanzenji Temple!

After strolling around and cooling off we went looking for the nearest cafe and found a traditional Japanese cafe called a kissaten, where the owner served us cold drinks and sweets! There was a squat toilet too, but it was super clean and comfortable to use. It even flushed like normal!

We had some time to spare after staying in the cafe so we headed back toward the city before going to the festival. I had never taken photos in a Japanese photo booth before so I wanted to take one as memorabilia. We waited a long time in line since it was so busy from the festival. Afterwards, we headed off to Gion Matsuri and ate food at the stalls.