Travel Holiday and Wedding Proposal in Kyoto (November)

Hello everyone!

I'm planning a week long trip to Kyoto in the month of November with my dearest partner. We've booked our flights, accommodations as well as our travel insurances so we're basically all ready to go. We just haven't started planning the itinerary because its still a couple of months down the road. So I was just thinking about what we could do in Kyoto when a harebrained idea hit me.

Why not propose to my partner while we're in Kyoto?

I mean, its a gorgeous place. The food is absolutely brilliant. The weather will mostly be awesome. And besides, I've been meaning to propose for awhile now. Which brings me to the purpose of this thread. I need recommendations on locations and services. The plan is rather fuzzy as of this exact moment and I will be posting more details and questions in a couple of days.

Do follow or watch this thread if you're familiar with Kyoto, have great advice for proposing, know of great food places in Kyoto (or Kansai region), or just interested in being along for the metaphorical ride.

Will keep your guys posted!

Cheers,
Naranja.

P.S. I'm trying to be as anonymous as possible in the unlikely but plausible event that this thread is ever discovered by anyone who knows me or my partner personally. I hope it isn't against any rules!

I love the idea.
Propose on the bridge at Tofukuji (Tsuten-bashi)
The Brief history of TOFUKU-JI Temple | "Tofukuji" -This temple is the oldest and largest in Japan.
or
While walking along Shirakawa in Gion
Shirakawa Dori Kyoto | JapanVisitor Japan Travel Guide
or
in the zen garden of Kenninji... well, maybe not the most zen thing to do. Maybe in front of the "God of Thunder" painting in the temple.
Kenninji Temple Gion Kyoto | JapanVisitor Japan Travel Guide
or on the Togekkyo bridge in Arashiyama - or the bamboo forest in Arashiyama
Arashiyama

Edit: Or under the red shrines at Fushimi-Inari Taisha
Fushimi Inari-taisha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

First, I'll compile an itinerary of sorts.

Figured I'll need to have a better idea of what we're doing and where we're going before I can even begin to think about how I want to pop the big questions. Without further ado, I present my to-do list! Its basically a work in progress so feel free to contribute!

• Hello Dolly @ 4jyo Noboru Pointchodori Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8012, Kyoto Prefecture.
  
  • Jazz and and Whiskey. We love jazz, and hey! Maybe I could propose to her with a Jazz song! I should probably explore that option, anyone know of any local jazz bands I could work up something with? Proposal idea rating: :woot::woot::woot:

I've also included a list of places I've been to in Kyoto during the first week of May. We'll probably not repeat any of these locations unless they are Autumn specific scenic spots worthy of a visit! This list will also expand as I remember the places we've been to and/or discover the names of the places we've been to!

• Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine
  
• Kiyomizu-dera Temple
  
• Nijo-jo Castle
  
• Nijo-jo Inn
  
• Imperial Palace

With much randomness,
Naranja

Majestic said:

I love the idea.
Propose on the bridge at Tofukuji (Tsuten-bashi)
The Brief history of TOFUKU-JI Temple | "Tofukuji" -This temple is the oldest and largest in Japan.
or
While walking along Shirakawa in Gion
Shirakawa Dori Kyoto | JapanVisitor Japan Travel Guide
or
in the zen garden of Kenninji... well, maybe not the most zen thing to do. Maybe in front of the "God of Thunder" painting in the temple.
Kenninji Temple Gion Kyoto | JapanVisitor Japan Travel Guide
or on the Togekkyo bridge in Arashiyama - or the bamboo forest in Arashiyama
Arashiyama

Edit: Or under the red shrines at Fushimi-Inari Taisha
Fushimi Inari-taisha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Click to expand...

Hello there! Thanks for the feedback! I'll add em to the list of ideas! I'm loving the ideas and I'm trying to figure out if I've already been to Kenninji. Haha.

I find the Imperial Palace to be a bit sterile, and while the grounds are lovely and the buildings are interesting, I mentally took them off the list of proposal spots because it doesn't strike me as being very romantic. Worth visiting, but lacks a certain something.
Nijo-jo is beautiful, grand, impressive, and it does have a romantic atmosphere to it. The drawbacks for proposing there are: almost always crowded with tourists, and... the castle itself is kind of a cross between a residence and an office (the shogun's residence while visiting Kyoto), so while it does have something of a historical romantic feel to it, it doesn't feel quite right to me as a proposal spot. I don't know why. Might be different for you. The gardens around the castle might be an idea, if the weather is nice.
Kiyomizu-tera - yes this is an obvious choice, and that's kind of why I mentally crossed it off the list. A bit too obvious, but maybe that's just me. It is a magnificent place. And the terrace/stage at Kiyomizu-tera would be a fabulous place to propose. Again, it is likely to be filled with tourists.

Majestic said:

I find the Imperial Palace to be a bit sterile, and while the grounds are lovely and the buildings are interesting, I mentally took them off the list of proposal spots because it doesn't strike me as being very romantic. Worth visiting, but lacks a certain something.
Nijo-jo is beautiful, grand, impressive, and it does have a romantic atmosphere to it. The drawbacks for proposing there are: almost always crowded with tourists, and... the castle itself is kind of a cross between a residence and an office (the shogun's residence while visiting Kyoto), so while it does have something of a historical romantic feel to it, it doesn't feel quite right to me as a proposal spot. I don't know why. Might be different for you. The gardens around the castle might be an idea, if the weather is nice.
Kiyomizu-tera - yes this is an obvious choice, and that's kind of why I mentally crossed it off the list. A bit too obvious, but maybe that's just me. It is a magnificent place. And the terrace/stage at Kiyomizu-tera would be a fabulous place to propose. Again, it is likely to be filled with tourists.

Click to expand...

Yea, I found the Imperial Palace very much stifling. I'm trying to figure out how to edit my previous post to make it more obvious that the second list is of places I will probably not be visiting as we've been there before.

Definitely trying to stay away from crowds of tourists. Kills the atmosphere like few other things.

I love this topic! It brings back fond memories!

I myself proposed to my wife at Kamogawa river near Pontocho. I was holding a can of Ebisu black in one hand, and a ring in the other

Kamogawa isn't necessarily breathtakingly beautiful, but the atmosphere of the shallow river, mountains on the horizon, some people enjoying their spare time...it's my favorite spot in Japan. Pontocho will be a bit busy, so it depends on you whether you like that or not. You can go up north (between Sanjo and Demachiyanagi) for a quieter spot.

The options above are also very nice!

cocoichi said:

I love this topic! It brings back fond memories!

I myself proposed to my wife at Kamogawa river near Pontocho. I was holding a can of Ebisu black in one hand, and a ring in the other

Kamogawa isn't necessarily breathtakingly beautiful, but the atmosphere of the shallow river, mountains on the horizon, some people enjoying their spare time...it's my favorite spot in Japan. Pontocho will be a bit busy, so it depends on you whether you like that or not. You can go up north (between Sanjo and Demachiyanagi) for a quieter spot.

The options above are also very nice!

Click to expand...

Whooo! Am definitely going to figure out the locations you've mentioned when I get back home from work!

Also @Administrators, is there a way to hide this thread such that only members of Jref can see it? Wouldn't want my fiance to be (hopefully) chancing upon this thread when searching for things to do or places to go in Kyoto. My name is a dead give away, I just realised.

Alternatively, is there a way for me to change my name?

I was just thinking. Kobe is not that far from Kyoto, and from Kobe harbor you can take a "bay cruise", with some nice views. Also, you could go to Osaka and go up one of the skyscrapers and propose in Umeda or Nanba while enjoying the skyline. Just giving you some ideas!

I'd second the Bamboo Forest. If I remember right, just before entering the forest proper there's a small bridge spanning a pond full of lily pads and flowers which is just a lovely romantic spot.

One "warning" about the bamboo forest though, it that your image of it might be very different from reality.

For example, in many images and movies it looks like this: http://www.angryboar.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bamboo_Forest_Kyoto_Japan_2.jpg

But the reality is more like this: http://www.gojapango.com/japan_picture/albums/upload/kyoto/sagano_bamboo_forest/normal_IMG_4280.jpg

Still beautiful and worth the visit of course, but just to avoid wrong impressions

cocoichi said:

One "warning" about the bamboo forest though, it that your image of it might be very different from reality.

For example, in many images and movies it looks like this: http://www.angryboar.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Bamboo_Forest_Kyoto_Japan_2.jpg

But the reality is more like this: http://www.gojapango.com/japan_picture/albums/upload/kyoto/sagano_bamboo_forest/normal_IMG_4280.jpg

Still beautiful and worth the visit of course, but just to avoid wrong impressions

Click to expand...

Woah, that crowd. Perhaps the bamboo forest is out of the question for the big question. Heh. Anyone know of really good food places or lovely places with live music?

Naranja said:

Woah, that crowd. Perhaps the bamboo forest is out of the question for the big question. Heh. Anyone know of really good food places or lovely places with live music?

Click to expand...

I was actually referring to the colors of the bamboo trees, which are a bit dull in contrast to the bright green ones you often see in movies.

I myself never really go to anything fancy, because I am more than happy with the quality and atmosphere of the
Since you'll be there for about a week, I recommend a lunch at Pizza Salvatore. They have a decent buffet and a la carte menu for a good price. What I like the most is that you can sit outside next to a small stream: Google Maps You will be in this area a couple of times for sure.
In the same building (I think on the 5th or 6th floor) you will find Yumehachi. Nothing fancy, but they have a wide selection of drinks (including nice cocktails for the lady) and finger food for only 300 yen per drink/plate. You'll enjoy it If you stand with your back to the entrance of this building, you will see a street with a small canal called "kiyamachi dori". Just take a walk in that direction, and you will come across many bars and places to eat. You can also cross the bridge over the river and find a nice Spanish restaurant in KYOUEN. In the middle they have a nice rock garden. Even without any knowledge, you will find yourself a lot of nice places for sure.

Does all of the eating and drinking have to be in Kyoto? You'll find a lot more bars and restaurants in nearby Osaka, which takes about 30 minutes by train. Go to Umeda, Shinsaibashi or Nanba. Dottonbori for example is a great place to go for both food and enjoying yourself.

My personal rule of thumb (at least in Osaka) for fancy food: go to a big department store and go to the food floor. Many great looking places all lined up next to each other

Just noticed that I didn't finish my sentence: I myself never really go to anything fancy, because I am more than happy with the quality and atmosphere of the places with food below 1500 yen a plate, or izakayas with small plates to share.