00:05 John Daub: Hello everybody, welcome to Ninenzaka. This is one of the famous streets in Kyoto, a walkway to get to Kiyomizudera up on the top of the hill. This is Higashiyama area and you can see it's quite crowded, very narrow. It easily gets congested, but today it's not too bad. We have beautiful skies here in Kyoto. Look at that. You couldn't ask for a more perfect afternoon and I'm happy to be able to show you that.

00:32 John Daub: I'm going to share this with you as we walk down and take a look at some of the area. How you doing everybody? This area also has a bunch of other really nice spots that you can go and check out including one of the most scenic and photographed areas over there. Depending on the signal, we'll get a chance to share with you some of Kyoto, which is not on my top five of places to visit in Japan, but I think it should be on everybody's radar. You can see the narrow streets. You do get congested and right now it's lunchtime. Perhaps a lot of people are eating, but not on the street so much.

01:34 John Daub: Right there is the very famous Starbucks. We'll walk by there and see what's going on today over there. I want to take you over to this spot over here. Before I do that, let me show you a map of the area so you can get acquainted a little bit. The map's not working. All right, let's get over here. This spot is so famous. This is where a lot of photographs, in particular in the morning if it ever snows, if you're wearing a kimono or yukata, everybody comes here to pose.

02:31 John Daub: You can see a lot of people have already stopped to take a picture of it. I guess now you're starting to get the picture, right? This is an understanding of the area and why this is such a famous street because of the background. You can't say that Kyoto's not a scenic place. That's absolutely undeniable. But it's from this spot that a lot of people will grab a photo. The angles are just really perfect on it as well. So much so that I will take a photo with you with this scene here. There you go. John was here from right at this spot, I think. It's nice. It's pretty nice.

03:26 John Daub: All right. Let's get out of here. I think it's called Hoanji. It's been a while. I should have looked at the map before. It's supposed to play here. I don't know what's going on with the app. So I also walked to Kiyomizudera and I'll show you the video what it's like right now. Kiyomizudera is a madhouse. It is insane. I can hardly move. I think it's this crowded. It's not as much fun. But when it comes to weather, I cannot complain. It's just so beautiful right now.

04:03 John Daub: Chris writes in here, we were in Kyoto last week. It was not that crowded. I think that that's good. I think it was a lot more crowded in the summer in the cherry blossom season. And this is kind of this season before the peak season because from around November 15th to 25th is when the autumn leaves will change. And this will be twice as crowded as it is now. So if you didn't come last week, you probably timed it really good. Alright, let's go down Ninenzaka and show you down this street so you get an idea of what you will experience if you come here to visit. How you doing Saya? I see some familiar faces. Joy is here as well. Thanks for moderating. Steve C. Oh, it is a real scenic spot.

05:01 John Daub: It's like you just want to sit here and take it in because of those wispy clouds in the distance. Honestly, I could not have asked for a better sky for a photograph. You guys can take one right here. Click, click. Alright, let's walk down here amongst the... Yeah, I did a live stream here around 2019 and was able to do a really good job with that because we had these university students. So college, high school students that kept asking me what I was doing. And so they eventually were just introducing culture to me. What was that? That was a Kyoto Stairway madness or something. I think that was the name of it.

06:04 John Daub: Here's the historical Starbucks. I remember when it opened back in 2017. I uploaded it. I made a video about the most beautiful Starbucks in the world. And this is one of them. It's an old machiya (traditional wooden townhouse) converted into one of the chain cafes. Prime locations in Kyoto, I think. Because when it comes to pure location, I don't think you can beat this one. They've changed the entrance from here to the side so it's more subdued. And it does not look like a Starbucks, does it? From this angle. Actually, just the sign is very subtle. That's probably a good thing. Looking back up to Ninenzaka. Ni meaning two. The second stairway. So there's a Sannenzaka, which is pretty nice too.

07:07 John Daub: Oh, look at this. It's like this little teeny koi pond right here. I almost walked right by it. It's really pretty. It's like an aquarium on the ground. This reminds me of the Mone pond in Gifu prefecture. If you guys don't know about that one, it's really beautiful. But like these little teeny things. This wasn't here last time. It would be easy to miss that. Wow, you can smell the street food as well. We're just going to go down to the end of the street. It's a sweet smell, you know.

08:00 John Daub: I can't remember where exactly I got some snacks with Kevin Riley a long time ago, it was along the street. But you know, a lot of the places have changed since then. When I was here last with Kevin, I think it was like 2016 walking through here. The businesses were different. They've changed hands a couple of times. So I don't think that the businesses that you see here might not be here when you come, which is typical. Like this shop here used to be a Ghibli store. Now it's a Peter Rabbit store. Which I think Leo would love this. Look at that. There's even a Peter Rabbit cafe with banbu charcoal roasted coffee. Whatever that means. How you doing Peter? Oh wait, there's a Ghibli store here too. So, yeah. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Ghibli used to own all that. It's hard to say.

09:16 John Daub: There's an unagi (eel) restaurant on the left there. You wanna see the prices? Boom. 4,400. That's not too bad for the location and for price. That's not great. That's such a small portion. But I don't eat that much. You're not going for quantity. You're going for quality, right? And I'm just going to the end of the street and then pan around. And then we're going to come back and get a closer look. I know Peter Rabbit is so cute. I like the movies too. Leo likes the first one. The second Peter Rabbit movie was sort of not that great. But the first one is a classic I think.

10:12 John Daub: Oh, check this out. So I did a livestream on hotels around Kyoto Station. And now you're seeing the Park Hyatt. The location could not be more perfect. It is away from all of the other hotels. And it's exclusive because there's really not that much in terms of like five-star amenity hotels in this area. It's mostly Japanese ryokan (traditional inns) or small businesses. And then you have the Park Hyatt Hotel, which is just stunning. And again, like look at the location. There's Ninenzaka right there. I don't want to know how much that is a night. Does anybody online want to check? Because it could be ridiculous, which is kind of cool.

11:04 John Daub: I remember when I came here 25 years ago to Japan, getting ice cream at that spot right there. And it's still here. Or it's just another owner and they have ice cream. But these row houses are quite nice. So you usually snag an ice cream cone and then walk down Ninenzaka. These look more local than the ones on the main alley there. If you were to continue down this way, and it's a beautiful walk. It's the Path of Philosophy. And it'll take you to Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion, eventually. And you'll be able to see quite a bit of Kyoto. So I would recommend.

11:41 John Daub: One of my favorite things to do when I rarely come to Kyoto these days. I've been here something like 50 times, okay, over the course of many years. But I always love to start at Kiyomizudera or Ginkakuji. And I would just walk for half a day. Start in the morning. And probably Kiyomizudera is the best place to start in the morning. And walk back towards Ginkakuji just along here. And you can get some street food. You can do all sorts of... Wait, Aiken writes in here, $2,244 Australian dollars a night. Wow. I don't know what the exchange rate is, but that's still... And when you have thousands, that's not... Wow.

12:20 John Daub: It really is a beautiful walk. If include this alley into the Ninenzaka. Probably the most scenic. They found a way to keep it looking like Edo period with the wooden machiya. And at the same time, really clean it up and modernize it. You see this on the left side. This bistro. Very well done. If it wasn't well done, it wouldn't be Kyoto. The reputation precedes it. It is a city of refinement. And yet, you know, I avoid this place because I'm maybe not a refined person. But it's just it feels not comfortable to have a lot of people. But it's not that bad, actually. Look at this. It's not that bad. I can see ground. I'm pleasantly surprised at this.

13:30 John Daub: Machiya. Ice cream. Okay. It's a good flavor. I approve. Wow. The sun is hot. Temperature is like around 22 degrees. But in the sun, it feels much warmer. This morning and at night, definitely a chill in the air. Rick writes in. It's $1,417 a night at that Park Hyatt. I've been in here many times. So if you are curious, I have a livestream from 2017 which you can go and check out to see more from inside there. It's nice. So it's just the exit to the Starbucks right there.

15:12 John Daub: Wow. I've never seen a kimono like that. It sparkles. Has anyone seen something like that before? I'm just going to be honest with you. That's something that only a foreigner would wear. I'm going to say this, okay? I've seen some really ridiculous things. And the one thing is you can never judge because if somebody has a smile on their face, that's all that matters. Seriously. As long as you're having fun. I was kind of... But I still smile a little bit. I see the humor in it.

16:22 John Daub: I saw this American guy. He had an Arizona State University shirt on his chest. Ball cap. And on the back, he had Pikachu popping out like a plushie. And he was like 26 or something. That's like the same as maybe like a Japanese tourist with Popeye on the back. It's kind of funny. Anything can happen. What's the American equivalent to Pikachu? Popeye? Captain America? I don't know. But it made me smile to see that, I guess. He does not know how ridiculous he looks, but at the same time, he had a big smile on his face, and I'm happy for him.

17:17 John Daub: But a lot of people are wearing the kimono wrong or the yukata wrong. Some people do have kimono. And sometimes it's too short, and it's going up to the calf, and like you can see people's shins. And I'm sort of smiling, but I'm not going to be one of those know-it-alls and say, you know, maybe that kimono is too short for you. Or maybe you should hike it down a little bit, you know. You don't want to ruin people's vacations. But for me, personally, it makes me smile. And that's good, too. John is getting old. Need to throw on a Pikachu t-shirt on Hawaii. I've got a sense of humor. I would do it.

18:13 John Daub: Look, you don't want to be uncool. And this is the thing that I've learned over the years, right? Never criticize somebody for doing something that maybe you wouldn't do yourself. Because there's always another way. There's always a better way. And if somebody's having fun and they're not harming anybody, that's all that matters. And that's what I love about walking through here and seeing all the people from all around the world. They're having fun and enjoying Japan in their own way. And it's not the way that I would do it, but it's fun to see them smile. All right, there's my two cents. Is it possible for dads to be cool? Toro toro porco. How dare you ask that? Of course not.

18:57 John Daub: All right, let me walk up towards Sannenzaka a little bit. I don't know, what do you guys think? Should I make a... Hey, Nightshade. Nightshade giggles. How you doing? Yo, foot Bob's here. I remember Anpanman for my first trip. That's Leo's best friend, Anpanman. All right, let me know in the comments below and definitely hit the like button if you want me to do more of these. I'm going to Shiga Prefecture right after this. I'm going to grab a coffee and... Oh, that's just good. I'm going to grab a coffee. That looks like umeboshi (pickled plum), like monster-sized umeboshi, right? Oh my God. Imagine the sour explosion. Some of them are slightly sweet though, so I think that's what that is. You have to do your umeboshi face.

19:55 John Daub: Suck on one of the... I remember when Leo was like one or one and a half, we gave him a lemon and you should've just saw his reaction when he sucked on the lemon. He's like, no. I think that ruined him. He likes the color. The point is, wow, there's some people got some street food right there. You can actually eat lunch here. How you doing, Brandania? Here's the menu. It's funny that they don't have it in English. There's oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl) for 990 yen. There's tendon (tempura rice bowl) for 1,250 yen. That's right here.

21:02 John Daub: Wearing sneakers with their kimono and like once again, brings a smile to my face. I saw a guy he had on his New Balances with a yukata and comfort. You have to respect that. A man who does not care, cares enough for fashion to wear the yukata, but not enough to complete the mission because his comfort level was more important. It's respectable. In a funny way. You have to see humor. This one, everyone's been... I've seen a lot of people grabbing one of these. Check it out. That looks pretty crazy. Not the back of his head, but the chicken in a cup. That's deep-fried karaage (fried chicken). Apparently, they'll go five deep. You can smell the deep frying and hear it too. It's good.

22:20 John Daub: Whoa. This looks like ningyo-yaki (filled sponge cake) and they're sold out today. I like the pattern that they... Brandania, isn't that cute? Look at that. He's saying, hello, I'm a grandmother. I'm a little granny and I've got something creamy for you to eat. Enjoy my cakey head and licking the cream. 300 yen for that. It's pretty good. Let me know in the comments if you think I should limit it to this street. Oh, this is the shop that Kevin Riley and I ate, possibly. Because I know he also made his own matcha drinks, the shacho (company president), but he's changed the shop a little bit.

23:14 John Daub: It's hard for me. I don't quite remember, but let me look back here. Kevin and I sat back here in the corner. I believe that that's the same shop. I'm going to afterwards take a look and see if it is. I have his business card. He was the shacho, the CEO of the company. And he said, if you ever come back, I'll give you a drink. Come back, look me up, and I will show you around Ninenzaka. And I would like that. Apparently, his company has been around for a while, so I'm glad to see that it's still here. But this shop, for example, you can see they've taken the matcha, renovated it. There's a lot of construction over the pandemic. I'm glad they did it then for the sake of tourists, because now it's really beautiful now that people are here again. But the inside is so clean. Yeah, they preserve that old Edo period look to it. The buildings.

24:35 John Daub: This is the jinrikisha (rickshaw). And this is Sannenzaka, guys. This is the third stairway. Again, everything is really compact and close. The alleys make it look much more crowded than it really is. But it is actually today's actually unbelievable. Actually, it's Sunday, right? Is today Sunday? It's Sunday. So I'm guessing people aren't visiting Kyoto today. Hmm. It's interesting. It's very interesting. I need a haircut. Christine writes in here, cannot unsee tourists with Crocs and kimono. No, you cannot. Again, I'm not making fun of them. They have a smile and they're comfortable, but it's just funny to see because I've been here for so long and I'm not used to seeing that. But hybrid fashion, hey, why go against it?

25:39 John Daub: Tortora Poco, what a beautiful day for a live stream. Thanks for braving Kyoto on a Sunday. I don't think I'm braving anything. I think it's just enjoyable now. Richie is here. Richie Dupin writes in here, the sunshine is beautiful. I haven't seen the sky this blue in a very long time. It's really nice. It feels good, too. I haven't been getting a lot of sun either, and today I'm getting a full blast before I head off. Tonight I'm staying in a place called Otsu, which is the capital of Shiga Prefecture, right on Lake Biwa. It's only about a 10-minute train ride, and tomorrow I'll be going to Omi gyu, a yakiniku (grilled beef) restaurant there, to be live streaming for lunch. So it's going to be a lot of fun. I've got a friend of mine who's going to be coming to eat with me, not Kevin, unfortunately. Kevin's so busy with his tours, it's hard to pin him down.

26:33 John Daub: Let me show you right now what Kiyomizudera looks like. For some reason, the videos are not launching here. It's having some issues. It's just a photo. There you go. This is Kiyomizudera about an hour ago. And when you zoom in, it does look like a heck of a lot of people. When you zoom out, it could be more crowded, but again, this is not... So you can see there's a lot of space right in front of Kiyomizudera, but it's pretty crowded down there.

27:10 John Daub: Hello. I follow you on YouTube. Oh, thank you. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you guys. Where are you guys from? Oh, okay. Hey. Good day. You got your live chats? I don't know if you're doing one. Yeah, I'm doing one now. You want to say hi to everybody? Yeah, sure. Yeah. Not me. It's okay. It's okay. Come here. Come here. Come here. Come on. Oh, that's great.

27:51 Caller: How long is your trip for?

27:53 John Daub: We've been here for 18 days all up.

27:56 Caller: Okay. Four days left. We were in Tokyo and now here, and that's it.

28:01 John Daub: You couldn't have picked a better day. I mean, look at this. I know. It's perfect. It's not too hot. It's nice to feel the sun. Evenings are cold, but it's really there. It's not too bad. It's good. Daytime, hot. Evening, cool. It's good. Yeah, yeah. Even in Tokyo, we didn't have any rain. It was perfect. Oh, yeah. That's good to hear. And your walk, isn't too much walking for the little ones?

28:24 Caller: Yes. Because I watched one of your YouTube things. It said in October, you could have a bit of rain. But typhoons can still come in. Yeah, we've had it historically. So we were worried a little bit, but it seems to be all right.

28:38 John Daub: When the typhoons aren't here, you get this. Yes. It's awesome, isn't it? It can't be better than this. Absolutely. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too. Oh, good eyes. Good eyes. Good eyes. I might still have a YouFoundMe card. I've been giving them away to people saying hi. Hi. Oh, yeah. Oh, I might not. That's okay. At this point, do you have the same pinball? Oh, yeah. There you go. Yeah, I gave them all away. I'm sorry about that. Nice to meet you. Yeah, nice to meet you guys. Have a good one. That's so nice. From Melbourne.

29:13 John Daub: All right, let's turn it around here. So this is Sannenzaka. This stairway is a little bit bigger. But when it comes to photographs and taking pictures, it's really nice to get up there. Just make sure if you do take a picture up on the stairways, you stay to the side. You don't want to block traffic. Because it gets congested all of a sudden. All right. Hey, Victor, Debs is here. Need a matcha tea. All right, let's see if we can snag one. Thanks for that. I'm going to put that in. I'm going to see if I can get one of those matcha teas now. We'll try something new. It's refreshing. All right, let's walk up the steps. I know that the signal kind of cuts out. I did a signal check before. So let's see if...

30:16 John Daub: So it's nice to see a lot of people visiting. You know, as I was walking from Kyoto Station to here, I walked from Kyoto Station. It was about a 35-minute walk. I encountered about a dozen people that were like, Hey, I know you. You're the YouTuber. You're, you know, Only in Japan. And I started handing out the You Found Me cards. And I ran out. I think I've already handed about 30 of them over the last two days, which is great because I need to get some new ones. All right, let's look back at Sannenzaka. And here is... You know, it looks quite similar to Ninenzaka. I'm only about 30% of the way up. But you can see that Ninenzaka is just more impressionable. I think it might be the narrowness or the differences of the architecture, but it's still not bad here. And if you look at some of them, you'll find some of the older machiya. They have things growing up of the roof. You see that little moss action going there? So you have to look around at the details. And that really makes it just the bamboo rafters.

31:24 John Daub: All right, let's walk around and see if we can put Victor's Super Chat into good use and get some matcha. Let's share that with you. Look at that. That's like some sort of matcha tea in a really fancy jar. I get that there's a line, though. It's pretty weak. I knew that Sannenzaka was not going to be the best spot for the signal. So let's get back here and we can grab something. The weather could not be better. I keep saying that because I'm looking up and I see blue skies. Gosh, I wish Leo and Kanae were here, too. They can't make it. Kanae has some teaching to do and Leo's too young to travel with me if I have to do some work. So it was a... I think in a couple of years he'll be able to come along with me, maybe when he's five or six, but at age two and a half, not quite. And he'll be in school, right? Although it is a Sunday. You can't just say, hey, I want to take you out of school to go on a trip. On a work-cation, which is a shame. Unless we, like, homeschool him. Hey, that's not a bad idea.

33:25 John Daub: Oh my gosh, the sakura green tea. The line is long, though. Boy, the line is really long. Let's see what else they got. The line is super long here. Let's take a quick look to see here. So we've got... Wow! Uji matcha tiramisu for 700 yen. And there's hojicha (roasted green tea) tiramisu. That looks so good. And then here we've got some green tea drinks that you can have. And the inside of the shop looks really nice, doesn't it? Matcha house. There's a terrace! But there's also a line. So... Wow. Toro Poco sits in here. You should be proud of all the people that recognize you on the livestreams. You've touched a lot of people. Literally, when you're in a crowd, you touch... I know what you mean. That's nice of you to say that, Toro Toro Poco. I appreciate that.

35:08 John Daub: I think during the pandemic, I know a lot of people were having a hard time. And it was... I'm waiting in line and I'm thinking, should I... Should I wait in line? Okay, I might as well.