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Kyoto holds a special place in my heart. I usually try to do a minimum of 2 weeks to countries that are pretty far away. Even more, I try to go with a friend to share the experience with someone, but given everyone’s crazy schedules and different finances, there isn’t always the opportunity to go with someone. That doesn’t have to be a shortcoming however, for the people you meet there are just like you, eager to see the sights, take in the culture, and to meet likeminded people like you. 

After all my trip research I realized that Kyoto was a city I absolutely had to see. I’m a big city person so I figured Tokyo was the end all, be all, of Japanese cities, but I couldn’t have been more wrong (check out my blog posts on Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Mt. Fuji). You see, Kyoto isn’t the 2nd, or 3rd most populated city in Japan (it’s the 7th), and so being significantly smaller, you would think it has a bit less to offer. What Kyoto may lack in physical area, it makes up for in fantastic attractions. 

Kyoto is easily reached by train, and is a common place to stay for a few days. The Japan Rail Pass makes the entire experience incredibly easy, not to mention a cost saver. I cannot recommend getting the JR Pass enough for your trip to Japan. It greatly simplifies your intercity travel (regional ones are also available), is easy to use, and gives you the most flexibility for your trip. To order one yourself, click on these links below and choose between 7, 14, or 21 day pass in 1st or 2nd class. 

I will say that the public transport in Kyoto isn’t as convenient as Tokyo as it is more reliant on buses and just a few subway lines. You can get a two day subway and bus pass for 1700 Yen for an adult. You can also rent a bike. Here is a handy guide for riding bikes in Kyoto. 

There are a considerable amount of places that are worth seeing in Kyoto, but I will not be able to summarized every single one here. I will just discuss the ones I have been to that I highly recommend, which is still plenty if you consider staying for 3-4 days in Kyoto. You can find a Google map of the places I will discuss at the end of this post.

What you’ll come to notice about Japan first is the abundance of castles. Surely almost every city you visit will have one. Kyoto has Nijo Castle which is right in the heart of the city. It’s composed of a variety of buildings, fortifications, gates, towers, and gardens as well as it’s own moat. It’s considered one of the many Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto so just by that metric, is it worth seeing.

And since you’re ‘in the area’, if you have the Japan Rail Pass, you can jump on a train towards Himeji (1 hour away) and take a look at the most pristine and best maintained castle in all of Japan. Once you get off the train, just look for signs to Himeji Castle which is about a 20 minute walk. This castle hasn’t experienced damage in any way (due to war, fire, earthquake), so if you had to see just one castle in Japan, this is it. The cost is around 1000 Yen to enter the castle.

Kyoto is full of amazing temples to see. Let’s cut to the chase: the most popular one with its famous orange torii gates lining the pathway is the Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine. As the name would suggest, it’s more of a shrine than a temple, but let’s not split hairs over it. This shrine is amazing for photographs, but even better for just peace of mind.

As you walk through each gate, especially early in the morning where there isn’t so many people around, you really feel the significance of this place. Each gate has chinese writing inscribed on it and there are well over a thousand of them. As you venture further up Mt. Inari, the concentration of gates gets less and less. But the view from the top is worth seeing. 

(PROTIP: If you intend on taking some photographs here, get here right before sunrise, it was full of people by 8:30am)

I also have prints available of Mt. Fuji and the Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine, available for purchase below! (Among other places) (Sold as Posters, Canvas, or in Metal-Frames).

The Kinkaku-Ji and Ginkaku-Ji temples are related in the sense that they are described as the Golden and Silver Pavilions, respectively. Their etymologies are interesting: the Kinkaku-Ji temple was commissioned by shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in 1397, its most notable feature being covered in gold leaf. His son, Ashikaga Yoshimasa intended for Ginkaku-Ji to be covered in silver foil to emulate his father’s design at Kinkaku-Ji, but unfortunately this was not realized. Therefore the only silver part of this temple, is just in its name. Nonetheless, both temples are wonderful to visit, especially during peak cherry blossom season, as well as in autumn, and in the winter as well (the gold leaf makes an excellent contrast with the snow). These are popular spots to see in Kyoto so going during non-peak hours is recommended.

The Kiyomizu-dera temple is located in the Gion District of Kyoto. If you don’t know much about this district, just know that it’s the place to be (and to stay) in the whole city. The temple itself is made up of many structures and is located on a hilltop that overlooks all of Kyoto. I came here during the fall and it was especially perfect with the changing colors of leaves. Parts of the grounds are free to access, however certain portions of it, as well as during certain times of the year, you have to pay a fee. Do your research beforehand to see what kind of special events they have come up before your arrival. If you are lucky as well, you may find a geisha on the way to their training. Please respect their space though. Any unauthorized photography of them may also result in a fine.

As mentioned before, the Gion District is where you want to be if you have a very limited time to spend in Kyoto. There are shops, restaurants, food carts, and tea shops along the way with a variety of markets nearby. Some are fantastically decorated with pretty cool lanterns. One main markets is Nishiki Market. Some popular items to get in this area are authentic Japanese knives and perhaps some matcha ice cream (or matcha anything if you like the taste). 

For food, you can never go wrong with ramen (anywhere in Japan). One places in particular that is fantastic is Kyoto Gion Raman Muraji. It’s a small, quiet place, but find it on the map and just go up the flight of stairs to the restaurant itself. You won’t be disappointed. Speaking of food, you should also try Takoyaki, which are essentially octopus balls with a variety of toppings. I won’t lie, I wasn’t the biggest fan of them, but perhaps I’m not as culinarily open to certain foods. For coffee, go to Coffee House BAU, which is located by Nijo Castle. I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I force myself to drink it for fuel during these long days of walking. It was the most enjoyable cup I have ever drank. Full stop.

For the foodies who may be reading this, you must know that Osaka is considered the food mecca of Japan. For there, you will find so many varieties of dishes that you can’t find anywhere else. Oftentimes people make day trips to Osaka from Kyoto, and some people make day trips to Kyoto from Osaka. It is merely a matter of preference.

If you’re more into feeding animals, than feeding yourself, you have the option of taking the train (again with your Japan Rail Pass) an hour to the city of Nara. Once off the train, make your way to Nara Park and pick up some rice crackers on the way so you can feed the hundreds of deer that frequent the area. These deer are used to humans and will come right up to you. 

Lastly, the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is hardly a secret place. Along with the Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine, it’s perhaps the 2nd most popular place to see when in Kyoto. Therefore, as with the shrine, it is best to see right at sunrise before many people get there. It’s idyllic and serene, with columns upon columns of bamboo trees rustling in the wind. The path itself is quite short, but a short walk from the main road. You can get here by taking the San-In Line train from Kyoto station to Saga-Arashiyama station. 

It’s no secret that Japan has a special place in my heart. Even though I went on the trip solo, I had many fantastic experiences with new friends in this city that made it easily my favorite in Japan. It would be a mistake not to spend at least a few days here. You’ll thank me later.

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