Several days in Tokyo had acclimated us well to Japan. Thus, it was time to see what else the country has to offer. Kyoto is a cannot miss spot in Japan. It is the old, imperial capital of the city, and most Japanese consider it to be much more important than Tokyo because of its immense cultural value and historic significance. There are countless temples, shrines, and gardens in Kyoto, and visiting them, along with everything else Kyoto has to offer, will take you on a cultural journey through Japanese history and into the modern era. Here’s how we spend 3 days in Kyoto, Japan!
Ryokan Higashiyama-so
Many travelers wish to experience Japan in a slightly less-Westernized way. Staying at a ryokan rather than a Western-style hotel is a great way to do so. Ryokan are traditional Japanese inns where visitors sleep on tatami mats, are provided with one or more meals in their room, and often are free to use communal baths. At Ryokan Higashiyama-so, we were invited to experience this traditional Japanese way to living for a few days.
Now, admittedly, we booked our stay at the ryokan prior to knowing that Emily was pregnant, and we did not revisit the idea prior to arrival. Therefore, sleeping on the provided “futon” mat was not an easy ask for her and proved to be less than enjoyable. We did leave with a funny memory, though. When I called to the front desk to ask for several more mats for her to sleep on because her hips were going numb and comfortably positioning her gravid body was incredibly difficult, the hotel staff member politely informed me that, “Only the Empress sleeps on four mats”.
Beyond the difficulty with sleeping, the stay at Higashiyama-so was ideal because of its great location and unique Japanese touches. Using the gender-seperated communal baths was an adjustment but entirely manageable, but we were thankful to have a private toilet in our room. Some of the rules of the ryokan were a bit confusing, such as when we were permitted to use the baths and at what time we could arrive for breakfast, and the staff did not speak great English. Still, these details just felt like part of the experience, so we adapted. The traditional Japanese breakfasts offered each morning were also a new experience for us, and, although not our favorite form of breakfast, they were prepared well. For travelers looking for a ryokan experience, staying at Higashiyama–so will provide it.
After checking in a getting settled at the ryokan, we began our exploration of Kyoto with a meal at a nearby noodle shop. Abura Soba Nekomata was just around the corner, and, with a line out the door, promised to deliver a quick and satisfying lunch. We thought it was delicious.
We came to Japan, as many do, in part, to see the country’s famous Sakura, or cherry blossom trees. Tokyo was a bit of a letdown, as many of the city’s sakura had already bloomed. But in Kyoto, we were able to enjoy hanami, or the tradition of enjoying the beauty of the sakura.
Later that first evening, we walked through the Yasaka Shrine on our way to our evening plans. Yasaka Shrine is a Shinto shrine dating back to the 600s that was surrounded by vendors selling everything from street food to tourist trinkets. Apart from walking the grounds to take a look around, we spent little time in the shrine and continued on with our plans.
Gion Night Walking Tour
No one visits Kyoto without visiting the Gion district, and doing so at night is the way to do it. Gion is the district in Kyoto made famous by the geisha and is one of the most exclusive geisha districts in Japan. The Gion Night Walking Tour guided us through Gion, sharing details and stories primarily pertaining to geisha history and lifestyle. It was fascinating to see the teahouses where geisha still entertain guests. The exclusivity was almost palpable, as even photos were not permitted in certain places. At the end of the tour, we even saw a geisha accompanied by a maiko (apprentice geisha) leaving a teahouse at the end of our tour.
Our impression was that most of the others on the night tour planned must better than we did, for as the tour concluded we watched nearly all of the other members embarking on their walk to their next destination: a dinner reservation. We had no dinner reservation. Realizing that this was a misstep in the crowded and upscale Gion district, we dropped in to the first restaurant we found with an empty table. It was so lackluster that I have neither a photo nor a name to share. I did snap a picture of the average food, though.
Kyoto Half-day Tour Guide
The next morning, we had high hopes of visiting several of the most famous sites in Kyoto all in one morning. But the frustrating part about Kyoto is that each of its main attractions are quite spread out, and there is no good, reliable method of public transportation other than city buses. So, we opted to try a popular resource that we hadn’t yet used, toursbylocals.com. While others praise this site for offering the best, most authentic private tour experience, our guide double booked himself (which is not allowed by the company’s terms for its guides) and scrambled to find a replacement for us. Our new guide was young and very sweet, but she knew very little about each of the stops and was ultimately a letdown. She did, however, help us navigate from site to site which was convenient and helpful.
Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion
Our first stop for the day was Kinkaku-ji, the temple of the Golden Pavilion. This pavilion and the surrounding gardens were originally owned by a Japanese aristocrat followed by a shogun and entertained many important people over the years. It was built to resemble heaven on Earth. When the shogun died, his will dictated that the Golden Pavilion be transformed into a Buddhist Temple, which is how it remains to this day. The Golden Pavilion is covered in real gold leaf and brightly shines over the pond by which it was erected. Even on a cloudy day such as ours, it reflects in the pond and is stunning to see in person.
Nijō Castle
Since it is such an old city, many of the best places to visit in Kyoto are quite spread out throughout the city, and the city’s public transportation does not make it any easier. Having a guide for the day in Kyoto meant that navigating from one site another was much easier than it would have been on our own. We took city busses between a few sites but opted for cabs at one point when one of the bus rides put us behind schedule.
Our second stop was Nijō Castle, with thick-walled fortifications and wide moats. The elaborate palace within does not permit photos but is staged to teach visitors about the wealth and power of the shoguns and their lifestyle in Imperial Japan. The palace was large with many different rooms designed for different purposes, all of which were explained by informative signs. There were also beautiful wall paintings and wood carvings, but most impressive were the “nightingale floors”. These floors make a sound that mimics birds chirping when they were walked on, historically significant as a warning of an intruder during the age of the shoguns.
The Nijō Castle ground were also pretty, with many cherry blossoms in bloom that we stopped to enjoy.
From Nijō Castle we walked to a lunch spot recommended by our guide, Tyrol Cafe. Largely a breakfast and coffee spot, this cafe is apparently known for their Japanese curry. Everyone in the restaurant was eating it, and so did we. I had never even heard of Japanese curry, but I sure am glad I tried it.
Fushimi Inari Shrine
One of the most popular stops in Kyoto is the Fushimi Inari Shrine, a shinto shrine to the god of rice. The shrine is known for the thousands of Torii gates that line the walkway up to Mount Inari high above the shrine. The full trip up the mountain trail and back takes hours, so most visitors just explore a shortened path of the Torii gates. Each gate is erected after a monetary donation to the shrine from a donor, so there is a lot of money on this hill! This shrine was packed with tourists, but it is definitely impressive to see.
After leaving the Fushimi Inari Shrine, we said goodbye to our guide and continued exploring Kyoto on our own for the remainder of the day. We next traveled back in the direction of our ryokan hotel to the Philosopher’s Path, a scenic walking path named after a professor that walked it each day as a form of meditation. The route primarily meanders along a cherry blossom tree-lined canal and is a tranquil escape from the busy city sights and sounds. We encountered an artist selling sketches of the pathway and purchased one for our home gallery wall.
Eikando Zenrin-ji
After completing the Philosopher’s Walk, we did not have plans to visit any more temples but rather to just walk back to the ryokan and get some rest after a busy morning. But our path walked us by the beautiful grounds of Eikando Zenrin-ji and a large koi pound lured us in. A Buddhist temple that is more than 1,000 years old, we thought this was the most beautiful temple in Kyoto. Filled with enchanting, moss-covered stones and reflecting ponds, there is also a hilltop pagoda that, after ascending an old, wooden staircase, offers great views of the old city.
Nanzen-ji
Next we entered the grounds of the Nanzen-ji temple. This Zen Buddhist temple also has many beautiful features including a massive wooden gate with a viewing area. Although the steps are steep and treacherous, climbing atop the gate provides another spectacular view of the nearby area. We also really enjoyed the old, mysterious aqueduct on the temple grounds.
A long day of exploring Kyoto ended with some much needed food. One thing we will remember from Japan is, of course, the plethora of vending machines around every corner. Our favorite find was the peach water that we sought out over and over again. For a simple dinner in Kyoto we tried a hot pot crab restaurant called Kani-ya. The experience of a hot pot restaurant was new and different to us, as we boiled the crab and vegetables in a pot at the center of our table, but unfortunately the food was very average.
The next day was a rainy one, but after waking early and being unable to get back to sleep (thanks, traditional Japanese futon pads…) I went for a walk around the Higashiyama neighborhood to the Yasaka Pagoda. The streets were empty which allowed me to enjoy the historic nature of this lovely place without the throngs of tourists that would arrive within hours.
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
The title for most mystical location in Kyoto belongs to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Ideally not visited on a rainy day such as ours, unfortunately the bike tour we had booked was cancelled due to weather. But we made the most of our visit to this picturesque work of nature and even learned that umbrellas can be used to block other tourists from the background of your pictures! I loved walking in the bamboo grove but found it to be much smaller than I had anticipated. Still, the impressively massive bamboo poles that create a spectacular tunnel of green are absolutely worth the visit.
The Arashiyama district surrounding the bamboo grove also has a lot to offer, with numerous shops and restaurants offering more than just the usual tourist trinkets. We bought several items to bring back to friends as well as an adorable Japanese outfit for our future son.
Tenryu-ji
Located steps away from the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Tenryu-ji was the most impressive Zen Buddhist temple that we visited in Kyoto. The grounds of this temple were beautiful, as the misting rain continued and created low-hanging fog that made the gardens feel ancient and secret. A vast variety of sakura were in bloom at the Tenryu-ji gardens as well. Enjoy the video below, a rainy walk through the temple gardens.
After a pork ramen lunch in the Saga-Arashiyama train station (delicious, by the way), we made our way to Nishiki Market, a food and vender market that is more than 400 years old. We hurried through much of the colorful and busy market, as we were not hunting for unique foods this time but instead, knives. There are several knife shops in the Nishiki Market, and two-thirds of our group loves to cook. After the purchase of several knives to bring home, we left the market and returned to the ryokan to dry off and get a little rest.
Kiyomizu-dera
After some time, we got back out into the streets of Kyoto for an attempt to visit one last temple, Kiyomizu-dera. Kiyomizu-dera is one of the most well-known and appreciated temples in Kyoto due to its large wooden terrace that offers some of the best views in Kyoto. Unfortunately for us, the temple closed shortly after we entered, so we only got to see the entry gate and pagoda and missed the famous main hall.
Dinner was an enjoyable experience at Okonomiyaki Kiraku, where we tried the savory Japanese egg pancake dish for the first time. Each order was prepared in plain site in the restaurant then brought to our table and put on the center griddle, where it could continue to warm while we enjoyed each variety.
After our okonomiyaki dinner, we had one of the most enjoyable nights of the entire Japan trip. At WindMill Sake & Beer Bar, we were treated with such hospitality and kindness. The kind gentleman owner, who we enjoyed so much, poured us multiple flights of sake, picking the next variety based on both what he thought we should try and the tastes we preferred. The unique little bar played only 60’s and 70’s British rock, and we loved it. What a fun night laughing and learning about sake.
We awoke the next morning and, prior to leaving historic Kyoto, walked through the Higashiyama neighborhood once more. It was a beautiful morning, made better by donuts from the coffee shop across from our ryokan. By mid-morning we were en route to the train station for our short journey to our next stop, Osaka.
Kyoto Station is Japan’s second largest train station and one of the largest buildings in all of Japan. It is 15 stories tall and has hundreds of stores and food sites throughout. With this in mind, we planned to eat at the station and see what all the fuss was about. In short, the ramen was delicious but trying to find the restaurant level was a huge pain! My opinion is: just eat at a restaurant and skip the Kyoto Station meal.
Kyoto was very neat to visit, and well worth it with a ton of history and a culture entirely different than what we experienced in Tokyo. I struggled to love Kyoto as much as some, though, because it is difficult to get from site to site and much of the infrastructure is so dated (not in an historic, charming way). But for the ancient history lovers and Japanese culture buffs, there is no substitute for the Imperial Japanese capital, Kyoto.
