For a first stay in Japan, it seemed obvious to us to focus on Kyoto and its surroundings first, rather than Tokyo. What if I told you Arashiyama and its bamboo forest, the Torii of Fushimi Inari, the Geisha district? All these are classic images that we can imagine of Japan and we find them in Kyoto.
All this and many other things of course, Kyoto being the ancient capital (imperial city from 794 to 1868, no less!), it is rich in history and has many temples, parks and gardens, all surrounded by mountains.
Kyoto is often compared to a life-size museum, one reason being that the smaller city was spared from the bombings of World War II and therefore has a good number of original old buildings (or rebuilt following fires, but old nonetheless).
An idyllic setting, at least on paper, which we were very excited to discover, despite the significant budget.
Our stay was divided into several parts, but combined together, it represents 3,5 days on site. This article should therefore give you an idea of what it is possible to visit in Kyoto if you have 3-4 days, because obviously, you could spend a whole week there and it would not be enough…
Visiting Kyoto in 3-4 days: how to select your visits?
And 3-4 days, believe me, it's very short. Kyoto is still thousands of temples and sanctuaries (it does better than Bangkok and its 500 or so temples!), many gardens, museums and yet on a surface not so big.
It is almost a city on a "human scale" in my eyes if we compare it to Bangkok, because Kyoto is half the size of the latter and has "only" 2 million inhabitants, so a lower concentration.
It is also a very bicycle-oriented city (and in general, this can be applied to Japan), many people travel with their bicycles, easily welcoming their toddler(s).
1st day of visit to Kyoto
We had just arrived from Osaka that morning and it took us a while to get our bearings on the first day, especially with using the train and subway systems. After having to go south of the city to take care of the paperwork for driving in Japan later on, and to make things easier, we started with the closest place to visit to our hotel, just one stop away.
Nijo-Jo Castle
This castle located in the heart of the city was built from 1603 until 1626, when the Tokugawa shogunate began. A shogunate could be summed up as a feudal government based on the military, supplanting the power of the emperor.
The Tokugawa are at the origin of Tokyo since they made Edo, a small fishing village by the sea, their military base and then their capital. A very influential family therefore who built Nijo-jo as a residence in Kyoto.
Nijo-jo is a complex of two palaces, each surrounded by a wall and a moat. The whole covers an area of 2 hectares and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 27. Its history has been marked by important dates, since it was at the palace that power was officially returned to the imperial authority, putting an end to the shogunate. A year later, in 1994, the Meiji Restoration began.
Arriving by direct metro from our hotel, we entered the complex through the main entrance to the east. I left my bag in a tent at reception to avoid having to lug it around during the visit (300 yen).
We are not really surprised, but there are people, many students on a school trip in particular. We start with the visit of the great Ninamoru palace, which covers an area of 3 m². We take off our shoes at the entrance and are informed that photos are forbidden inside. Fine.
Built mainly of cypress wood, you walk through a maze of corridors on a floor that seems to “float”.
The parquet floor is actually special, when walking, it produces like a little bird chirping. The set of vibrations of the visitors passing by gives the impression of a "singing" parquet floor. We file past the rooms, covered with tatami with the murals in the background, decorated with pines, tigers, symbols that served to impress the visitors (there have never been tigers in Japan).
The whole thing gives a slightly "empty" side, all in sobriety. We go around and come out. We then pass by the gardens surrounding the palace and head towards the inner palace of Honmaru, which is a more recent reconstruction, the original having been destroyed during a fire that ravaged Kyoto in 1788.
This is also the case of a 5-story pagoda, of which only the base remains on the southwest corner of the ramparts. Today it serves as a viewpoint over the garden and the Honmaru Palace. Before returning to the entrance, we passed in front of the Seiryu-en garden, which borders the moat on the northern part of the castle.
Without even realizing it, taking our time (including a quick stop at the souvenir shop), we ended up spending a good two hours there. Originally, we planned to visit the International Manga Museum nearby, but we ran out of time because we had to go back and pick up our driver's license translation.
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Ponto-Cho and the banks of the Kamo River
Time passed quickly and after returning from the JAF to pick up our license translation, we decided to spend the late afternoon in Ponto-Cho, on the river. It is a neighborhood known for its many restaurants, along the Kamo River.
A great setting for a beautiful end to the day. Some go jogging, many sit along the banks to chat, take selfies or simply daydream, bikes pass by, but the pedestrian remains king.
All the restaurants have set up a terrace spanning a canal next to the river. The restaurant terraces are already starting to fill up, and we can also see a few Geishas at tables, even though their district, Gion, is, in fact, just opposite, on the other side of the river.
We enjoy the setting sun while wondering where we're going to be able to eat, knowing that at noon, not finding a restaurant open near the Nijo-jo Mae metro (don't ask me how we did it...), we had just nibbled a few things at the 7/11 next to the JAF...
We walked between 2 bridges, from the one on Oike Dori Avenue, not far from our hotel (the Gran Ms Kyoto, see info below) to the bridge on Shijo Dori Avenue 800 m further. It was also when we were coming back on this avenue that we literally crossed 2 m further, the entrance on our right to go to the small alley of Ponto-Cho (also spelled in one word Pontocho).
A busy alley with a special atmosphere, geared towards dining given the large number of restaurants lining it.
Perfect timing to grab a bite to eat. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out to be the best choice… The food wasn't great, the price seemed attractive at first, but then there were tons of taxes added, almost doubling the initial price. In fact, the Google reviews are pretty unanimous: to avoid making the same mistake we did, this was the restaurant.
2nd day of visit to Kyoto
Here we are on our 2nd day in Kyoto. A full day that we were able to spend in Kyoto itself. We started off gently by simply walking next to our hotel, where the Nishiki market was located.
Nishiki Market
For once we got up early (well, earlier than usual), because we were thirsty for sightseeing, and since it was next to our hotel (see section below), we started by taking a tour of the Nishiki culinary market.
A covered alleyway lined with shops offering fresh produce, from generation to generation. And generations, that's a lot, because the market celebrated its 400th anniversary! (some shops are said to have opened as early as the 14th century, originally selling mainly fish).
This time, we were almost too early, because the stores were just starting to offer. The advantage was that there weren't too many people, but we came across quite a few shutters that were still closed.
Any market is always a treat for the eyes and taste buds and always allows you to get a good idea of the specialties of a country, or failing that, of a city and what characterizes its cuisine and its identity.
In this maze of covered alleys, we stopped to take a look in 2 small sanctuaries nestled between 2 stores, a strange contrast. We also went to the local temple next to our hotel, which has the advantage of being completely deserted if not really interesting.
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Kyōto-gosho: the imperial palace
We continued our visits with the Imperial Palace. Based in Kyoto until 1868, as if to sulk the military power of the shoguns who were in Tokyo, the current buildings date from 1855.
What I didn't know is that it used to be necessary to book to visit the place (this is no longer the case since July 2016). So it was quite natural that we went there and that we did indeed have open doors.
The palace sits in the middle of a large 63 hectare park. As it was a Saturday for us, it was a day for picnics and relaxation, the weather was perfect. The big plus? It's free. You just have to go through the main entrance where they give you a pass with a number and you have to follow the predefined route.
We can't go inside the buildings so we just wander around the beautiful gardens, looking at the beautifully carved doors and the facades of the large wooden buildings. The tour will take us almost 1h30.
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Kinkaku-ji: The Golden Pavilion
A must-see in Kyoto awaited us for our next visit. Kinkaku-ji is the common name of the Rokuon-ji temple. With the very famous Kiyomizu-dera, a temple inseparable from a visit to Kyoto, the Golden Pavilion is certainly the one whose image comes back most often. Consequently and by its particularity, it is probably one of the most crowded places to visit in Kyoto.
Nestled at the foot of the mountain north of Kyoto, the original pavilion, set on the water's edge, dates back to the 14th century. At the top, a sculpture of a phoenix looks down on us, to recall the eternal aspect of this temple which was intended to be a strong symbol of the power of the shogun Yoshimitsu Ashikaga.
A particularly well-chosen symbol since the temple rises from its ashes each time... Indeed, the current version dates from 1955, rebuilt identically after the last fire (because there wasn't just one...) in 1950, started by a fanatic monk... It "earned" its inscription on the UNESCO world heritage list in 1994.
Of course, what catches the eye is its beautiful golden color, because the pavilion is covered with gold leaf on the two upper floors. But the world that circulates prevents you from fully appreciating the place.
Even though I got the photos I wanted, I couldn't help but sigh inwardly at this spectacle of hundreds of wandering selfie-takers, some of whom don't hesitate to jostle for position... Caught up in the crowd, we don't really enjoy it, or at least, it's difficult.
However, it would be just as difficult to miss it, because the site is impressive. The setting is pretty, the garden surrounding the pavilion is immaculate and it's not every day that you get to see this kind of unique building where gold predominates.
Maybe try an early morning visit when it opens to enjoy it a bit more (although I doubt that in high season it makes much difference…)
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Gion: the Geisha district
It was on our way to Gion that we came across a large number of fire trucks in action. They were finishing extinguishing a large fire that had broken out in an old restaurant in an alley perpendicular to where we were heading ( according to this newspaper , it was the Chihana, a 3-star restaurant in the Michelin guide).
Gion is a maze of cobbled streets, lined with pretty traditional houses with their wooden facades, the possibility of perceiving the feeling of a Kyoto of yesteryear (essentially from the Meiji era).
If you want more information, head over to my article on the Higashiyama district , where Gion is located.
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3nd day of visit to Kyoto
Coming back directly from Miyama Mountain, we drove to Arashiyama, a must-see visit in Kyoto. After spending 3 hours there, we still didn't have time to see Kiyomizu-dera, so we ended the day in the historic district of Higashiyama to get a glimpse of the old Ninenzaka streets (we will see the other street, Sannenzaka after our visit to Kiyomizu-dera the next day).
Arashiyama, temples and bamboo
Arashiyama, which literally means "storm mountain," refers to the mountain base south of the Katsura River. By extension, it refers to the entire area, including the Sagano Bamboo Forest, which gives the place its fame.
Given the "unmissable" nature of the district, I wrote a dedicated article on Arashiyama , a district that is more characteristic of Kyoto, I will not elaborate further on it here, but it is there, to the west of Kyoto.
Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka: the old districts of Kyoto
Located in the Higashiyama district, these are 2 sloping streets lined with houses with wooden facades and paved floors. A Kyoto with an old-fashioned feel, we still appreciate the district despite the crowd, which thins out in the late afternoon as the temples begin to close and the souvenir shops with them.
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4nd day of visit to Kyoto
I count it as the 4th day but since we only had the afternoon on site the day before, it counts more as the 3rd full day. So it was a full day in Kyoto that awaited us and something to hope to enrich our visits with some classics, including the Kiyomizu-dera temple that we still hadn't been able to see due to lack of time.
But we started with an initiative from Jitima, who wanted to see a craft market taking place in the courtyard of a temple.
Tezukuri ichi: the craft market at Chion-ji temple
It was my darling's wish, to see a local craft market. Knowing that it also takes place in the courtyard of a temple, I said to myself why not. The atmosphere was not unpleasant, lots of people, both exhibitors and curious onlookers.
We didn't come back empty-handed, which is proof that there were some interesting things. As for coffee, there were at least 3 stands, all offering "old-fashioned" coffee, not bad for starting the day.
For the record, that day was May 15th. However, it turns out that there is an important parade and festival that day in Kyoto, the Aoi Matsuri. If I had come across the information the day before, I had not dwelt on it too much. I had seen that the procession was to pass not far from the market.
I was thinking, given the time, we could go to the market first and then watch the procession go by. I thought it would be long and given its route, we should be able to see it... Coming out of the metro, we could clearly see that people were heading towards the place of passage and the roads in the area were closed.
But as we left the market and headed back towards the Kamo Ohashi Bridge, we quickly realized we'd missed our chance… The roads had reopened! I was sure the procession only went in one direction… But no, according to this website about the Aoi Matsuri , after a break at the nearby Shimogamo temple, the procession resumes later, heading north through the city…
The hazards of travel!
At least on the way back to the bridge we will have enjoyed a good meal in the area while watching the students playing in the river at low level, while many eagles dance in the sky.
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Ginkaku-ji: The Silver Pavilion
Although we missed the Aoi festival, our morning visit combined perfectly with our next objective. Originally, it was only supposed to be to walk the path of philosophy (one could also say the path of philosophers), which starts right at the foot of the Ginkaku-ji temple, known as the "silver pavilion".
So it would have been stupid not to go. I consoled myself there with a glass of home-made beer, at the entrance to this shopping street next to the path of philosophy and we continued to the entrance of the temple.
Despite this nickname, do not expect, unlike its gold-covered "counterpart", that this one is covered in silver... No, here, it is ultimately a pavilion with a standard appearance and surrounded by a beautiful garden, some parts of which are covered in a green moss with the most beautiful effect.
The pavilion is made of lacquered wood dating from the 15th century, and while it may not look like much, it does have one merit: it is indeed original. The nickname "Silver Pavilion" could come from that of its minimalist garden made of sand, called "the sea of silver sand," or a certain Karlos also offers several versions on the origin of the title.
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Tetsugaku no michi: Path of Philosophy
The Philosophy Path is a path lined with trees (sakuras that are in bloom in April, it must be the most beautiful effect), in the middle flows a stream. This real green flow in the middle of the city is a relaxing stop to enjoy a little calm and shade on this hot May day.
The origin of the name is not certified, it could have been given because of the monks of the surroundings who liked to come to meditate while walking along the canal. When another, somewhat more logical, would be due to the frequentation of philosophers and professors of the University of Kyoto, who liked to take this path to think about life.
If the walk in total follows a 2 km route, during which you can come across cafes, houses offering pottery classes and a nice atmosphere (a word that I use too much for my taste), we were content with about half, preferring to cut it short in order to be able to (finally) visit the main temple of the city, the Kiyomizu-dera.
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Kiyomizu-dera, the water temple
Another must-see in Kyoto, Kiyomizu-dera is a complex of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in eastern Kyoto. Its main attraction is the Kiyomizu-dera Hondo building, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1941.
Its special feature? It literally dominates Kyoto, being placed on an impressive “floating” wooden platform 13 m above the ground. In spring with the sakuras and in autumn with the maples (momiji), it is one of the most photogenic places in Kyoto.
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There are also evening openings in early spring and late autumn from 18:30 pm to 21:30 pm; see the official website (in English) for specific details.
Fushimi Inari Taisha
After the bamboo groves of Arashiyama, this was undoubtedly the most anticipated and photogenic place I could have hoped for. I chose to write a dedicated article about the Fushimi Inari Shrine , as it holds significant symbolic importance. I'll just add here that we encountered many people there as well, but it's still possible to fully appreciate the place; you just have to be patient, and if you have the time, there's a lot to explore and it can be easy to escape the crowds.
The visit combines very well with going to Nara since it is on the train line going there.
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Among the things that we had also noted but were unable to do due to lack of time, there were:
– the forest walk between Kuruma and Kibune, north of Kyoto
– take an Onsen (hot bath) for your feet
– visit the Imperial Villa (further north)
– the Museum of Traditional Crafts (next to the important Heian-jingu temple)
For next time (who knows) and spotted on other blogs, I could also mention the Higashi Honganji, the oldest wooden building in the city or the Daigo-ji temple , recommended by an expat to Amandine and which has become one of her favorites.
My good addresses in Kyoto
In summary, after this short stay in Kyoto, here is my advice on accommodation, restaurants tested and transport.
Our hotels in Kyoto
We tested 2 different hotels since we split this stay into 2 parts.
– Gran Ms Kyoto , very close to Kyoto Shiyakusho Mae subway station, is clean, with a small, modern room, quiet, and a friendly welcome. It's next to the Nishiki Food Market and centrally located for the main attractions. Price paid: €77 per night
– Traditional Kyoto Home Bifuku Roujiya : For the second part of our stay, we wanted to try a hotel with traditionally styled rooms. We received a very warm welcome, and the room was indeed typical of Japanese style, with a sliding door and a futon for a bed. The door doesn't have a padlock (only the main door locks with a code), and the bathroom is shared. The downside is the lack of soundproofing, so the peace and quiet will depend on the other guests (there are two rooms upstairs, one opposite the other, and a larger one downstairs). Price paid: €62 per night
Some ideas for restaurants in Kyoto
We can't say that we chose very well during this stay. The fault among other things was the paper guide, too big, too heavy that we didn't carry around during the day, so we never knew where to eat... Usually, if I have wifi or internet, I take a look at Google Maps to see what's in the area, the few times I did it, either the restaurants I found were closed, or too far away...
Among the properties tested was Matsuya Imadegawa , a small local restaurant on the corner northwest of the Kyoto-Gosho royal residence.
One kilometer east, next to the Kamo Ohashi Bridge, is Bon Bon Café . On the other side of the same bridge, continuing east, is a nice little bakery for a snack, La Friandise.
In Arashiyama, we used to sit down at Kotokikichaya , right at the foot of the Togetsu-kyo Bridge.
In Gion, we tested the surprising Issen Yoshoku , an attraction in itself due to its exterior and interior decor (with its dolls) and its unique dish (a kind of Japanese pizza, a specialty of Kyoto, no need to worry about what to eat...).
Not far from there we ate at the French Gion Bar Maruhashi offering French-sounding cuisine, reasonable price but still disappointing (if only in quantity).
We also had a good bite to eat in 7/11s or similar, taking advantage of their decent and really cheap coffee.
Transportation from Osaka: Train
We had opted for the option that seemed best in terms of cost/speed ratio and so we went to Kyoto from Osaka by train. Leaving from the main station Osaka Station, we arrived directly at Kyoto Station.
It was a local train on the Tokaido-Sanyo line, so it stopped at every station, wasn't super fast (about 1 hour to travel the 50 km between the 2 stations) but at least it was affordable: 560 ¥ per person (less than €5).
For fun, we could have taken the famous Japanese TGV, the Shinkansen, which makes the journey in only 15 minutes, but that costs 5 times more (3 ¥), for this distance, it was not worth it/the cost...
For other means and from other destinations, see the complete information on the Gaijin Japan website.
Getting around Kyoto
On site, you have plenty of local train lines (JR Line), subways as well as buses to get to the different spots, often well served. Apart from the first day when we had taken a pass (600 ¥), we operated on a case-by-case basis after that.
Knowing that we could have studied the possibility of taking a JR Pass for the KANSAI region but we were not sure if it would be profitable. The other solution to avoid the machines each time is to use a prepaid card, there are 2 options for this, the Suica card and the Pasmo.
The cards are to be recharged with cash and only allow a saving of time and a chaouia of practicality rather than a saving (some say that it gives the right to a reduction of around 5%, others that it is only a rounding down to the nearest ten compared to single tickets).
There is a deposit of 500 ¥ to obtain it, which can be recovered by returning the card at the end of the stay (same principle as with the Octopus card in Hong Kong ).
Because of the price, we never used taxis. However, we used the bus a few times. Payment is made in cash when getting off the bus, there is a machine next to the driver that allows you to both change money and pay. The journeys are generally around 200-250 yen.
The stops are mostly well-informed about the bus route, particularly around tourist sites, which makes the task quite easy.
In absolute terms, the car remains a good means of transport since we didn't encounter any traffic jams, whatever the time (a dream!).
Kyoto: assessment – too fast, could we do better?
It's true that I was fooled like a fool... By imagining this somewhat perfect image of Japan, I expected a lot from Kyoto, and if on the one hand we missed out on peaceful, "authentic" places (an ugly word), due to lack of preparation but especially time, I hoped to come back absolutely conquered.
So it's not that I wasn't, but let's say, not completely, and for that reason, my friend Brice's article sums up my feelings very well.
I was hoping that it wouldn't be high season already and I didn't expect there to be so many people almost everywhere. Since we didn't even make the effort to get up, we ended up with the Kyoto of the "basic tourist", without any "special" time (our fault anyway...). Afterwards, not that it's "shameful", but it's generally not what we're looking for, at least, we try to avoid, hence our few more original excursions outside the city, which were good despite the bad weather.
I have a hard time transcribing what we felt because Jitima also had the same feeling when we returned, but both of us have a hard time targeting what really disappointed us, while feeling that we missed something. Even the word "disappointed" is not really appropriate, let's say to summarize that it could have been better, not delighted, but not to criticize Japan either, far from it. And cold, I would add that we probably rushed too much, miscalculated our stay, which made us fit into a "mold" of the "classic" visitor.
Kyoto, you have to tame it and we went there a bit like "savages", eager for perfect photos. We were cruelly short of time (I told you, 3-4 days is not much), because precisely, we like to take our time, and overwhelmed by the magnitude of the places, we finally flew over the city in many ways.
In conclusion, keep this in mind when you go: Kyoto is a city full of traditions and charm, but seek them out, be curious (and an early riser) and don't let yourself be seduced by the classic sites with their perfect images of zen-like places.
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