Japan: Kyoto
Japan: Kyoto
An inviting blend of expected & unexpected delights
The recommendation we heard more than any other when we shared our plans to visit Japan? You must go to Kyoto!
A favorite destination for good reason, we settled in for about nine days in this lovely, livable city—the longest single stay anywhere in Japan. (Coming soon: a roundup of our Japan logistics, but our hotel in Kyoto won for best hotel stay overall.)
After a comfortable ride on the Thunderbird train from Kanazawa to Kyoto, my first order of business was a short walk to the iCracked store. Basically Japan’s answer to the Mac Store / Best Buy Genius Bar, they were able to repair my phone and bring it back to working order in just a few hours (and unfortunately, a hefty repair bill, but I’d known to expect that.) Huzzah!
Because we were staying in Kyoto a bit longer, we were able to space out our tourism more casually around some dedicated work days and time to catch up on other projects. We’d identified three or four major sections of the city we wanted to explore during our stay, and kicked off the sightseeing with Arashiyama—home to the famous bamboo grove and some charming temples and historic streets.
It was a cool and cloudy day, as we rode the streetcar out to the Arashiyama area. The trolley arrives in the center of a highly commercial zone, with shops and restaurants and LOTS of tourists. Kyoto as a whole definitely had the highest density of tourists and general crowds of anywhere we’d yet been, but as always, we found that once you get a block or two off the beaten track, you have the area nearly to yourself.
But first—the Tenryu-ji Temple, Sogenchi Pond Garden, and Bamboo Grove!
The Bamboo Grove was crowded all along the surprisingly short path, but with a combination of patience, a good angle, and photo editing tools, we managed to get a (mostly) solo shot that captures the feel of this majestic space. I can only imagine the serenity of walking through this grove when it’s not open to the public.
After enjoying the crowded but beautiful Bamboo Grove, we headed north toward the Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street. Walking through the winding backstreets and neighborhood temples ended up being our favorite part of visiting this area; for most of the next few hours, we were nearly the only ones on the street, and could pause to admire the beautiful homes, gardens, and water management systems (yes, nerds) of this historic space. We also found a few small shops—I bought a beautiful boxwood comb at Mingei Teika - Japanese Folk Art store, and nearly bought some pottery at Kotouen, but managed to resist.
We made our way back down into the center of the district and over to the Togetsukyo Bridge. At one point, a camera crew caught us and asked Beau some questions. We’re still not sure if it was a local news crew or a school project, but it seemed focused on capturing tourism insights for those returning to Japan after the extended closure of the borders. We wrapped up with some food on sticks from the market (some delicious yakitori chicken, and steamed dumplings, yum!) and a short wander through the Kimono Forest, which displays 32 different textile patterns dyed in the traditional Kyo-yuzen style, on about 600 pillars. It was quite unique!
Our next major destination in Kyoto was the historic/geisha district areas of Gion and Sanneizaka. Anchored by our reservations at the Camellia Tea House, where we were to enjoy a traditional tea ceremony, this district had so much more to explore (and many, many people).
After walking from our hotel along the Kamo River, we made our way down Hanamikoji Street and around the grounds of the Kennin-ji Temple. From there, we wandered through Yasaka Kamimachi until we eventually reached the Hōkan-ji Temple - home to the 5-story pagoda pictured below.
This area was full of visitors, tourists (and, I must assume, some locals) in Kimono, shops, food stalls, and beautiful views. It felt like stepping into a movie or traveling in time, although we were quite surprised at the number of small trucks, taxis, and delivery vehicles making their way up and down the steep hills and cramped streets of this district. It felt very much as if it should be a pedestrian-only zone, but with the exception of a few back alleys and stone staircases, it wasn’t.
After wandering for a bit, we made our way to one of those back streets and to the Camellia Tea House. This was a recommendation from Beau’s sister and her husband, and we enjoyed it so much. Our guide took us (and a small group) through the history and tradition of Matcha in Japan, before inviting us to make our own dose of Matcha and enjoy along with a traditional Japanese sweet. It was a serene and enjoyable experience!
We wandered back to our hotel, relaxed and satisfied, but I did make it back a few days later to see a few more of the adjacent sites in this part of town, like the Heian-Jingu Shrine, and to enjoy some summer treats in a beautiful urban park (also where I took the first photo in this post!)
Our final major destination in Kyoto was the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine:
This is a Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto, and you’ve probably seen a photo at some point of the thousands of brilliant red torii gates. According to Japan Guide, “Fushimi Inari is the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, resulting in many fox statues across the shrine grounds. Fushimi Inari Shrine has ancient origins, predating the capital's move to Kyoto in 794.”
As with many of Kyoto’s most popular destination, Fushimi Inari was absolutely overwhelmed with people: but once we hiked up a few flights of stairs (and a then a few more) and followed the trails up and around the mountain, we found many pockets of solitude and beauty.
Kyoto stole our hearts not only with its beautiful historic sites and blend of forest & city, but with some everyday delights as well: our discovery of what we’ve dubbed “Cheese Coins” - a delightful street food that basically adds a hunk of mozzarella cheese into the middle of a sweet waffle; the wide and well-enjoyed trails spanning the river, perfect for running, walking, picnicking, and more; the delicious food, from our free breakfast at our hotel to the tempura and donburi and sushi we grabbed on the go; and the markets and shopping spaces that managed to combine new and old in a way that felt fun, not exploitative. Kyoto definitely makes it onto the list of cities we’d return to!
From Kyoto, it was only a short 30 minute train ride to our next destination: Osaka!
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Having had the pleasure of traveling to some of those sites in Kyoto, I paused many times to smile, looking at your photo memories and reading your descriptions of places visited. I couldn't help think of your blog post about ways to relax when I watched the link of the Japanese Tea ceremony. So peaceful and meditative.
Unlike you spending 9 days in Kyoto, I believe we only spent 2-3 days at the Three Sisters Ryokan. I remember the delicious meals, the sliding shoji doors, tatami mats, futons and the deep baths. After seeing your posts from Japan and those by Amy, I would love to go back and visit more places.
What kind of boxwood comb did you select? Something very practical and small to fit into your travel bags is the perfect souvenir!
Glad you loved one of our favorite places. It was fun seeing all the photos and reminiscing about some of the sites I saw when we were there. It looks like we missed quite a bit ..so obviously, we will need to go back!