A mix of designer shops, fine dining and lots of culture and history. Kyoto offers the best of old and modern Japan.

While planning my trip to Japan, I was immediately fascinated by Kyoto. I knew it because of its geisha district but I soon found out it was in the middle of all the things I wanted to explore during my stay. And it really is, many of the highlights of Japan are situated around or close to Kyoto. If you look for road trips in Japan, you often find that people only stay for 2 or 3 nights in Kyoto compared to a longer stay in Tokyo. I was told that a short stay in Kyoto would be enough. In my opinion, they are wrong.

I decided to start my trip in Japan in Tokyo. Since I expected a lot of colors, impressions, noise, lights and people from Tokyo, I thought that staying a little longer in a more peaceful city would be perfect to relax. I booked a week in Kyoto. Since Kyoto isn’t as big as Tokyo, there aren’t as much metro’s. This means that you have to prepare your daytrips and the journey to the places you want to see a lot more.

I booked a hotel close to Nijo Castle. It was really close to a Japan Railways station and by following a street full of designer stores and restaurants it lead straight to the old center of Kyoto. The first morning, I went immediately to the famous Fushimi Inari. Photographed so many times and used in magazines, home interiors, hotels and so much more… Still it was an amazing experience. Seeing the endlessly vermillion torii makes a true spiritual experience. I was visiting in the morning and there weren’t many people and I’m sure that helped to feel the power of the shrine more.

Afterwards I returned to Kyoto and went for the old center. First stop was the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, located on a hill so offering a nice view of Kyoto. Afterwards I didn’t follow an exact road but just explored the old streets around, don’t miss Ninnen-zaka and Sanen-zaka. The streets are filled with wooden buildings like in the old days when Kyoto was still the capital but also offering tiny shops and nice restaurants. The people around are just as fascinating: many Japanese girls walking in kimono to be photographed for important occasions, lots of tourists but also at that time many Japanese schoolchildren visiting the religious icons of the city. And those kids were just as sympathetic as their country. Smiling, friendly and interested in tourists they often started conversations with me asking where I’m from, how long I’d stay and so much more. Although the old streets were crowded, you could still feel the laid-back atmosphere of Kyoto.

You should definitely also visit the Gion district and if you’re lucky, yo might see a geisha. During the period I was staying in Kyoto, the geishas gave some dance performances – which I will write about in a following blog.

Next day I travelled to Arashiyama, which is again quite close to Kyoto. I was really curious to see the popular bamboo forest. It was much smaller then I imagined it to be, but it was still a beautiful sight. Seeing the endlessly bamboo and the sunshine getting through, gives an otherworldly impression. But Arashiyama has more to offer. I walked the park and the streets around the river and the Tenryu-ji Temple. Arashiyama is a quiet town but since there was a festival that day, crowds were multiplying every minute. It was the Mifune Matsuri festival. I saw the boats and decided then to leave since people are sitting, standing and waiting for hours before the festival actually starts, and I wanted to do more that day than just wait. Returned in Kyoto, I visited the Nijo Castle which was quite interesting – being a European and being used to so much medieval European castles it’s fascinating to see a castle from another culture and life. Closing the day I went for a walk and chose conveniently for the Philosopher’s Walk. A nice path for pedestrians next to a canal with craftshops and hipster bars.

Travelling to Miyamija took longer but it was still manageable to do so from Kyoto.Travelling to the small island was already a fun experience – since you can only go there by ferry, but ofcourse the real highlight was the floating torii of the Itsukushima Temple. Like I said before, there are so many icons of Japan, known by almost everybody because they are autographed and published so often, that arent’t in or around Tokyo and for me most of them were close to Kyoto or easy to travel to from Kyoto. The floating torii is undeniable one of those icons. You shoudln’t be afraid of not seeing it because you can see it from the mainland, from the ferry and when you follow the beach line almost the whole time at the island itself too. The torii is impressive but the whole island has a really good vibe.

Before returning to Kyoto we had to switch trains in Hiroshima. Seeing the Atomic Bomb Dome leaves a huge impact. Being on the place where one bomb unleashed so much horror, brings many emotions and thoughts. The Peace Memorial Park and Museum right across are ideal for thinking, feeling, philosophing and remembering.

Around the Atomic Bomb site, Hiroshima has risen from its ashes. It’s a modern city with skyscrapers. Life lives again in Hiroshima.

One of the last days in Kyoto I travelled to Nara. Known for its Todaji Temple and Great Buddha and for its deers – lots of deers. The deers who are believed to be messengers of the Gods walk everywhere and are a favorite of locals and tourists. I also ate one of the best lunch meals during my whole stay in Japan in a restaurant at the road from the railway station to Nara Park. Check out the restaurants while passing and especially during lunch you can eat deliciously for no money.

During my stay in Kyoto I was able to visit many landmarks of Japan. So I would definitely recommend staying a little longer in Kyoto because it offers nice and relaxed journeys to some of those landmarks and becides that you return every night to beautiful and cultural Kyoto.

Some last tips when you visit Kyoto:

• Feel Kyoto: in many cities you have to visit a lot of places to get to know the city. In Kyoto you get a great experience just by walking in the old center. If you care about the history of Japan, you should take your time to explore the old center of Kyoto.
• Plan beforehand: check out places you want to visit and how you should travel to them. Kyoto has a few railways but they all go to different directions. So make sure you know which railway is the best for your journey.
• Lunch time: many good and sometimes more expensive restaurants offer a lunch menu at a good price. So watch out during those hours. You can have a great meal (of authentic Japanese cuisine) at a cheap price.