Kyoto

Kyoto (京都) is Japan's second most well-known city and capital of Kyoto Prefecture. It served as the country's capital city for over 1000 years and so much of traditional Japanese culture and architecture originated there -- as a result it is a mecca for all things olden Japan.

Getting There from Mie

• Kintetsu Limited Express (近鉄特急 kintetsu tokkyū)

  Direct limited express trains run between Kashikojima (in Shima) and Kyoto, running through eastern, central, and western Mie on the way. They run about once an hour just in the daytime, and stop at Ugata, Shima-Isobe, Toba, Ujiyamada, Iseshi, Matsusaka, Ise-Nakagawa, and Nabari. If you can't catch one of the trains that run directly to Kyoto, you can get any of the many tokkyū that run in the direction of Osaka and change trains at Yamato-Yagi.

• Kintetsu Express (近鉄急行 kintetsu kyūkō)

  Express trains running towards Osaka can get you to Kyoto. You ride west of Ise through Nabari, and then change trains at Yamato-Yagi (大和八木) Station and catch an express to Kyoto. Also works for the rapid express (快速急行 kaisoku kyūkō) train. If coming from northern Mie, you need to change to these trains at Ise-Nakagawa.

• JR

  If you live far enough north in Mie (Kameyama, Yokkaichi, Kuwana), it's generally quicker to take JR. The Kansai Main Line is slow and only runs once an hour but if you plan around the timetables it is quicker than taking Kintetsu. Once you've gotten yourself to Kameyama, take a Kansai Main Line train towards Kamo, but change at Tsuge. From Tsuge, take the Kusatsu Line to Kusatsu, and at that station hop on the main JR line towards Kyoto/Osaka/Kobe/Himeji.

• Shinkansen

  Only feasible if you live in northern Mie, but if you for some reason have to be to Kyoto in a hurry, riding to Nagoya and transferring to a shinkansen (nozomi in particular) is the absolute quickest way to get you there, but unfortunately the most expensive.

• Bus

  Direct buses to Kyoto run out of Yokkaichi, Tsu, and Ise. Slightly cheaper than trains but a good deal slower, especially from Tsu and Ise.

Getting around Town

Transport passes

City bus/subway one day pass is ¥1200 or a 2-day pass is ¥2000. Note, you can't use these passes on the JR/Hankyu lines or on buses that aren't in more central parts of Kyoto (e.g. to Takao/Ohara).

There's nothing to stop you from buying a 2-day pass (which is effectively 2 separate 1-day passes) and using it for 2 people. Makes sense if you will use the subway more than 2-3 times in addition to the buses a couple times.

Subway

Good for getting around Central Kyoto and to get across town in a hurry. Not necessarily great for all the temples though, many of which are located around the outskirts of town. Day pass is ¥600.

Buses

Kyoto traffic can be pretty rubbish, but the buses do service pretty much everywhere. Buses can be ludicrously crowded too. Day passes are ¥500．

Taxis

Pretty handy if there are 3-4 of you. You can get all the way from Kyoto station to Sanjo-dori at the top of Pontocho for less than ¥1000.

Bike

Kyoto is pretty flat and given how crowded the buses can be, not a bad option. Many hostels rent bikes for the day at decent rates.

Walking

YES! Great city for walking. Kyoto is easy to navigate, plenty of stuff to see in random ambles about town and can be time/money efficient, particularly in bad traffic.

Things to See

Gion

• Maruyama Park (円山公園 maruyama kōen)

  A lovely park, with great views from the top of the hill. It is lovely during sakura season though can get a little nuts with all the hanami party shenanigans.

• Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社 yasaka jinja)

  Busy shrine not far from the shopping area of Shijo-dori. Home to Gion Matsuri. Cool lanterns. Nice place to visit in the evening when it quietens down a bit.

• Pontochō (先斗町)

  Former red light district, now an alley-way filled with restaurants and bars.

• Shirakawa Canal

  Pretty with draping willow trees and old ochaya buildings.

Higashiyama

• Heian Shrine (平安神宮 heian jingū)

  The gardens at this shrine are some of the nicest in Kyoto and anywhere in Japan and well worth the money. Can be crowded on weekends and holidays but if you show up at the gardens an hour before closing time (5:30pm, 4:30pm in winter) there won't be very many people at all. Has a cool humongous vermilion torii (Shinto gateway) out the front. Buses headed for Ginkakuji will stop here.

• Sanjūsan Gendō (三十三間堂)

  The temple with 1000 Buddhas in it. It's pretty amazing. The Hyatt Regency is next door and has a wonderful patisserie/　boulangerie that is worth popping into for a snack. The chocolates are amazing, as are the macaroons and the bread....everything really! This is one of the closest locations to Kyoto Station and isn't too bad of a walk (15 min or so). Or, Buses: 100, 206, 208.

• Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺)

  This is arguably the most famous temple in Kyoto, though Kinkakuji would give it a run for its money. Due to said fame, it is also probably the most crowded temple in the city and is always full of tons of tourists and field-trip school kids. It's ALWAYS crowded, even in the middle of the week in the dead of winter, but it is a lovely temple and offers a commanding view of the city. Worth seeing in autumn when they open it up at night. Equally as lovely in the springtime. The love shrine is cool. Make sure you climb down into the "womb of Buddha" - it's a little creepy, but fun. Several buses run there from Kyoto station e.g. 100, 202, 206, 207

• Nanzen-ji (南禅寺)

  A lovely temple with great momiji in the autumn. They have a lovely tea room overlooking a garden with a waterfall, as well as a nice rock garden. The nearby Biwa canal is pretty cool and worth a bit of a wander. It's particularly lovely to walk along the canal and rail tracks in the springtime. Several buses run close to the temple or you can take the subway Tōzai Line to Keage (蹴上), from which it's about an 8 minute walk.

• Philosopher's Path (哲学の道 Tetsugaku no Michi)

  A nice walk that runs between near Nanzen-ji and Ginkakuji. Pretty all through the year, particularly in the spring, though predictably crowded. Due to said crowds it is not a particularly great place for in-depth philosophizing, though it is a lovely walk regardless.

• Ginkaku-ji (銀閣寺)

  Pretty nice temple, crowded. Looks a lot like Kinkakuji but without the gold - it was supposed to have been coated in silver (hence the kanji), but legend says the government ran out of funds at the time. Home to lots of IMPORTANT MOSSES (!!). The temple pavilion is undergoing restoration at the moment but the garden is worth visiting.

• Kodai-ji (高台寺)

  I've only been here at night, both times in the autumn for the temple light-up. It is beautiful, but during the temple light-up, the crowds can be a little ridiculous. The bamboo forest looks awesome lit up at night! Same buses as for Kiyomizudera.

• Yogen-in (養源院)

  Famous for its "Blood Ceiling" that was previously the floor of Fushimi Castle, where 380 samurai fought to defend the castle and then committed ritual suicide (seppuku) in the hall when they failed.You can clearly see bloody hand prints, footprints and finger drag marks. It's gruesome and fascinating. It's important to note that all visitors are required to follow the tour, so no free wandering. Also, the tour is conducted only in Japanese.

Arashiyama

• Tenryūji (天龍寺)

  Pretty temple, great gardens in spring and autumn - considerably less interesting in winter. A fabulous restaurant serving shōjin-ryōri (精進料理), vegetarian food for monks, is on the premises with meals starting from ¥3000 for a lunch set. 2 of you could share this as there is a LOT of food.

• Bamboo Forest

  Seen in lots of Kyoto pictures. It's pretty awesome. Located behind Tenryūji. The best entrance is close to the back corner of Tenryūji. Light-ups in the autumn.

• Iwatayama Monkey Park

  About a 20min hike up the hill to the monkey park. Who doesn't like watching monkeys!!?

• Walking along the river

  Lovely at anytime of the year! During the hanami/momiji-gari, there are also a ton of food stalls.

Northern Kyoto

• Takao

  In North Western Kyoto is one of the best places for Momiji-gari. It takes about 45mins to get there on a bus (marked Takao) from Kyoto station and costs around ￥４５０ each way (day bus passes not valid) but it's amazing! There are some lovely temples, great little places to eat and admire the foliage, and a chasm in which you can throw discs to rid yourself of bad karma.

• Daitoku-ji (大徳寺)

  This is one of the best temple complexes in Kyoto. It's a LOT quieter than other zen temples in Kyoto such as Nanzen-ji or Tenryu-ji and particularly Ryoan-ji and equally as lovely. Famous Japanese historical figure Oda Nobunaga is buried here. There are a variety of "sub-temples" run by this temple, only about a third of which are regularly open to the public, but for a few weeks or so here and there, some of the sub-temples are open, and if you can get there then, it's pretty cool. Daisen-in is a great zen garden (smallest in Japan) and Obai'in (open for a few weeks in Spring and Autumn)is delightful. Also worth a visit are Kotoin and Zuihoin temples. There are some veggie restaurants on the premises too! Bus 207 and then a short walk or subway to Kitaoji station followed by 20mins walking.

• Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺)

  Yes, it's the famous Golden Pavilion in northern Kyoto seen on basically every Kyoto travel brochure. Crowded basically all the time. Underwhelming in my opinion.

Central Kyoto

• Kyoto Station

  Really cool building that is far bigger than you'd believe. Go all the way to the top for some great photos/views. They sometimes have free live performances a couple of levels up from the station.

• Nijō Castle (二条城)

  The Ninomaru grounds are nice and the buildings worth seeing, including the famous "Nightingale Floorboards" that squeaked to warn of intruders. The main castle grounds sit beside Ninomaru. It is supposed to be lovely in the springtime, though I have to say I was a little disappointed. You can get to Nijo on the subway/by bus. It is called a "castle" but is really more of a "palace".

Western Kyoto

• Katsura Imperial Villa (桂離宮 katsura rikyū)

  A beautiful Japanese-style garden used by the Imperial family in the old days, now under the ownership of the Imperial Household Agency. The garden is truly magnificent and while it has many of the staples of Japanese gardens, you can see some things here you won't be able to see at other gardens.

  It is not open for anybody to just waltz in and stroll around – people who wish to see the garden will need to apply in advance. If the quota of daily visitors has not already been reached for a given day, you will be accepted, assigned a time, and will be given a guided tour at that time; freely walking around on your own is not possible. The tour lasts one hour and is given in Japanese though English audio sets are available. For those of us living in Mie, the easiest way to gain access to the garden is via the mail-in option. 'Note that you have to apply a full month in advance. Also, note that the mail-in option is not listed on the English site, only the Japanese site provides info on how to go about doing this. See 3.1 under the Japanese site for information, otherwise you will have to apply in person in Kyoto and spaces are liable to be full. There is apply online option as well, but these spaces are very limited and sell out almost instantly so don't even bother. Though the postcard mail-in process will set you back a few hundred yen, the tour itself is free.

  On the day of the tour, go to Katsura Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line (Umeda ~ Kawaramachi), the Katsura Imperial Villa is about 15 minutes east of the station. Alternatively buses are available from Kyoto Station.

Southern Kyoto

• Fushimi Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷大社 Fushimi Inari Taishi)

  4km of vermilion torii going up a hill! It's pretty awesome. Seen in lots of pictures and movies.

• Tōji (東寺)

  Giant five-story pagoda that you can see really well from most places in Kyoto, and especially from the train coming in to the city. Tallest wooden structure in Japan. Has a nice garden and temple at its base as well.

Accommodations

Kyoto is generally one of the most expensive places to stay in Japan. It lacks the nice but very cheap hotels that are often found in places like Tokyo and Osaka. As a travel center it has a ton of hostels, a few of which are listed here along with some hotels as well.

• Budget Inn

  A terrific hostel/guesthouse about 6 mins from Kyoto station (north). Lovely staff, good dorm and private rooms, free tea/coffee/sake tasting, bike rental. ¥2500 in a dorm or ¥3250 in a 4 person private room. You can book by telephone or email only.

• Tour Club

  Sister guesthouse of Budget Inn. Several of my friends have highly recommended this place for its good rooms, great prices and good facilities, though the dorm rooms have an 11 PM curfew. (Private rooms have no curfew.) About 10mins walk north west of Kyoto station. Several types of rooms available. Dorm beds are ¥2450 and private quads start at ¥2930. Bookings are by telephone or email only.

• J-Hoppers

  Great. Good facilities, clean, well-run, good value. About 8 mins south of Kyoto station, and also a subway nearby. Handy for Fushimi Inari Taishi and To-ji (walkable). dorms are ¥2500 a night.

• Sparkling Dolphins

  Not a bad hostel. No common area but rooms are pretty decent, staff are friendly and it's only about 7 mins south of Kyoto station. Dorms from ¥2500　a night.

• Station Ryokan Seiki

  Cheap ryokan run by the same people who run Sparkling Dolphins. A short walk from the Hachijo Exit of Kyoto station.

• Bakpak Kyoto Hostel

  In Gojo, about 5 mins walk from Keihan Gion-Shijo station. Pretty handy location for Gion, Pontocho and Arashiyama. Beds in pretty squashy but ok 8-bed dorms are from ¥2000. It was ok....that's all. A bit grungy. Staff were nice.

• Comfort Inn Kyoto Gojo

  Near the Imperial Palace.

• K's House - Backpackers Hostel

  Clean, new, really good, 10 minutes walk from Kyoto station.

  Dorm room: ¥2500, Twin/Double: ¥2900, Double Ensuite: ¥3900, Single: ¥3500.

  Phone: 075-342-2444.

• Kogetsusou

  The staff were super friendly and it was very convenient to many temples/gardens/museums/Path of Philosophy.