3 days in Kyoto
From Osaka we took a train to Kyoto which took us roughly 30 minutes. The easiest way to get around the Kyoto is by bus or by bicycle. With a severe inability to confidentially direct ourselves around the city, we opted to buy a daily bus pass, which was circa ¥500. Luckily for us, from Kyoto main station, there was a bus which dropped us right outside our hotel (Court Hotel Shijo).
The hotel was of a decent standard. Nothing major to write home about but clean and very central. It had several bus stops around it, which serviced the routes we required to see the sites of Kyoto.
Temples of Kyoto
So Kyoto is known for the temples (c.2,000 in total) so we had to make a hit list of those that we wanted to see. Together with the hit list, we needed a map to ensure we used our three days in Kyoto wisely. Whilst it sounds like it would be a very zen experience, visiting various temples across Kyoto, the time of year meant it was far busier than expected, and the serenity you’d expect wasn’t really there. However, the top temples we saw and would recommend are as follows:
Kinkakuji
Probably one of the most photographed temples in Kyoto, Kinkakuji (otherwise known as the Golden Temple), has it’s two top floors completely covered in gold leaf. Built overseeing a pond, it makes a great spot for photographs. As we were surrounded by people taking pictures of the water reflection, I thought I would share my own attempt:
There are places to pick up snacks, and here we tried matcha ice-cream – the cones are huge and the ice cream portion is generous – just watch out for the pigeons!
Location: North Kyoto
Hours: 09.00 – 17.00
Entrance Fee: ¥400
Ryoanji
Ryokanji Temple is where Japan’s most famous rock garden sits, and is the main pull for tourists. There’s a nice park area with a pond (sense a theme), and a few walking trails, meaning you are able to will away some time, quite easily here. There is also a restaurant, whose signature dish is boiled tofu, and you can look out to the traditional Japanese garden whilst dining. It is possible to get just a drink, but there are additional charges if doing so.
Location: North Kyoto
Hours: 08.00 – 17.00 (Mar-Nov)
08.30 – 16.30 (Dec-Feb)
Entrance Fee: ¥500
Kiyomizudera
One of the best known temples in Japan, Kiyomizudera is now on the list of UNESCO world heritage sites. Bright orange in colour, the place is picturesque especially with the backdrop of the cherry blossoms.
Location: East Kyoto
Hours: 06.00 – 18.00 (18.30 on weekends)
Entrance Fee: ¥400
Fushimi Inari
So famous that it is now an emoji on whatsapp, Fushimi Inari is featured in many films, including Memoirs of a Geisha. It’s a significant walk to the top, particularly in the heat, and not for the faint hearted. There is a viewing platform at Point 7, where you can look back down on Kyoto which is quite special.
Location: South Kyoto
Hours: Always open
Entrance Fee: Free
Tenruyji Temple
One of the city’s first zen temples, and also a world heritage site, this temple is at the end of the infamous Arashiymaya Bamboo forest. Beautiful in it’s own right, however I was far more enchanted by the bamboo forest itself
Location: West Kyoto
Hours: 08.30 – 17.30
08.30 – 17.00 (late October – late March)
Entrance Fee: ¥500 per person (additional Y300 to enter temple)
At each of these tourist temple spots, there are shops that will offer to dress you like a geisha, in order for you to roam around the temples in traditional gear. If you look hard enough around Kyoto in the evening, you may be lucky enough to spot a real geisha – which we did!
It’s considered rude to stop them in the street and ask for a photo, so this will be a mental memory for us rather than a digital one!
Food
One thing, you’ll notice more in this Japan blog, more than any other I have written, is that there is a lot of conversation around food. Japan definitely awoke my taste buds. So this next bit covers all the wonderful places we would recommend to eat.
Ippudo Nishikikouji
Known for it’s ramen, this place is so popular there was a 30 minute queue outside it and they take no reservations. I am not joking when I say this is the best ramen I have ever tasted, ever. I ate it all wrong, by sipping all my soup first and then eating the noodles, but who cares – it tasted fantastic!
Signature Dish: Shiromaru Classic Ramen
Hours: 11.00 – 03.00
Chichi Dining Bar
We stumbled upon this on our evening wanderings, a nice little bar cum restaurant on the river. The food wasn’t the best we had, but they atmosphere and view was lovely. They open up the terrace doors and when it gets chilly offer you blankets!
Signature Dish: Go for a drink over food
Hours: 11.00 – 03.00
Chao Chao Sanjo Kiyamachi
Amazing gyoza, again there was a 30-40 minute queue but definitely worth the wait. We went for a mixed gyoza platter and then some chocolate gyoza for dessert! So delicious!
Signature Dish: Shrimp gyoza and chocolate gyoza
Hours: 17.00 – 02.30
Beer Komatchi
This is craft beer bar, where they offer 12 home made beers for tasting. A little hidden away and whilst there weren’t a huge number of locals there (more of an expat vide) it was a great little drinking den to begin our evening.
And that’s it from Kyoto! Next stop Hakone & Tokyo!!
And that’s it from Kyoto! Next stop Hakone & Tokyo!!
