The first trip I made to Kyoto, Japan was in 2014. Our planning for that trip was mostly non-existent. We wandered around finding things to do. If you’re after a relaxing, no pressure holiday – I recommend booking your accommodation in a central location, and leaving the rest to chance!
For our next trip, we made some basic plans with the aim of seeing a few different areas we hadn’t yet explored. As we were with friends who had travelled to Kyoto before, they showed us a few amazing areas around Kyoto that ended up being a highlight of the trip.
We based ourselves at the Granbell Hotel Kyoto, which was simple but luxurious. I’ve highlighted the main areas of backstreets we explored on the map below:
Kyoto has a more traditional feel than Tokyo, with many people attending events or temples in Kimono and ceremonial dress. You may also see Maiko and Geiko (Kyoto apprentice Geisha, and fully qualified Geisha). Maiko shows are also held at the Granbell hotel relatively frequently, which we also recommend catching if you have the chance.
Thanks for sharing! Japan is one of those places that must be visited. Everything is different and extremely interesting to me. How long did you stay there? What did you find most interesting about Kyoto? What did you enjoy the most there?
Any tips and advice you’d like to share for Local Guides who are visiting for the first time? Thanks!
Hi @DanniS thanks for the comment! This was our second trip, and we spent about 2wks mostly in Kyoto but also visited Hiroshima, Tokyo, Himeji and Miyajima Island. Previous trip was based mostly around Tokyo for 2wks.
I think the most interesting part about Kyoto was how much of the original architecture and traditional culture has been preserved. The buildings are just stunning! Food varies quite a lot between regions as to what is the ‘specialty’. Kyoto is famous for sweets and candies. Amazing variety to try here.
For anyone staying for the first time, I would recommend staying in a traditional Ryokan hotel as you get a real feel for the traditional elements of the Japanese culture. This site lists a lot of the Ryokans in Japan and booking through them was very simple. http://www.ryokan.or.jp/english/
Thanks a lot for your comment. I would love to visit Kyoto exactly for those reasons you mentioned. To see the culture and history and really experience the authenticity of Japan. Thanks!
