Visit Kyoto - Japan

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Former capital and cradle of Japanese culture, Kyoto is a traditional city, known as the “heart of Japan”. Located in the south of the country, on the island of Honshu, about 550 km from Tokyo, the city has around 1.5 million inhabitants and delights the more than 50 million tourists who visit it every year. It was the country's capital for more than a millennium, when in 1868 it was replaced by Tokyo (former Edo), and it rescues Japanese history and culture.

More modern than it really looks, Kyoto is an unmissable destination and a unique place to understand Japanese customs, its ancient culture and to see up close an architecture that is different from many other destinations in the world. The former capital, which has had other names before the current one, brings together architectural masterpieces, which are national treasures, and beautiful gardens, which are even more incredible during the beginning of spring, marked by the blossoming of cherry trees, and during autumn, with foliage of the colorful trees.

In the dynamic city, close to a busy street full of modern shops, there are temples and even castles. Close to alleys with small Japanese-style houses, there is a stream with koi fish and is surrounded by cherry trees. Haute cuisine restaurants operate on streets with almost no movement and among tourists from the most varied countries, young geisha with make-up pass by — one of the most traditional professions in the country, by the way. Kyoto is popular for geisha training and nowadays they are so rare that they are considered “celebrities”.

The old historical center and the political power of the country have in the temples its main attractions. The Kinkaku-ji (temple of the golden pavilion), Ginkaku-ji, Kiyomizu-Dera and Fushimi Inari-Taisha temples (with more than 10,000 tori) are among the most visited places in the city. The Philosopher's Path, with its dozens of cherry trees, is a must-do in early spring, as are the walks through the Gion area, where you might be lucky enough to see a geisha. Going to Nishiki Market, a market with the most varied foods, is an adventure full of unexpected discoveries and if you want to be enchanted by the local nature, visit the bamboo forest of Arashiyama.

On foot or by bicycle, by train or bus, it is worth waking up early and making the most of the day to discover many corners of the city, from the modern Kyoto station — huge and full of shops — to the Imperial Palace. Take a few days, too, to explore the outskirts of the city by taking the shinkansen (bullet train) and visiting destinations such as Osaka, Hiroshima and Nara! When going to Japan, be sure to visit Kyoto, which reveals some of the most beautiful attractions in the country and represents the traditionalism of Japanese culture with praise.

For attractions beyond the temples, take a moment to walk the hills of Higashiyama and the small streets of the Gion area, a very traditional neighborhood where the greatest expectation is to see a geisha. In this neighborhood, visit Hanami-Koji Street and the Shirawaka area, which is in bloom during the cherry blossom season. Don't count on meeting a geisha on the street, after all, they are celebrities... To see them, you can go to Gion Corner, which has daily shows, or Miyako Odori, which has beautiful shows, but they only happen in the month of April.

If you like parks and natural landscapes, the tips are to walk along the Path of the Philosopher, visit the beautiful bamboo forest of Arashiyama and walk through Maruyama Park, where the Yasaka Shrine is located and where there are some very tasty restaurants to enjoy an outdoor meal. free.

Tip: Some temples are open to visitors, some are not. In temples where tourists are allowed to enter, you must remove your shoes and wear socks, so wear shoes that are easy to remove.

Kyoto Station is Kyoto's central train station, where JR trains arrive and where you can change to the city's subway system. Far beyond a simple inner city station, Kyoto station is incredible because it brings together department stores, such as Isetan, shopping, tourist information center, as well as an incredible variety of restaurants, snack bars and clothing stores in its lower floors. If you are hungry when passing through the station, this will not be a problem, because there are several restaurant options to eat or buy something quick.

The station is beautiful, it has a huge ceiling height and therefore it is usually a good place for tourists to take pictures. Going up several flights of escalators, you'll find that the station also offers a good overview of Kyoto.

The station is incredible because, in addition to being surrounded by all kinds of businesses, it has everything a tourist needs, from ATMs and an information desk to places to exchange currency. In addition, Japan's rail transport is outstanding, it's even nice to see how the country's transport works.

Choosing where to stay in Kyoto may not be easy. The city isn't huge, but it's not too small either, and choosing the right place you can do a lot of things on foot, which is much more practical than always having to travel by bus.

One thing to keep in mind is that accommodation in Japan is not cheap, and rooms are generally small—sometimes quite small. Many hotels also have dedicated rooms for smokers and others for non-smokers. Another detail is that there are many small accommodations (like inns) and places that offer rooms in the oriental style — if you prefer completely western rooms, see the photos of the hotel you will book to guarantee a good stay! Regardless of when you are going to travel, try to make your reservations far in advance, tourism in Japan is very strong and there are several holidays, which encourage even more travel, including among the Japanese themselves.

Kyoto has hotels for all budgets and a wide variety of accommodations, from hostels to international chain hotels with Western rooms, as well as capsule hotels and ryokans, which are traditional Japanese hotels. As everything is different in Japan, you can enjoy the trip to stay in a different way too!

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