What to do in Kyoto (and why you should ditch your plans)

What to do in Kyoto (and why you should ditch your plans)

[Music] [Applause] [Music] Welcome to Kyoto. Will and I arrived on March 17th after a bit of a weekend blowout in Osaka. Oh my god, this is so much bigger than our last place. We stayed somewhat central, right near the station because Kyoto’s main sites are scattered kind of everywhere. Kyoto is home to something like 1,600 temples and 400 shrines. That number is insane. There’s just so much to do here. And if you’ve ever opened Tik Tok trying to figure out what to see, you’ll be hit with like army style itineraries from the crack of dawn to midnight packed with like no seconds to breathe. We both know that’s the absolute fastest way to burn out. But you want to know the best way to see Kyoto? Just be here and get lost. On travel days, we’d flesh out the afternoons by heading to the shopping streets, mainly as motivation to get out of the room and get a good first impression of the city. And for what it’s worth, Kyoto might actually be one of the best cities for shopping in all of Japan. That evening, Will dragged me to try Japan’s infamous unagi don at a restaurant perched at top uh Kyoto station, which is absolutely massive, by the way. Unagi is a pretty traditional dish. It’s basically fried eel over rice, which sounds pretty hectic at first, but yeah, this place was fancy, and there was like a whole ritual around eating it. The experience was topnotch. Kind of tastes like salmon. It’s actually lovely. Look, I didn’t really sell that, but trust me, it was actually pretty good. We wrapped up the night with a view of Kyoto Tower from the top of the station before resting up for a big day ahead. That way, good morning. Actually, it’s dead on 12. Good afternoon. We are in Kyoto and might be able to tell by the tone of my coughs, etc. We are still sick. Hence the late start. So yeah, we were in Osaka for the weekend. Had a big bit of a bender and uh made our way to Kyoto. Today we are off to [ __ ] what’s it called? We’re basically going for a bit of a day out in the nice old parts of Kyoto. Where is it? Kyo Mizu. That’s the one. We’ll start there. When you hear complaints about over tourism in Kyoto, nine times out of 10 they’re talking about Gillon. Gon is a historic geisha district on the east side of the Camo River, famous for its winding alleys, tea houses, and shrines. And these days, it’s also kind of known for its crowds. It’s fairly safe to say that this place is quiet during the week. Um, no, there’s so many [ __ ] here. Not to say I didn’t expect it, but yeah, once we get through this mosh bit, I’m sure we’ll be at the ever so beautiful grounds of the temple. Our first stop of the day was Kio Mizuera Temple. Its name means pure water temple after the Ottoa waterfall it’s built on. We were pretty lucky coming here at the start of spring as the weather was perfect and we were just getting our first glimpse at some Sakura. It was truly very beautiful. Not to justify over tourism. It would be quite hypocritical after my last video, but Kyoto isn’t just any city. It’s been Japan’s cultural heart over thousands of years. Back then, it was the imperial capital, home to like emperors, samurai, and some of the country’s most important temples and shrines. People have been visiting Kyoto for like centuries as a pilgrimage destination. Tourism looked different back then, sure, but people still flock to its gardens and palaces and sacred sites, and that legacy hasn’t faded. So, yes, it’s busy, but there’s a reason the crowds keep coming back. Where’d he go? This way. Oh, you got buy ticket first. Will and I have uh we were discussing whether we should pay for this temple entrance fee thing cuz we didn’t really know what it was, but looks like you can go like DLC mode. So much more to explore this complex. How much is it? 500 yen cash. That was quick. I mean, I could have just showed him anything. [Music] It looks pretty sick. Sorry about our guys. We’re so filtered. Why do you look like that Korean guy that goes to the [ __ ] convenience stores? Like, you know, the one that like So that was again. Okay, I will rate it quite highly 7 out of 10. It is quite impressive building structure and that was so busy, but I kind of made it fun. people watching and whatnot. One thing I must say though is there’s no real signs or any indication of how old anything is. Well, there might have been. I just didn’t see it. But it was more of like a enjoy the aesthetics over enjoy the history. That’s kind of what I got from it. Anyway, off to Ginger. What? Ginger or you sucker ginger. All right. Um we’re just going to navigate our way through these streets of hell and find you on the way there. They’re kind of cool though. Yeah. So after that, we walked about 10 minutes through the alleyways down to Yasaka Pagod. If you’ve seen a photo of Kyoto Skyline, you’ve seen this pagod. But I’m pretty sure that this is the really famous bit where everyone says it’s really busy. And guess what? It’s really busy. Thank you, too, bros. [Music] Luckily, it’s kind of sunny cuz I am now freezing. But hello. I’m going to burn in hell. I’m hungry. That was so pain. That was good. Uh, just this one, please. [Music] So, technically, this is Yasaka Shrine. The last place we were at was Yasaka Pagod. [Music] It kind of feels like a an ancient Japanese fairground carnival. [ __ ] going on. Okay. Yeah, that’s fine. Okay. Japanese omelette with pork cheese topping. [Music] So beautify there. You do that. Oh, let’s go over there. Can you see that? All right. So juicy. I got it all over my hand. It hits all the Japanese flavors. Pickled, eggy, mayoy, soy, meaty, juicy. Did I say eggy? Lovely. I’m going to finish it. That was lovely. We are going to Maruyama Park, which is just Well, it’s where we were initially going to go before we stumbled across this place, but it is just over there. Yeah, the view is nice. [Music] I mean, this place is kind of just a park. So, it would be so nice when there’s cherry blossoms, but yeah, there’s 100. Apparently, one of the biggest cherry blossom trees ever is over there. But right now, it’s just twigs. So, we might dip to our next. All of All of these would just be pig. Why should we keep walking? [Music] We are supposedly at Kodai Temple. Temple. Yeah, temple. And we have discovered that there is a bamboo forest here, which kind of puts a spoiler towards what we’re doing tomorrow. So hopefully the one we go to tomorrow trumps on this one. One thing I’ve noticed is constantly under construction. This is into the temple. Yes or no? Yeah. Okay, let’s go. How much does it say? What? 600. M pricey. Just kidding. Videos. Uh, you walk through a garden and the grove and actually does look cool. I think we should do it. This is the resting place of Toyotomy Hideoshi, the great unifier of Japan. Remembered for locking the country into rigid social classes, warriors, farmers, artisans, and merchants. And later shogun of Japan. Ah, I like the shirt. Like, it’s actually sick. I’m starting to feel real rundown. I’m soldier on. But yeah, I really shouldn’t be recording in here. So, revive me. At the end of the path is a small bamboo grove, which honestly could save you the trek to the bigger one up north that we visit later. Oh, it looks pretty sick from this way as well. Those two buildings out of the whole thing were worth my $6. the like original welcoming hall or whatever it was and the um the burial chamber of Kiroshi and his wife Na that is like such a seriously powerful historical figure Hidoshi in Japan. So the fact he’s just buried in there is actually pretty sick. All righty poo. We are heading to Gillion for the last temple of the afternoon. Kenan G actually over in Gona. So that’s where we want to spend the rest of our afternoon. It’s so nice walking around these old places, but the amount of people kind of does get on your tits a little bit. I was just walking down the road just then and these two people in front of me just stopped and I nearly got run over and killed. Yeah, a bit of an exaggeration, but still, you know what it’s like. I think you meant to do it and you put your message on. Ah, we wrapped up the temple run at Kenji, the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto, founded in 1202. Keni Temple. The light is starting to look a little bit mysterious and magical instead. After we finish up here, we’re going to go to just walk around the Gillon. Gillon. I keep wanting to say Gian like lion makes sense to me. Arato. Arato, mate. Anyway, let’s explore. If you’ve seen my Matsushima video, you’d know that the temple there was a Zen temple, too, created in homage to Kyoto’s prestige. My theory is that they copied this one. Anyway, inside Keninji, there’s this massive twin dragon painting covering the ceiling. And honestly, it was jaw-dropping. Like, I How did they even do it? How bloody amazing was that? Now, we’re going to go to uh what did I say? Shirakawa Canal for our final just like little kickback vibe spot before we get something to eat. Rest our little legs cuz it’s been a long day of walking. It’s like kind of looks like Fitzroy. Kyoto isn’t really known for its night life, but we gave it a shot. We found this little back street which runs parallel to the river. It’s lined with izakayas and bars. So, me and Will did what we do best and made a bit of an impromptu pub crawl. We are here. Ponto. It’s cool little Oh, wow. That’s actually really cool. Look at this. This part here beer and it caught your eye. What? You said beer. So, do you like beer? Yes. I was open. I was like, “Oh, it’s a kids.” I opened this and I was like, “The closed realiz I’m so keen for just sitting here for a extended period of time while it gets dark. My legs are barking.” Chess [Music] need [Music] [Music] that was fun. And by fun, I mean really, really chill. All right, next bar. [Music] Everyone’s so dead. 2F [Music] camp. Where are we going? [Music] Oh, really good. [Music] See you later. Ever seen a Prius with emotions? I meant emotions. Emotions. It’s actually not bad. She does. Okay, it is day 2. Uh, it’s actually 2. Yeah, 2:22 p.m. We basically I woke up feeling like bond class. We need to do washing and [ __ ] and the weather is unspectacular. So, we’ve had a bit of a chill morning, but we’re on our way to King Kakuji, the golden pavilion temple thing up in the north. And then we’ve got a couple other things climbed up like the bamboo forest and the thousand pagod thousand gates. The T to gate thing. My theory is that by the time we get to the Tory gates, it’s going to be fairly late. One, it’ll be dark, and two, hopefully there’ll be absolutely no one there. Unlikely, but you know, it’s a irregular time, but yeah, I think the the Golden Pavilion and the Bamboo Forest are just going to be packed though. No doubt. So yeah, day two was about the big icons with the first stop being King Kakuji, the Golden Pavilion. Originally, it was built as a retirement villa in the 1300s, but now it’s one of the most photographed buildings in all of Japan. Okay, so basically we I saw a bus at the bus stop and assumed that that bus would take us to the shrine. I said on the billboard or whatever. Anyway, gone the wrong bus. Is it gold leaf? Is it real gold? No, the outside’s gold. But it’s on the inside what matters most, right? Oh my god. Thanks. So, apparently you’re not allowed to film and walk here. Actually, sorry. You’re not allowed to walk here. The golden pavilion isn’t just flashy for the sake of it. The gold leaf was meant to reflect the pure land of Buddha. Basically, a paradise on earth and also to show off the power and wealth of the shogun who built it. So, yeah, a spiritual symbolism, but also a bit of a flex. This is another part of where everyone’s trying to take photos across the Oh god. Bang. I can freely walk and film now. That was cool. Stop that, man. That was cool. I think that now that I know that it is goldplated and not just painted gold makes it better. But you are really just walking around one building. Uh tourists, there was a lot of them. But wasn’t too bad. Uh it was actually kind of fun just seeing Americans try to lift it up. So dumb. But I mean, live your life, king. Look at this mountain. Okay, we got to catch a 50-minute bus. Wait, 50 minutes? By my calculations, the sun is going to be quite low. Does that make it better? Dot dot. We will find out. 50 minutes on the bus to Arashiyama Bamboo. forest. What about taxi? Okay, we we’ll figure it out. Next, we headed west to Arashiamyama. Back in the Han era, this is where nobles came to like escape the city. And you can see why it’s completely postcard Kyoto. Kind of jealous. They’ve got blankets. We We are increasing in tourist uh volume. Siri, how fast does bamboo grow? Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on the planet, growing 35 to 40 in per day. That’s crazy. Answer is from gardeningbank.com. Where is Guarding Bank? Guard Denning Bank. You to go. It’s getting dark. Why does everyone use the panorama function on their phones, cameras, but just portrait? That’s pretty crazy. What the skipping? Wait, what’s his name? It’s 5:15 right now. And as you can probably tell, there ain’t too many tourists. Not packed as I was previously led to believe it would be. I can’t believe 30 in a day. Why on earth isn’t everything on Earth made out of bamboo? every single thing would be solved. Last time I was here, I walked down that path really far and eventually I ended up on the water and he found the bridge by the bridge. I mean, the bridge, the smidge, bro. Um, but this place is cool. Like, I didn’t think I’d thought that I would struggle enjoying the bamboo as much as I do, but it is very aesthetic. The bamboo grove is beautiful, but beyond that, unless you want to hike or like see the monkeys, there isn’t loads to do this far out. So, yeah, just keep that in mind. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. So much food. This is so [ __ ] expensive. And you just get a stick. I reckon find somewhere to eat now, then catch the bus to uh the Tory gates and then we go I still kind of want to go to that um that market. But Oh, yes. Yes. Yes. Depends how late we finish up at the gates. But Oh, look. Look at the cow. Um okay. But no, the smell is great. I never know how to get to the end part here. Was that objectively worth $5? Not at all. It just tastes like chicken. But was it subjectively the best thing I’ve ever had in my life? Oh yeah. The trade station is like the lie. the gates. So, do we have to climb to the top of a mountain or some [ __ ] This is this is a new thing, right? Like, this is just a tourist attraction. Yeah. Uh I don’t even know what to expect. I don’t really care that much, I don’t think. But Kyod, got to see it. This is actually crazy. Like last time I came here was in the middle of the day and this area was like [ __ ] 500 million people jostling for position. Really might have oversold it a bit but oversold what the 500 million people. There was a lot of people. 500 million is quite a bit especially in a small area. It wasn’t quite shoulder to shoulder but it was like a lot of people. These are the famous Tory gates. These gates have stood here for centuries. Each one donated by like a business for good fortune. When I first realized this, I was like, “What the [ __ ] Surely this isn’t just some marketing gimmick.” But nah, it actually goes back to like the 8th century. The shrines are dedicated to Inari Okami, the deity of agriculture, rice, and later like prosperity and business. So yeah, I get it now. It is, as they say, the industry pitch black, but these little lanterns are kind of serving a little illumination. But yeah, if you’re really come if you’re thinking about coming here to take photos at nighttime, either bring a tripod or prepare for some grain. We made it. Is this the summit? We didn’t hike all the way up, but the lower section was more than enough. Something I have determined during my time here in Kyoto is that even if the spots are really busy, sometimes that makes it better, which is the first time I’ve ever said something like that. Anyway, that is us here. Nishki Market. [Music] We found it. [ __ ] It’s legit closed. Oh my god. What a waste of time. And now this is a testament as to why you don’t [ __ ] get out of the house at 2:00. I’m just joshing. It was necessary. Back to that lane going to be really tiny bulky. Johto doesn’t need to be 3 or 4 days of militant planning. I’d argue that you can get what you want from Kyoto as like an overnight stay in the Gillion area or really even a day trip from Osaka. The fun here isn’t ticking temples off a list. It’s exploring alleys and stumbling on little surprises and letting the city, you know, like breathe. Travel is super soulless when rigid. It becomes like a chore. So yeah, Kyoto proves that if you ditch the plan, you get the best out of it. Anyway, speaking of Osaka, that’s where we’re back to next. This time to lock in. We’re going to explore every nook and cranny with the same philosophy as here, whilst kind of like ranking all the different day trips you can get up to from around the city to uh try and squeeze the most out of it. It’s bound to be a big one. So, uh like and subscribe and I’ll catch you over there. So fast. Perfect timing. I know. You got it. I’m very surprised. Yeah, I know. So am I. Thank you. How has your night been? Yes. [Music] Been busy. Where are you?

Join us, as we explore Japan’s ancient capital in hopes to de-influence your itinerary, by just ‘going with the wind’ and seeing what we come across.

In this slow and peaceful Kyoto travel vlog, we make our way thought temples, lantern-lit streets, and quiet back alleys, letting the city unfold naturally, instead of following a rigid Kyoto itinerary, that seem to be plaguing socials at the moment.

It turns out… letting curiosity guide you, is the best way to experience it all.

If you’re planning a trip and wondering what to do in Kyoto, this video shows why sometimes the most memorable adventures happen when you just be there and just get lost.

Timestamps:
00:00 – intro + shinkyogoku shopping st
01:05 – trying unagi (grilled eel)
01:36 – understanding gion
02:40 – kiyomizu-dera
04:37 – yasaka pagoda
06:04 – yasaka shrine
06:30 – kyoto street food
07:18 – maruyama park
08:07 – kodai-ji temple & bamboo grove
10:03 – kenin-ji zen temple
11:17 – pontocho alley pub crawl
13:41 – day 2 game plan
14:50 – kinkaku-ji (the golden pavilion)
16:27 – arashiyama (bamboo forest)
19:03 – fushimi inari (tori gates)
20:52 – nishki market + final thoughts

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