Kyoto demands more time than most day trips from Osaka can provide, but an early start makes selective exploration feasible. The former imperial capital spent over a thousand years as Japan’s political and cultural centre, accumulating temples, shrines and palaces. The vermillion torii gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine climb Mount Inari in seemingly endless succession, creating tunnels of colour popular with photographers.
The Higashiyama District preserves traditional merchant architecture along the lower slopes of eastern mountains, where shops sell pottery, sweets and crafts as they have for centuries. Further west, Arashiyama’s bamboo groves tower overhead. The Togetsukyo Bridge spans the river here, backed by forested mountains that transform in the autumn season.
Kyoto’s dining culture reaches its peak in kaiseki or multi-course meals built around seasonal ingredients and precise cooking techniques. In the summer months, dining takes on a distinctive form with kawayuka, where diners eat on temporary wooden platforms over the Kamogawa River, a centuries-old method for beating the heat.
Read more: 9 must-visit Kyoto machiyas, museums and craft shops perfect for design enthusiasts
AloJapan.com