Tokyo VS Kyoto Which is Better | Where to Spend Your Time Travel Guide

Tokyo VS Kyoto Which is Better | Where to Spend Your Time Travel Guide

Tokyo versus Kyoto. Two of Japan’s most popular cities. And today we are going to look at why people have strong preferences on why one is better than the other. Let’s dive into Tokyo and Kyoto to see which is the right place for you. to the next station is [Music] Hey guys, Wong here and today we are going to take a look at the largest city in Japan and the ninth largest city in Japan. We are looking at Tokyo and Kyoto. So unlike in a previous video where I compared Tokyo to Osaka, which are two cities with a lot of similarities, but taking a look at Tokyo versus Kyoto, it could feel like a world of a difference. And that is why some people have said when they visit Japan, they will only visit one or the other. So with that, let’s dive into these two cities and see which one is the right one for you. So, first off, let’s start off with the similarities between the two cities, and then we’ll go into the differences. Tokyo and Kyoto are both large cities, being the first and ninth largest cities in Japan, respectively. Kyoto was the former capital of Japan before it got moved to Tokyo in 1869. The city names themselves are even spelled with the same five letters. Leave a comment below if you didn’t know that. Both cities are filled with Japanese culture and history. Both cities have an imperial palace which you can visit for free and both have guided tours that you can go on. As of October 7th, 2025, both cities have a team lab exhibit. The newest addition to the team lab museum’s list in Japan is Kyoto’s Team Lab Bio Vortex, which offers some unique Team Lab exhibits. In Tokyo, there are two Team Lab museums, Team Lab Planets and Team Lab Borderless, both of which are iconic locations in Tokyo. Both Team Lab Borderless in Tokyo and Team Lab Bio Vortex in Kyoto are permanent exhibits. While Team Lab Planets in Tokyo, on the other hand, even though it is incredibly popular and having just received a large expansion in early 2025, is listed as a temporary exhibit. Tokyo and Kyoto are some of the best places on earth to go for food as the two cities are the first and third on the list of cities with the most Michelin stars with Tokyo containing 194 Michelin star restaurants for a total of 251 stars and Kyoto containing 103 Michelin star restaurants for a total of 134 stars. Paris, France is the city with the second most Michelin stars if you were wondering. In short, whether you are in Tokyo or Kyoto, you will have amazing food options. There are also many temples and shrines in both cities with the biggest ones being the Senoji Temple in Asakusa, which is the oldest temple in Tokyo, and the biggest shrine in Japan, which is the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. Both cities also have great public transportation with mainly the trains along with some buses being the main mode of transportation in Tokyo and a combination of some trains and more buses helping you get around Kyoto. Both cities are also very crowded with Tokyo being one of the largest cities on Earth. Kyoto being a very popular place to visit but a much smaller city. It can easily get overwhelmed by people. With that, let’s dive into the differences between the two cities and what makes each one unique to help you figure out where to spend your time. Let’s go through the differences. Starting off with Tokyo. This is an urban metropolis that is unlike any other in the world. I have a lot of guides on Tokyo, so I won’t go into every detail here, but we’ll take a look at some of the big ones. Tokyo is a city that for those of you who haven’t gone may think that it’s just another city, but Tokyo is one of the most unique cities on Earth with a culture and atmosphere that is unmatched anywhere else in the world. It is filled with skyscrapers and the most modern of technology, and the city itself can be overwhelming because of the sheer amount of things to do and see. And you will never run out of things to do here. From the busiest crosswalk in the world in Shibuya, which sees up to 3,000 people crossing it at a time during peak hours, and for good reason. There is a ton of great things around this crosswalk. from trendy shopping malls like the Shibuya 109 Mall to the highly soughtafter Shibuya Sky, which is an observation deck that you really want to book in advance because tickets sell out fast, especially for the coveted sunset times, which usually sell out within minutes or even seconds of the tickets going live. If you want to book tickets for the Shabuya Sky or other activities or even Shinkinson tickets, which can be pretty expensive, if you book through Clook and use my promo code hang, you can save 10% off your first purchase or 3% for existing users to save yourself a bit of money. Now, back to Tokyo. There are tons of amazing restaurants, which one of my favorites is the conveyor belt sushi place, Ou in Shiuya, which is top tier food for rock bottom prices. But Tokyo has so much more than just things in Shibuya. As we looked at before, the oldest temple in Tokyo is the Senoji Temple in Asakusa. And nearby there you will find the tallest freestanding tower in the world. This is the Tokyo Skytree. You can get breathtaking videos from astonishing heights at the top of the Tokyo Skytree. And this is something that you cannot replicate in Kyoto. If shopping is your thing, then Tokyo is the place to be. With the Harajuku area being a young and trendy area and the luxurious top-of-the-line stores of Ginsa being the pinnacle of designer fashion, there’s no shortage of places to shop for clothes in Tokyo. For a different kind of shopping, you can go to Akihabara for a neverending supply of electronic stores and anime stores. From the massive Yodabashi store with every camera and electronic item you could ever imagine to the tons of anime stores like Radio Kaiiken amongst many others. If you want anime or electronics, you will find it here. The neat thing about Tokyo is the city is so massive that you will find areas for pretty much anything you could want. Just like how Akihabara is the anime and electronic center, you can find shopping centers like in Ginsza, massive parks and calmer areas like in Yueno. And if you want night life, then go to the Kabuki Cho area in Shinjuku. Here you will find plenty of bars in the iconic Golden Guy area. And if you wander around the Kabuki Cho area, you will find plenty of late night restaurants and nightclubs as well. Though, do beware of these scams here that are just trying to get all of your money. Check out my Shinjuku guide if you want more details. One of the greatest things about Tokyo is that the train system is worldclass and it is punctual, efficient, and can take you nearly anywhere in the city with ease. The trains are really something unique, and it is an experience in and of itself just to take the trains around. though just know that it is near silent on the trains as people respect others by being quiet on the trains. There is so much more to do in Tokyo and I have plenty of guides on Tokyo itself. So if you want more info, check those out. Now let’s move on to Kyoto. Kyoto was the former capital of Japan. But since that was moved to Tokyo, this left a lot of culture and history in Kyoto untouched as Tokyo modernized with sprawling skyscrapers. You won’t see the concrete jungle in Kyoto like other more modern cities as the city of Kyoto has embraced culture and history and that is one of the biggest differences between Kyoto and Tokyo. Kyoto has a modern downtown, but most of the city still reflects cultural Japan with buildings and homes that can be over a thousand years old. The Fushimi Inari Shrine is one of the most visited spots in Kyoto and one of the most easily recognizable locations in Japan. If you want to go here, make sure you go early because with its popularity, if you don’t go first thing in the morning, you will find yourself surrounded by tourists and it can make getting photos pretty difficult. The endless paths of Tory gates are iconic to Kyoto and to Japan. Now, while there are many bamboo groves all over Japan, none are more famous than the Arishyama bamboo forest in Kyoto. This is another spot that you must visit early if you want to take photos by yourself without people because tourists do descend on the forest throughout the day and it will be packed. Kyoto also has plenty of pagotas including the tallest wooden pigota, the toji pagota and the yasaka pagota which along with the surrounding streets of Kyoto is one of the most photographed landmarks in Japan. The streets around the Yasaka Pagod are some of the most beautiful and picturesque streets that you will find anywhere in Kyoto. They are filled with ancient homes and buildings that really make you feel the history and culture of Japan in ways that you won’t find in a modern Tokyo. Renting a kimono is a popular thing to do as you roam the streets here and take tons of photos. Nearby you will find the Kiom Mizuera Temple where you can get a stunning view of both the ancient Kyoto and the modern Kyoto. As you look at the city core from this temple that is over 1,200 years old. Nearby you will find the famous Gon district which is best known for its tea houses and geisha. And booking a traditional tea ceremony with a geisha is a unique experience that Kyoto is known for. And of course in Kyoto there is amazing food all over and there are some famous spots that you may want to visit. Two spots that have gone viral are the Kichi Kichchi restaurant which is a place where chef Motokichi Yukimura will prepare omurice with a theatrical over-the-top performance that is perfect for social media. The Kichi Kichchi restaurant is in the historic Ponchoto Alley, which is an area famous for its traditional restaurants. This is good to know because the Ki restaurant is extremely small and has eight counter seats and one small table. And reservations are extremely hard to get and mandatory. So, if you can’t snag one of these coveted seats, you can go to one of the many other amazing restaurants in this historic alley. The other viral online spot in Kyoto is Mambbaka Fire Ramen, where you can get ramen that is literally on fire. It is a unique experience and is definitely a memorable one. Mbaka Fire Ramen also is a very small restaurant with around 20 counter seats available and the lines can get quite long, so go early. You can make a reservation here, but if you do, you can only choose their special set menu, which in my opinion is very expensive as it is $7,130 yen for lunch or around $47 and $18,000 yen for dinner or around $118. If you walk in and order from the menu directly, you can get a base Fire Ramen for $3,300 yen or around $22. All of this is mainly for the fire experience. So that’s what you’re paying for. Now, personally, my favorite place to eat in Kyoto is Guatsu, which is an affordable way to eat Wagu. And this is a chain, but it did originate from Kyoto. And there are plenty of locations all around Kyoto. Here you will be able to order Wagu Katsu and you will get to cook it yourself to your own level of dness and the quality of the meat for the price is unbeatable. It is an experience that I highly recommend checking out. But if you can’t make it out to Kyoto, there are some locations in Tokyo as well. Before we talked about how both Tokyo and Kyoto have an imperial palace, but Kyoto also has another castle, Nijou Castle. This castle is a big attraction in Kyoto with special wooden floors inside that are designed to make noise when stepped on, sounding something like the chirping of a bird. This was done to prevent intruders or anyone sneaking up on the shogun at the time it was built. One more iconic spot is the King Kakuji Temple, also known as the Golden Pavilion. This is what it sounds like, a pavilion with a golden outer layer. This and many more temples and shrines around Kyoto make it a cultural destination that stands out both in Japan and especially when compared to the modern city of Tokyo. I do have a detailed Kyoto guide if you want more details for all the places mentioned in this video. Now, all of this being said, if you could only visit one city, which would you go to? Tokyo or Kyoto? If you are a big city person and want an unlimited amount of things to do in one place, then Tokyo is that place. Tokyo is an ultraodern city and it is filled with over-the-top Japanese culture and it really is a fun and unique city to check out. If you are into nightife and food, then you won’t run out of things to do here. If you want a more cultural Japanese experience, then Kyoto is the place to go. Kyoto is nowhere near as big as Tokyo. And if you are only doing the major tourist attractions, you can do most of Kyoto fairly quickly. But if you are taking your time and really exploring the culture and the historical sites, then you can definitely spend a good amount of time here in Kyoto. The best thing about Kyoto though is that it is so close in proximity to Osaka and to N which gives you easy access to other locations nearby with Osaka being a much more modern city similar to Tokyo. And this is why some people opt to only go to Osaka and Kyoto as opposed to going to Tokyo. All of this being said, a train from Tokyo to Kyoto is only a bit over 2 hours long. So, can you do both cities? You totally can if you want to only stay in one place. Kyoto along with Osaka gives you a glimpse into both the modern and the ancient. While Tokyo will give you just more on the modern side of things. Which city would you visit if you could only visit one? Let me know in the comments section down below and I will see you guys in the next one. [Music]

There are major differences between Tokyo and Kyoto and some people will only stay at one or the other. Which one should you go to? We’ll take a look at the similarities and differences between the two cities and see which one is the right one for you.

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Chapters:
0:00 – Intro
0:25 – The Basics
1:00 – Similarities
1:20 – Names and Culture
1:38 – TeamLab
2:22 – Food
3:00 – Temples/Shrines
3:18 – Transportation and Crowds
3:45 – Difference
3:55 – Tokyo
4:40 – Shibuya
5:48 – Asakusa and Tokyo Skytree
6:17 – Shopping
6:35 – Akihabara
7:18 – Shinjuku
8:17 – Kyoto
8:57 – Fushimi Inari Shrine
9:26 – Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
9:45 – Pagodas
10:29 – Kiyomizu-dera and Gion
11:05 – Viral Restaurants
12:45 – My Favorite Restaurant
13:21 – Castle
13:45 – Temple
14:13 – Decision Time Tokyo vs Kyoto
15:10 – Kyoto Bonus
15:33 – Can You do Both?
15:52 – Final Thoughts

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