Kyoto Travel Guide – Experience Japan

Kyoto Travel Guide – Experience Japan

Kyoto (京都) was the capital of Japan for over a millennium, and carries a reputation as its most beautiful city and the nation’s cultural capital. However, visitors may be surprised by how much work they will have to do to see Kyoto’s beautiful side. Most first impressions of the city will be of the urban sprawl of central Kyoto, around the ultra-modern glass-and-steel train station, which is itself an example of a city steeped in tradition colliding with the modern world. Nonetheless, the persistent visitor will soon discover Kyoto’s hidden beauty in the temples and parks which ring the city center, and find that the city has much more to offer than immediately meets the eye.

Though dwarfed in size by other major Japanese cities, Kyoto is vast in terms of its rich cultural heritage – the material endowment of over a thousand years as the country’s imperial capital. The city’s numerous palaces, shrines, temples and other landmarks are spread out over the following districts:

Central – Site of Nijō Castle (a former residence of the Tokugawa shōguns) and the stately grounds of the Imperial Palace. The district’s southern end is anchored by the massive glass-and-steel building of the city’s main gateway, Kyoto Station.

Arashiyama (Western Kyoto) Set against the beautiful tree-covered hills of Arashiyama, this district is rich in both historic and natural wonders.

Higashiyama (Eastern Kyoto) estled between the Kamo River and the temple-studded mountains of Higashiyama, this area’s many attractions include the famed geisha district of Gion and the historic sites strung alongside the well-known Philosopher’s Path.

North Graced with scores of centuries-old shrines and temples, including several World Heritage Sites. One of Kyoto’s most famous attractions – the magnificent gilded pavilion of Kinkaku-ji – can be found here.

South This district covers a large part of Japan’s former capital, stretching from the Ōharano area in the west to Fushimi-ku, Daigo, and the southern tip of Higashiyama-ku in the east.

Nestled among the mountains of Western Honshu, Kyoto was the capital of Japan and the residence of the Emperor from 794 until the Meiji Restoration of 1868, when the capital was moved to Tokyo. During its millennium at the center of Japanese power, culture, tradition, and religion, it accumulated an unparalleled collection of palaces, temples and shrines, built for emperors, shoguns, and monks. Kyoto was among the few Japanese cities that escaped the allied bombings of World War II and as a result, Kyoto still has an abundance of prewar buildings, such as the traditional townhouses known as machiya. However the city is continuously undergoing modernization with some of the traditional Kyoto buildings being replaced by newer architecture, such as the Kyoto Station complex.

The sheer size of the city of Kyoto, and the distribution of tourist attractions around the periphery of the city, make the city’s public transport system invaluable. Kyoto offers an incredible number of attractions for tourists, and visitors will probably need to plan an itinerary in advance in order to visit as many as possible.

Kyoto has a wide range of accommodation, much of it geared towards foreign visitors. During peak seasons, such as the cherry blossoms in April or during Golden Week when accommodation is difficult to get, consider staying in Osaka. A thirty minute train ride from Kyoto Station to Osaka Station will cost you ¥540 one way. Since Kyoto is a major tourist destination, demand is high and prices follow suit.

A lot to see in Kyoto such as :

Kinkaku-ji
Arashiyama
Kiyomizu-dera
Nijō Castle
Gion
Higashiyama Jisho-ji
Kyoto Imperial Palace
Nishiki Market
Heian Shrine
The Philosopher’s Path (Tetsugaku no michi)
Yasaka Shrine
Ryōan-ji
Tenryū-ji
Toji
Nanzen-ji
Maruyama Park
Kyoto Tower
Rengeoin Sanjusangendo
Togetsu-kyō Bridge
Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama
Kōdaiji Temple
Byodoin
Eikan-dō Zenrin-ji
Shimogamo-jinja Shrine
Daigoji
Kifune Shrine
Ponto-chō
Ninna-ji
Kitano Tenmangū Shrine
Katsura Imperial Villa
Mount Hiei
Chion-in
Enryakuji
Sanzen-in Temple
Kyoto Botanical Gardens
Kyoto International Manga Museum
Higashi Honganji
Saiho-ji
Tōfuku-ji
Kurama-dera
Kennin-ji
Kyoto National Museum
Hōkanji Temple (Yasaka-no-Tou)
Daikaku-ji
Sanneizaka (Sannenzaka)
Toei Kyoto Studio Park
Mount Kurama
Shōren-in
Shugakuin Imperial Villa
Jōjakkōji Temple常寂光寺

( Kyoto – Japan ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Kyoto . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Kyoto – Japan

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