7 MUST Visit Places in WESTERN KYOTO – JAPAN Travel Guide

7 MUST Visit Places in WESTERN KYOTO – JAPAN Travel Guide

Welcome to historical Kyoto part two. [Music] All righty, fellow travelers. Welcome back to Adventures of a Traveling Don and our continued series here in Japan. And this is part two of historical Kyoto. So, we’re about to head into the Imperial Palace to go check that out. But first, let’s go grab some coffee or some tea and something to eat first, just to get us started. So before you enter the imperial palace just north of the Sewan Gman gate, uh there is this kind of like small little shrine called the Nashinoi shrine and there is this beautiful path that leads up to it. And on that path is a coffee house, this coffee house Nashinoi. And it is beautiful. It’s almost kind of like it looks like one of those old like all these houses kind of like those old ghetto style period houses. Phenomenal. The cold brew is really good. And you can even get like a chestnut like button um right here. So, this was all about 1,000 yen for the two of them. Absolutely delicious. That is fantastic. and just have this kind of serene background to it. You can do some like Oh, you even hear the gong going off. So cool. [Music] Now that we’ve had our coffee and just a little nibble to get us started, we are now here in the Kyoto Gyan National Garden. And this is basically the grounds of the palace and the gardens around it. And this is absolutely massive place. You could probably spend like half a day just walking all the different forested trails, seeing the tea houses, the ponds. It’s just nature and serene. Absolutely fantastic. And of course behind me are the walls of the old imperial palace. Now I believe the Maji uh dynasty moved the I think it was around 1866 1869 somewhere along there is when they moved officially to Tokyo. But for the longest time the Imperial Palace was the home of the emperor here in Japan. So, we’re going to actually see if I can get into I believe you can get into uh the Imperial Palace. Not sure which gate I have to go to, but we’ll walk around and find out. But anyway, even if you never visit the palace itself, walking the gardens, walking the grounds here, absolutely phenomenal. [Music] Okay, so we made it into the Kyoto Imperial Palace and it is free admission to get into the Imperial Palace. They will check your bag and do uh give you one of these little passes. You want to keep these on you at all times just so that they know that you are a visitor here. And of course, it is a massive sprawling complex. It actually I think the imperial palace goes back to like the 790s of the Hyan dynasty. However, it the original place was not here where it’s at. I think it was a couple kilometers away. I think by 13 the 1330s uh the particular dynasty that was reigning at that time moved to the Imperial Palace and then established it here permanently. Um, the buildings that you see, I think only go back to like 1885 because after fires and erosion and stuff like that, it was restored in the late 1800s really only about a decade before they moved to Tokyo. So, it’s kind of interesting. Um, they still have like state visits and things like that. There are parts of the Imperial Palace you cannot obviously go into. Um, and there’s even guest house areas where you can’t go into outside of this part of the palace. But even still, it is really kind of cool. Like I said, it’s free admission to come in. Just check some of the dates because I guess whether it’s state visits or other uh things that are going on, um there are dates throughout the year where it is not open to anyone. [Music] All right. So, the second spot that we are visiting is Nijou Castle. And this is a castle that was founded by Tokugawa Ayasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunet. And it is beautiful. The grounds are absolutely immaculate, phenomenal. It is as much smaller space than the imperial palace, but even still, this was kind of the the heart of the Tokugawa power during the reign. And it was just h it’s phenomenal. You if you go and get the ticket, so there’s two tickets. 800 yen to do the grounds and then 1,300 yen to do the whole thing, including inside the palace. And inside the palaces, the artwork is phenomenal. I couldn’t shoot in there, but it is well worth it. So, definitely get that full ticket and enjoy the grounds. [Music] So after the castles, before we go to the shrines and temples, I wanted to stop and get some lunch. And I honestly found a gem of a place I was not expecting. And this is called Sukiyaki Noi. And number one, the interior in here is just fantastic. It’s a small little sukiyaki spot just off one of the main roads. And it’s just beautiful place. Absolutely phenomenal. And they do like a whole presentation with the sukiyaki. This is not just where um in the past a place I went to in Tokyo, which was really good, but they basically gave it to you all at once. This is a whole sukuyaki experience. And the first I started off with like the the preparation of everything with the beef fat and just kind of doing the initial grill of the Wagyu premium Wagyu sashimi is phenomenal. I just oh those first bites were just amazing. And then of course you have everything here. You just kind of dip that in the egg. This is premium Wagyu and just go with that. It gets messy, so you need a bib. But absolutely delicious. Everything about this experience is probably one of the best food experiences I’ve had so far in Japan is just the beef is tender, melts in your mouth. You can pull it apart with your teeth. You don’t need anything. Got the tofu here. Oh, this is just absolutely phenomenal. The whole experience here is just amazing. So, and it like this I think this whole setup for me with, you know, Coca-Cola and stuff is about like 4500 5,000 yen. Not that expensive at all for a full experience. Absolutely amazing. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] All right. So, the first of the temples that we are now visiting is King Kaku Ji Temple. And this is a fantastic temple. This is basically the temple of the Golden Pavilion as you can see behind me and it is definitely a popular tourist destination. Like the amount of people that are here is ridiculous. It’s on the level of Fushimi Anati and um Kio Mizua. So definitely you want to get here early or you’re just going to have to deal with the crowds. But it is a phenomenal golden pavilion. I believe the estate was uh purchased during the Ashikaga Shogunit. I think it was uh Shogun Yoshiitsu I believe it was. I could be wrong on that. In 1397. They say that this was built by 1399, somewhere around that time. But it is phenomenal. This actually is a reconstructed building that was built in 1955 after an arson attack um in 1950. But it is a beautiful, beautiful temple. The pond with the background is phenomenal. And of course, just like any of these temples, the grounds absolutely amazing. [Music] All right. So, the second temple that we are visiting is the Rianji Temple. And this is a beauty. It’s a very serene. There’s not as many people here. So, this is going to be a little bit more of a immersive experience just because you’re not fighting with the tourists to get pictures of, you know, like the Golden Temp Pavilion in King Kakuji. This is just kind of more of a basic but beautiful Buddhist Zen temple that has this fantastic little island in the middle of a pond that’s got this shrine here behind me. And it’s just it’s heavily wooded. Um, lots of shade, lots of trees. There’s just so much kind of unique, beautiful nature to this place. It has inside the main temple, which you can go in and actually take pictures in this one, uh, it does have a beautiful rock garden, so a nice zen rock garden to check out. So, definitely worth checking all that out. There is some artwork in that temple that you can also see as well and get some nice shots of, but an absolutely beautiful place. It’s about 600 yen to come into and it’s along this kind of trail leading us west and southwest from Kakuji. So, but yeah, this is Ryanji Temple number two. [Music] So the third of the temples that we are visiting that are kind of in a line to visit is Ninji and this one is I believe actually established the oldest. This goes back to the Han dynasty uh which is basically the 800s at the time I think when the original building was built. Uh of course it was destroyed like many other temples during the great Onin war here in Japan. And it is a fantastic set of grounds. There’s got a little bit more of kind of like a symmetrical way that it is compared to uh King Kakuji and even Rioni. So it’s got like these kind of like different type different like pagotas on either side. Absolutely phenomenal. So I’m here kind of like near the end of the time that they’re done. So I got to get out of here. But this is a beautiful beautiful temple. I highly recommend seeing and it is well worth the visit. [Music] So, after a long day out, particularly if it’s been nice and hot, you definitely want to come down here around sunset to the Arashyama Park. Now most people of course know Aashiamyama for its infamous bamboo forest and the Tendriuji temple that it resides within it. However, coming down here to the Katsura River and the Arashyama Park which is on both sides including this island area that we are on which is the I believe it’s called the Nakanoshima uh part of Arashyama Park. By the way, I said say all of these names 10 times fast. It’s a tongue twister. But it is absolutely phenomenal just kind of like the way the canal works here, the bridge. It’s just very scenic with all the mountains in the background. You have, of course, Sangio Gorge back there as well. And during the daytime, you can of course take boat cruises uh through the gorge and up the Katsura River. Uh or you can even kind of like rent your own little rowboats and stuff like that. So, it is a lot of fun. It’s beautiful. I’ve been up here already uh once before actually getting some footage for this video because there’s two ways to see Arashiam before particularly in October when I’m filming this. One is during the daytime and that is what you’ll see now. [Music] So that was the beauty of Tenriuji temple. and Arashyama bbe forest during the day. Now let’s check a rashyama forest at night. [Music] So every October during the entire month of October, they have a kind of like lantern setup at nighttime throughout the entirety of Arashamu. bamboo forest particularly. There is one part where they have kind of cordoned off and it is about 1,500 yen to experience it, but it is phenomenal. Like the lighting scheme and you just kind of walk through these paths that are beautifully lit up is just absolutely fantastic. Like the only other thing I think I’ve ever seen at that scale and it was a bigger scale was um the Christmas lighting setup at one of the parks in Insbrook in Austria. That was phenomenal. But this is really cool. You just walking through the forest and the way that they, you know, curate all of the lights and how it all works out. It’s just fantastic. So, I highly recommend if you come here in October, you know, as it starts to cool down, particularly at nighttime, this is a great thing to do to come to Arashiamu Bamboo Forest. Come early. It goes from 6:00 to 9, 8:30 is the last in. And sometimes there is a lineup, so it is very, very popular, but it is well worth it just to kind of experience kind of the whole lantern light up of Arashiamu Bamboo Forest. Very cool. [Music] All righty, travel done. So, that’s going to be the end of this particular video and the two-part series delving into the history and culture of the temples here in Kyoto. And as you saw between these two videos, and if you haven’t watched the first one, go back and check that out. Leave a link in the description. But between the two videos, you know, we went to two palaces. Uh we of course saw what about nine nine to 10 temples, uh maybe a dozen total, um and shrines all combined. That is a drop in the bucket compared to what is truly all across Kyoto. And of course, we’ve probably hit most of the more uh you know, popular ones when it comes to uh tourism. So, I highly recommend getting out there and finding those the smaller ones uh you know, the ones like I pointed out um like Comparagu and stuff like that that don’t get a whole lot of attention because they are all still so amazing as you walk through. This city is phenomenal when it comes to history and culture of Japan. It’s just I’ve fallen in love. Absolutely fantastic. And I hope you guys enjoyed all of the little food places in between where you can kind of get a nice breakfast, lunch, uh coffee, something to just kind of keep you going when you are doing that long walk through Kyoto to just see all of these shrines. So, all right guys, if you like the video, of course, give it a big old thumbs up. Of course, subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already. Hit that notification bell so you will know when any of the new stuff comes out. If you want to help support the travels even further and of course get some exclusive merch, I do have a Patreon page and a buy me a coffee account. Links will be down in the description. And guys, until we meet again, peace out. Have a great night. [Music]

Join me as I explore the western side of Kyoto, Japan’s ancient capital full of temples, gardens, and timeless charm. From the majestic Kyoto Imperial Palace and historic Nijo Castle, to the peaceful Ninna-ji and Ryoan-ji Temples, all the way to the golden brilliance of Kinkaku-ji and the breathtaking Arashiyama Bamboo Forest — this journey captures Kyoto’s perfect balance of tradition and nature.

🌸 Why visit Western Kyoto?
This area offers some of the city’s most iconic landmarks and scenic tranquility — a must-see for any Japan itinerary!

📍 Locations:

Kyoto Imperial Palace
Nijo Castle
Ninna-ji Temple
Kinkaku-ji Temple
Ryoan-ji Temple
Tenryu-ji Temple
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

💬 Let me know in the comments: which Kyoto spot is your favorite?

👍 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more Japan travel vlogs!
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Chapters:
0:00 – Intro
1:00 – Best Coffee House in Kyoto
3:29 – Kyoto Imperial Palace
5:30 – Nijo Castle
6:52 – Amazing Sukiyaki
9:11 – Kinkakuji Temple
10:35 – Ryoanji Temple
12:15 – Ninnaji Temple
14:34 – Arashiyama Bamboo Forest & Tenryuji Temple
15:48 – Bamboo Forest at Night