I love getting requests that are more casual. Party dresses…
Tips: Kyoto
{A quick disruption to your regularly scheduled Mary Tyler Moore week}
Have you been to Japan? Kyoto in particular? Rob and I have friends living in Kawanishi and we’re thinking about a trip this fall.
Any advice on places to stay or things to see while there would be wonderful!
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I've been a couple time! I adore Kyoto. Such a beautiful city. Here are my suggestions:
Kyomizudera (the temple in your photo there)
Ryoanji Temple
Nijo Castle (where the Nightingale Floors are)
Himeiji Temple (the most beautiful gardens in the city)
Kinkakuji (The Golden Temple from all those postcards)
If you have time, I really suggest you make the 45 minute train ride to Nara, the ancient ancient capitol. I lived there for a few months and it's really quite lovely (just full of tourists in parts).
Oh also, I've stayed at the Palace Side Hotel in Kyoto. It's pretty central and easy to get to.
http://www.palacesidehotel.co.jp/english_site/
Thank you Andrea! This is such great advice. Email me if you'd like a custom friendship bracelet as a small token of appreciation!
I really enjoyed walking around and popping into random small temples in the Arashiyama and Sagano area. The bamboo groves were lovely to walk through.
I haven't been able to get to these places but they are always highly recommended: Ginkakuji ( silver pavilion) and Katsura Detached Palace. You have to make an appointment with the Imperial household and it's outside of the city for the latter, which is why I haven't managed to see it yet.
For shopping, Nishiki Market is fun. It's an arcade with a mix of shops.
Sally
I've been silently following your blog for a long time – not sure that I've ever left a comment! Kyoto in the fall is possibly the most beautiful place I have been.
Every time we would turn around my husband would freeze, and look at me and say "I can't take it anymore… it's just SO BEAUTIFUL".
Our flickr set from Kyoto here.
Go. You won't regret it!
Thank you for the glowing review! And the photos – they're incredible!
We were in Tokyo and Kyoto in April 2010. In Kyoto we stayed at Ryokan Nishijinso… I can't say enough about how wonderful our stay was there! I made my reservation via http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com. The Ryokan had a traditional Japanese bath, which we took full advantage of after sight-seeing for three days. They had bicycles for us to use for free and the city is very accessible via the bus system.
I hear that the Nishiki Market is very cool.
http://www.thankyouforthedays.blogspot.com
There's a self-guided walking tour you can take called, I believe, The Philosopher's Walk that takes you to various gardens, temples and little neighborhood shrines. Very pretty way to spend an afternoon. If you get a chance, please spend some time at a traditional Onsen, a hot-spring bathhouse. They are so wonderful and especially great after a day of sightseeing. It's similar to Kabuki Springs in San Francisco, which I went to when traveling, because I was hoping to re-create my Onsen experience!
Hi Emily!
We were in Japan this January and spent a little time in Kyoto.
I can also recommend the Nijo Castle and the side trip to Nara. Additionally, we went to Fushimi Inari–such a beautiful shrine. We stayed in the fabulous Screen Hotel–pricey but modern and swanky and awesome.