Best Places in Kyoto
After three trips to Kyoto I could fill a book with what to see, but that is not what you need. You need the short list, the places I would climb on a plane for again, and the quieter corners that made Kyoto my favorite city in Japan. Here they are, built around the way I actually spend my days there.
Kiyomizu-dera for the view that starts early
High on a hillside in the east of the city, Kiyomizu-dera gives you the classic postcard view over Kyoto, with its wooden stage projecting out over the valley. The secret is the hour. I climbed up before the tour groups arrived, and had the platform nearly to myself as the city woke below me. By mid morning it is shoulder to shoulder. Go at first light, take the quiet side streets up, and it becomes one of the great experiences of the trip.
Kinkaku-ji, the golden pavilion
The gold leaf pavilion reflected in its pond is as striking in person as in any photo, and it earns its reputation. It is busy all day, no way around that, but it is busy for a reason. I went in November when the maples behind it were turning, and the whole scene had a glow I have not forgotten. It is best approached as a single, simple stop rather than the center of a packed day.
Fushimi Inari before the crowds
The thousands of red gates climbing the mountain are astonishing at any hour, but dawn is transcendent. I walked it at first light and the light slanted through the gates in a way the midday visitors never see. The climb takes a couple of hours to the summit if you go the whole way, and the view across the city from the top is worth every step. Go early, wear good shoes, and take the forest paths on the way down.
The Philosopher’s Path in any season
This canal side walk between the eastern temples is lovely in cherry season and underrated the rest of the year. I have walked it in autumn and winter, when the crowds vanish and the path becomes a place of quiet reflection. Small shrines and tea houses line the route, and it connects several temples, so you can make it a half day without much planning.
Gardens that ask you to sit still
Some of Kyoto’s best places are not temples at all but their gardens. Ryoan-ji’s famous rock garden, with its fifteen stones you cannot see all at once, deserves a long sit. The moss garden at Saiho-ji is a timed, ticketed experience that forces you to slow down, and it was one of the most peaceful afternoons I have ever had. These are places to be quiet, not to photograph and leave.
The alleys and the food
Leave room for the city itself. The narrow lanes of Gion at dusk, lantern lit and full of possibility. The Nishiki market, where I grazed my way through a full lunch. A tiny ramen counter, a riverside cafe, a sweets shop I found by following my nose. Kyoto’s everyday corners fed me as well as any temple fed my spirit, and some of my best meals cost the least.
The neighborhoods between the temples
Do not spend all your time on the famous grounds, because the districts between them carry half the charm. Gion’s lantern streets at twilight, the old merchant lanes east of the canal, the riverside walks where locals head at the end of the day. I found that wandering these quieter quarters taught me more about Kyoto than any temple visit, and often produced the best meals and the best accidental discoveries. My advice is to plan your big sights in the morning, then let the afternoons dissolve into whatever neighborhood you happen to be standing in. The best Kyoto is the one you find while trying to walk somewhere else.
How to pace a few days
Here is how I would actually spend the time. Wake early each day for one big sight, Kiyomizu one day, Fushimi Inari another, Kinkaku-ji a third. Fill the middles with garden sitting, quiet walks, and market food. Close each evening with an unhurried dinner and a wander. Three or four days at this pace covers the city without exhausting you, and leaves room for the accidents that become your favorites.
Kyoto is at its best when you stop treating it as a list. Pick the few places that call to you, go to them at the right hour, and spend the rest of your time letting the city happen around you. I have done exactly that across three visits, and the moments I treasure most are the ones I could never have planned. That is the real best place in Kyoto, the one you find by accident in the middle of a perfect day.
