I need advice! Which are the best places to see in Kyoto?

Submitted by Amy Gladeye on Wed, 2007/10/31 - 14:15.

Hi,
I'm planning on visiting Kyoto in December but I only have two days to cram my sight-seeing in. If anyone has been please can you recommend the best places to visit? Somehow I don't trust the online reviews from travel sites as they're usually peppered with comments like "too many people" "the weather was too hot" etc. which is an irrelevance. I'm not so fussed about seeing 'the main' sights, basically anything that is a little different is what I'm after.
Thanks a million!
Amy

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goblinrocker's picture

Kyoto recommendations

Submitted by goblinrocker on Wed, 2007/10/31 - 15:22.

I haven't actually seen most of the Big Sights in Kyoto (Kinkakuji, Nijo Castle, etc.), but of the things that I did see I can recommend the following:

Arashiyama/Sagano: This whole area is stunning in the fall, but I expect it's equally beautiful under blankets of snow. If you have the LP guide to Japan, I recommend you do the walk along the Kiyotaki River, which will take you through some beautiful forested areas and a few seldom-touristed temples. Lunch at the thatched Hiranoya teahouse, near Adashino Nembutsu-ji, is a real treat. To help you find it here are two links:

http://www13.ocn.ne.jp/~a0359/index.html
http://nippon-kichi.jp/article_list.do;jsessionid=6C912BD9349DB2BA149038...

Daitoku-ji temple complex: One of the major Zen temple complexes in Japan. I didn't/don't know a thing about Zen Buddhism but I found this place lovely, especially the little temple in its grounds called Koto-in with its maple-lined yard.

JenniferCPark's picture

Kyoto

Submitted by JenniferCPark on Wed, 2007/10/31 - 15:39.

Apparently, there's so much to do in that area, you could go hundreds of times and do/see something new each time.

These came in handy when I went...
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/kyoto/index.html
http://www.kyotoguide.com/ver2/guide/entertainment-.htm

This one is good for printing out guides for specific locations. It also has some on Free things to do....
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/

Thanks guys! Much

Submitted by Amy Gladeye on Sat, 2007/11/03 - 16:33.

Thanks guys! Much appreciated!!

Luka's picture

more kyoto

Submitted by Luka on Sat, 2007/11/03 - 22:18.

+1pts. for Nijo castle, that was probably my favorite site in Kyoto. Its kinda a small place, you I think you can see it all in a couple of days. However, imo, the best part of Kyoto is its proximity to other places. Himeiji, Nara, and Osaka are all pretty close, and if you have a whole day to spare I would also recomend Yoshino(in the spring) and Ise.

goblinrocker's picture

kyoto a small place?

Submitted by goblinrocker on Mon, 2007/11/05 - 11:13.

I think you'd be hard-pressed to scratch even the SURFACE of Kyoto in a few days! But I agree with Luka's recommendation of Nara, which is a more manageable sightseeing destination with slightly smaller crowds. Himeji's a nice half-day trip if the weather is good -- under cold gray skies I imagine its majesty would suffer from general gloominess. As for Osaka, I can't think of any particularly special reasons to recommend it, though I'm sure the city-philes on this forum would disagree.