kyoto.md (8434B)
1 +++ 2 title = "Kyoto・京都" 3 +++ 4 5 ## General wandering around town 6 7 ### Nishiki market・錦市場 8 Kawaramachi Station (Karasuma subway line)・河原町駅（地下鉄烏丸線） 9 10 You should totally do this. It's an awesome walk through a working market 11 selling everything from miso to spices to bowls and teacups to fish. There are a 12 bunch of restaurants around here too. ([Wikipedia][nishiki_ichiba]) 13 14 [nishiki_ichiba]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nishiki_Market 15 16 ### Pontocho・先斗町 17 Pontocho is a narrow street that runs north-south on the west side of the Kamo 18 river. Lined with restaurants and typical Kyoto style [inuyarai][]. Definitely 19 worth a visit at night. In the summer, many of the restaurants along the river 20 attach large decks for outdoor dining in the evening. ([Wikipedia][pontocho]) 21 22 [pontocho]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponto-chō 23 [inuyarai]: https://www.japan-architecture.org/inuyarai/ 24 25 ### Ne-ne no michi・ねねの道 26 Kawaramachi station (Tozai subway line)・河原町駅（地下鉄東西線） 27 Gion-shijo station (Keihan line)・祇園四条駅（京阪線） 28 29 If you do the walk through Yasaka shrine to Kiyomizu temple, wander through here 30 on the way. It's a touristy but fun old-school area of Kyoto. You'll probably 31 see a bunch of fake maiko (geisha apprentices) wandering around, but sometimes 32 real ones too. ([More info][nene_no_michi]) 33 34 [nene_no_michi]: https://www.japan-experience.com/all-about-japan/kyoto/attractions-excursions/nene-no-michi 35 36 ## Shrines and temples 37 38 Wikipedia has a good overview of the best-known [Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto][historic_monuments]. 39 40 [historic_monuments]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic_Monuments_of_Ancient_Kyoto_(Kyoto,_Uji_and_Otsu_Cities) 41 42 ### Fushimi-Inari shrine・伏見稲荷大社 43 Fushimi Inari Station (Keihan line)・伏見稲荷駅（京阪線） 44 45 This is the well-known shrine with the thousands of red 'torii' gates. 46 Definitely worth a visit. It gets crowded during the day but if you go early in 47 the morning (6:30 or even 7am), you'll practically have the place to yourself. 48 After the first set of gates you end up at a sort of second area with a couple 49 little shops etc, but keep following the narrow steps up and there's some nice 50 hiking up higher (and it's less crowded). ([Wikipedia][fushimi_inari]) 51 52 [fushimi_inari]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fushimi_Inari-taisha 53 54 55 ### Shimogamo shrine・下鴨神社 56 Demachiyanagi Station (Karasuma subway line)・出町柳駅（地下鉄烏丸線） 57 58 Built in the 5th century, but there's been stuff there since the 8th century BC. 59 One of 17 Unesco world heritage sites in Japan. There are sometimes festivals, 60 events, marriages, here. Fall colours should be nice too in the short walk 61 through the forest to get there. ([Wikipedia][shimogamo_shrine]) 62 63 [shimogamo_shrine]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimogamo_Shrine 64 65 66 ### Kiyomizu temple・清水寺 67 Gojo Station (Karasuma subway line)・五条駅（地下鉄烏丸線） 68 Kiyomizu-gojo Station (Keihan line)・清水五条駅（京阪線） 69 70 Worth a visit even though it’ll be busy with tourists. The area around is fun 71 too. Another Unesco world heritage site, autumn leaves are great and there’s a 72 good view of Kyoto. Built ~1400 years ago. A couple options to get there: 73 1. Start at Yasaka shrine (Tozai subway line: Sanjo station or Higashiyama 74 station, or Keihan line: Sanjo station) wander through it, till you end up in 75 Maruyama park. There’ll be some small ponds and a cafe or two, turn right 76 (south) and find Ne-ne-no-michi (a kind of narrow street) and wander through 77 the winding streets from there, and up the hill. Before you head up though 78 consider turning north and making a quick visit to Chion-in (see below) since 79 it’s about a 2 min walk from there. 80 2. Start at Gojo-Zaka and head up this narrowish path called 'Toribeno Sando' 81 through that goes past Toribeyamataishakutenotsumyo Temple and through the 82 big spooky graveyard. Or do both -- up Matsubara-dōri and down the hill. 83 Japanese cemeteries can be pretty photogenic. 84 85 ([Wikipedia][kiyomizu_temple]) 86 87 [kiyomizu_temple]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyomizu-dera 88 89 90 ### Chion-in・知恩院 91 Shijo Karasuma Station (Karasuma subway line)・四条烏丸駅（地下鉄烏丸線） 92 Shijo Station (Keihan line)・四条駅（京阪線） 93 Higashiyama Station (Tozai subway line)・東山駅（地下鉄東西線） 94 95 I’m kind of embarrassed to say that it took me 33 years of visiting and living 96 in Kyoto to actually go inside, but definitely worth a visit. Go through Yasaka 97 Shrine to the east and when you get to Maruyama park, there’ll be a couple ponds 98 and some shops. Turn north here and walk up the road a couple minutes till get 99 you to a massive gate called San-mon (三問), head up the stairs and go inside. 100 ([Wikipedia][chion_in]) 101 102 [chion_in]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chion-in 103 104 ### Nanzenji・南禅寺 105 Keage Station (Tozai subway line)・蹴上駅（地下鉄東西線） 106 107 This is one of my personal favourite temples. There are usually not too many 108 tourists, but if you want to check out a 'real' temple, it's definitely worth a 109 check out on a day you feel like a quiet laid back walk. Also good for fall 110 colours, and it's got a some neat nooks and crannies and smaller areas to 111 explore right next door. Even though they charge ~300 yen to go up to the top of 112 the big gate, the view is good and you can just sit down on the balcony up there 113 and check out the view/read a book, etc. ([Wikipedia][nanzenji]) 114 115 [nanzenji]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanzen-ji 116 117 ### Daitoku-ji・大徳寺 118 Kitaoji Station (Karasuma subway line) + 15 min walk・北大路駅（地下鉄烏丸線） 119 120 Probably the highest temple + garden density in Kyoto. 121 ([Wikipedia][daitokuji]) 122 123 [daitokuji]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daitoku-ji 124 125 126 ### Nishi-Honganji and Higashi-Honganji・西本願寺と東本願寺 127 Kyoto Station・京都駅 128 129 These two temples are just a few minutes walk from Kyoto station. Both are large 130 Buddhist temples ordered built by shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu in the late 16th/eary 131 17th centuries. They're not particularly spectacular, but they are really 132 convenient to get to if you're downtown. If I had to pick just one to visit, I'd 133 pick Nishi-Honganji. Wikipedia entries for [Nishi-Honganji][nishi_honganji] and 134 [Higashi-Honganji][higashi_honganji]. 135 136 [nishi_honganji]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nishi_Hongan-ji 137 [higashi_honganji]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higashi_Hongan-ji 138 139 140 ### Nijo Castle (Tozai subway line: Nijojo-mae station). 141 Technically not a shrine or a temple, and not a big huge badass castle like 142 Himeji or Matsumoto, but lots of artwork on 'fusuma' sliding screens and history 143 stuff if you're into that. If you're not, then probably underwhelming. 144 ([Wikipedia][nijojo]) 145 146 [nijojo]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nijō_Castle 147 148 149 ## Stores and shops 150 * Isetan department store in Kyoto station (or really any Japanese department 151 store). There's usually a section of Japanese tableware (chopsticks, bowls, 152 teapots, etc.) in the top few floors of most Japanese department stores. 9F 153 has kimonos/yukatas. 10F has stationery and tableware. As noted on the main 154 Japan page, the top floor has restaurants and the B1 floor is absolute madness 155 filled with delicious take-out food. Other alternatives are Takashimaya or 156 Daimaru in the Shijo area. 157 158 159 ## Anti-recommendations 160 161 * Heian Shrine. Just a big massive gate, lots of gravel, and few trees. 162 ([Wikipedia][heian_jingu]) 163 * Kyoto tower. Built pretty much when everyone needed some crappy tower... this 164 is the Calgary Tower of Japan. 165 * Osaka Castle. I realise it's not Kyoto, but if you want a castle whose outside 166 fools you into thinking you're about to check out a historic castle, but 167 that's actually been renovated into a kind of crappy museum with an elevator 168 to the top, this is the place. ([Wikipedia][osaka_jou]) 169 * I'm not a huge fan of the Imperial Palace, not that it's crap, it's just big 170 and quite empty-ish. That said, I think you can get into a bunch of places now 171 that no-one ever used to be allowed in to. It's actually quite nice on rainy 172 days, but can be scorching in the summer. ([Wikipedia][kyoto_gosho]) 173 174 [heian_jingu]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heian_Shrine 175 [osaka_jou]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osaka_Castle 176 [kyoto_gosho]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Imperial_Palace