Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Welcome to Kyoto
Kyoto is old Japan writ large: quiet temples, sublime gardens,
colourful shrines and geisha scurrying to secret liaisons.
Temples, Shrines & Gardens
There are said to be over 1000 Buddhist temples in Kyoto. You'll find true masterpieces of
religious architecture, such as the retina-burning splendour of Kinkaku-ji (the famed
Golden Pavilion) and the cavernous expanse of Higashi Hongan-ji. Within the temple pre-
cincts are some of the world's most sublime gardens, from the Zen masterpiece at Ryōan-ji
to the riotous paradise of moss and blossoms at Saihō-ji. And then there are the Shintō
shrines, monuments to Japan's indigenous faith. The mother of all shrines, Fushimi-Inari-
Taisha, has mesmerising arcades of vermillion
torii
(shrine gates) spread across a moun-
tainside.
Cuisine
Few cities of this size offer such a range of excellent restaurants. Work your way through
the entire spectrum of Japanese food, from impossibly refined cuisine known as
kaiseki
to
hearty plebeian fare like
rāmen
. There's also a wide range of French, Italian and Chinese
restaurants, where the famed Japanese attention to detail is paired with local ingredients to
yield fantastic results. Best of all, many of Kyoto's restaurants are in traditional wooden
buildings, where you can gaze over intimate private gardens while you eat.
The Japanese Way of Life
While the rest of Japan has adopted modernity with abandon, the old ways are hanging on
in Kyoto. Take a morning stroll through the textile district of Nishijin and watch the old
Kyoto ladies emerge from their
machiya
(traditional town-houses) to ladle water onto their
stoops. Visit an old
shōtengai
(shopping street) and admire the ancient speciality shops:
tofu sellers, fishmongers, pickle vendors and tea merchants. Then join the locals at a local
sentō
(public bath) to soak away the cares of the day.
