"Kyoto, a cultural highlight" Kyoto by tompt

Kyoto Travel Guide: 1,834 reviews and 5,753 photos

Kyoto a city that once was the capital of Japan. A city full of monuments. A city full of entertainment. A great city to visit.

Kyoto was founded in 794 as Heian-kyo (captital of peace). The city is surrounded by mountains on three sides and divede by a river from north to south. The fortunetellers of the emperor thought this to be the best spot. The city was destroyed several times, by eartquakes, fires and civil war. In the Edo-period Tokyo (=Edo) became much more important and in 1868 Kyoto lost its title of capital.

More info:
- city tourism and cultural information system: http://raku.city.kyoto.jp/sight_apr.html
- Kyoto Visitor Guide Online: http://www.kyotoguide.com/e-whatson/index.html

A fox, messenger for Inari, god of rice and sake

We visited Kyoto for a few days in september 2001. It is so full of monuments and japanese culture that we couldn´t possibly see it all.

We visited a few temples and went to a Karaokebar at night. And we did some 'off the beaten path' things like walking in the hills and visiting Toei Movie Land. But it was by far not enough and we knew we had to visit again.

Monks praying in the Sanju-sangen-do

In 2003 we visited again for a few days. This time we had a few things on our to do list. Things like the Kiyomizu-dera and the Fushimi Inari Shrine.
We walked to the sites we wanted to visit and stopped on the way when we encountered something special. It worked well and we enjoyed our stay very much.

Last visit to Kyoto: Apr 2003
Intro Updated Apr 3, 2006
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Reviews (40)

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Tofuku-ji Things to Do (15)

The Tofuku-ji was founded in 1236 by the priest Enni. It belongs to the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. The present complex... more travel advice

Nouhi Highway bus Transportation (5)

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To-ji Things to Do (15)

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Favorites (5)
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Shopping (2)
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Tourist Traps (2)
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Off The Beaten Path (3)
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Hotels (2)
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Nightlife (2)
See All Maiko
Local Customs (1)
Maiko won´t stop for a picture
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Comments (29)

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loneshopper Nov 20, 2010 at 6:27 PM

Love your photos of old street in Kyoto. Thanks for posting it.
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vic&michael Apr 5, 2005 at 10:39 PM

I've been living in Kyoto for 6 months, and I haven't even done half what you have! Now I have many ideas about what to do and see in the weekends...great tips and photos.
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mvtouring Sep 28, 2004 at 5:34 AM

Nice page with lovely tips. Hope to get to Japan on day.
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upthemountain Feb 11, 2004 at 12:34 PM

Thanks for the practical tips... two more months then we are there!
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BoneDoctor Jan 15, 2004 at 4:45 PM

Thanks for the great Kyoto info!! I'm going there soon and I can hardly wait!
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j-san Nov 29, 2003 at 8:51 PM

ah, the Nanzen-ji aquaduct, overrun by tourist right now - the no.1 autumn leaf viewing temple in Kyoto!
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Aurorae Nov 16, 2003 at 7:35 AM

Fascinating Japan!!! Fascinating page! Beautiful!
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garibaldi Jul 5, 2003 at 6:46 AM

Kyoto station...at sunset...a so beautiful place ! then the night with Kyoto light! thanks to give me a river of memories!
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AyurinHiro May 24, 2003 at 6:01 AM

I'm sure we'll visit Kiyomizu and Fushimi Inari Shrine next weekend! Great pics :-)
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eden_teuling May 15, 2003 at 8:38 AM

G&T ik nam ruim de tijd Japan in te duiken met jullie! fant. goede tips...prachtige foto's en al kijkend en lezend en me daar voelend vloog de tijd voorbij, dat zegt wel wat, hè? dank jullie wel, bes-elisabeth