Kyoto Things to Do Tips by konniemario

If there's only one temple that you can visit in Kyoto then let it be Kiyomizu-Dera. Despite the fact that it's becoming one of the highly commercialized temples in recent years, thanks (no thanks) to the endless shops by the 2 slopes that lead to it, it's still one of the most remarkable landmark of the city. It was first built in 798 but the present building was reconsutructed dating from 1633. The temple is made entirely of woods.

The main hall has a huge veranda that is supported by hundreds of pillars and juts over the hillside. Aside from the temple itself, other main attractions would be the Otawa-no-taki, where visitors drink sacred waters believed to have therapeutic powers (yes, I did line up for that one, too!) There's also the lover's stones on two sides and one has to walk from one to the other with eyes closed. If you succeeded, then you'll be ok in the love arena. It was fun seeing people actually do that!

Only complaint about this temple is that being the most popular temple, it's almost always crowded with tourists. We came rather early in the morning and it was already packed.

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Address: Higashiyamaku Kiyomizu
Directions: Take Bus 100 or 206 from Kyoto Station and get off either at Kiyomizu-michi or Gojo-zaka stop and plod up the hill for 10 minutes.

This is the very first temple we visited because it's located very near the ryokan we're staying. The temple's name refers to the 33 bays between the pillars of this long, narrow building that houses 1000-armed Kannon. It's very quiet inside the temple and no one is allowed to take pictures inside.

At the back of the hall are 28 guardian statues in a great variety of expressive poses. Each one of them would have an explanation both in Japanese and English. The gallery on the western side is famous for its annual achers competition and this ceremony dates back to the Edo period.

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Phone: 525-0033
Address: Higashimaya-ku Chaya-machi
Directions: Bus 206 or 208 and get off at Sanjusangen-do-mae stop.

It's a rather impressive complex and quite big indeed. It was our last temple for the day and we were a bit tired when we got there. But the huge space and nice wind and air sort of healed our tired feet and we actually had fun in this shrine. It's hard to miss with its bright orange gate and it has a huge area that leads to the actual shrine. It was built in 1895 to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the founding of Kyoto and the buildings were colorful replicas of the Kyoto Gosho of the Heian Period. My personal favorite is the entrance part wherein you see these huge ropes hanging.

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Phone: 761-0221
Address: Okasaki Nishitenno-cho
Directions: Take Bus no. 5 from Kyoto Station and get off at Kyoto Kaikan Bijitsu-kan-mae stop and walk north.

This is probably the 2nd most famous temple in Kyoto. The original building was constructed in the late 1300's as a retirement filla for Shgun Asikaga Yoshimitsu while son converted it into a temple. It was burnt into ashes in 1950 so in 1955 a full reconstruction was completed that exactly followed the original design. Only difference is that the gold foil covering was extended to the lower floors. It's actually much smaller than you would imagine but overall speaking, it's still worth a visit. Souvenir shops inside the temple complex got some nice stuffs, too!

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Phone: 461-0013
Address: Kita-ku Kinkaku-ji-cho
Directions: Take Bus 205 from Kyoto Station and get off at Kinkaku0ji-michi stop. If from Keihan Sanjo, take bus 59 and get off at Kinkaku-ji-mae stop.

This pavilion was also built by a shogun but his ambition to cover the building with silver was never realized. After Shugn Yoshimasa's death, the villa was coverted into a temple. The whole compound is quite big and it's nice to walk around it. Don't miss the meticulously raked cones of white sand, tall pines and a pond in front of the temple.

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Phone: 771-5725
Address: Sakyo-ku Ginkaku-ji
Directions: Take Bus no. 5 and get off at Ginkaku-ji-michi stop

Gion is one minute walk away from Keihan Shijo Station and is famous for entertainment, shopping, eating and spotting a geisha. It's a mixture of modern architecture, congested traffic, contemporary nightlife and old wooden houses. We had a stroll there on our first night and felt in love with some of the narrow streets there with the yellow lights and red lanterns hanging outside. We were told that those places are where geisha and maiko's learn their craft and if we're lucky, we can spot one or two on their way to their appointments, especially on a weekend. And guess what, we did spot a couple of them! Pop in one of those small restaurants and I'm sure you won't be disappointed either.

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Directions: Gion falls roughlybetween Sanjo-dori and Gojo-dori and Higashiyama-dori and Kawabata-dori.
Website: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3902.html

Once you arrive in Kansai International Airport or in Kyoto Station, don't forget to to ask for help or directions in one of those tourist info centers. Personnel there are very helpful and most can speak decent English. You'll be surprised at how much Japanese tourists flock to these places as well! Don't forget to grab some of the walking tours like for Kyoto, Nara, Arashiyama, etc. These would detail the route you can take if you want to walk. You can also get Bus Maps or other Transportation Maps. Better yet, they will be very helpful in pointing out what itinerary to do depending your number of days in the city.

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Directions: Kyoto City Tourist Information Center is in Kyoto Station Building 2nd Floor just across Cafe du Monde. Kyoto Tourist Information Center is on the 9th Floor of the Kyoto Station Building.

A lot of people say that Arashiyama is a good place to go if you're having a bit of a burnt out from all the temple hopping ;-) It's about strolling in pleasant natural surroundings and visiting temples tucked into bamboo groves. It's particularly packed during the cherry blossom and maple leaf seasons.
It was raining when we went there so we weren't able to do too much walking that day. But it was indeed a nice breather.

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Directions: Bus 28 links Kyoto Station and Arashiyama

Never to miss while in Kyoto is those yummy Green Tea Ice Cream (Mocha as they call it). They can be found in most streets. Prices range from 180 yen to 300 yen. You can also get them from Haagen Dazs vending machines and a small cup costs 260 yen. Did I say it's yummy?!

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If you think you have more time to spare during your visit to Kyoto, you can try what we did...City hopping! By using the Kansai Thru Pass, we traveled to Nara, Osaka and Kobe in one day :-) It's nice to sample, breathe and feel the difference of these cities. Even if the visit to each was very short, it's still worth the travel. More info in my "off the beaten path" section.

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Directions: Just read the Kansai Thru Pass guidebook and it's easy to go to neighboring cities.