Compared to Tokyo, its like Kyoto froze in time. With the old buildings, bamboo forests, shrines and tempels, it should be on everyone´s bucket list.
If you really wanna discover the old fashioned culture of japan, this is the place to go.
Kyoto was served as Japan’s capital and the emperor´s residence from 794 until 1868. It is one of the country’s ten larges cities with a population of 1.5 million people.
Kyoto has been destroyed many times with wars and fires through the centuries. But the reason why all the tempels and shrines is so well kept is because that due to its historical value, Kyoto was dropped from the list of target cities right before World War 2.
But if i visit Kyoto, what should i do and see?
Fear not, I got you !
When I traveled to Japan back in november 2018, it was with 50 other people from my folk high school. One day, 4 of my friends and I decided to leave Nagoya and explore other sides of Japan. With our rail pass (some kind of commuter card) we could go most places with the Shinkansen. So we packed our bags and headed down to the train station.
We got to Kyoto and we were stunned by what our eyes saw.
The most authentic and cultural city, with geisha´s walking the narrow streets. all the wooden buildings with small details on it and the cutest small shops with bread and giftshops. if you walked further down
Tenryu-ji Tempel
This tempel is one of the most important sin tempels in Arashiyama district in Kyoto. Even though many tourists visit this destination, i have never experienced such a calm atmosphere. Here you can really feel that the place has a certain Sin feeling and tranquility. As you walk through the tempel, you feel your shoulders sink. You relax. You enjoy every detail, every smell and every step you take. put your phone away for a moment and just enjoy your Morii moment.
As you walk out of the tempel, you now enter a breathtaking garden. When i was there in November, the nature around had all the colors you could think of. Never ever have i seen the nature unfold itself like this. In the huge lake in the garden, you could see carp in all colors swimming around. Everything was so pretty! Every stone, every flower and every tree was carefully laid out. Like it was ment to stay there. Nothing here was random. If you wanna read more about the background of the tempel, you can find it right here.
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
As you walk through the garden of the Tenryu-ji tempel, you´ll slowly enter this bamboo forrest. The most of the time
you´ll walk while you are looking up. You feel so small among these trees who is up to 82 feet tall (25m) with a diameter on 33 inches (83 cm). This is japans most popular bamboo forrest and therefore you will experience a lot of tourist there. So if you want a pro tip, get there early in the morning to avoid all the human traffic.
It is a beautiful walk, so just enjoy every step you take. Listen to the sounds from the trees. Take deep breaths and sometimes, stop up. close your eyes and enjoy this moment. Doing this is called “shinrin yoku” and can be defined as making contact with and taking in the atmosphere of the forest. This will help you reconnect with yourself and lower your stress level.
Kameyamaya
When you get out of the bamboo forrest you´ll meet the Katsura River. From here, walk to the right and then you´ll meet this amazing restaurant. Its really small and on the ground floor you can sit by high tabels and chairs. When me and my friends were there, they guided us up the narrow staircase to the first floor. once again, my jaw dropped. It was the most charming room with 3 big tables that could easily be seating 24 people. On the floor was tatami mats and small pillows to sit on.
Outside the shoji windows, you could see old boats sailing up the river and the vertical hill on the other side shine bright in all colors. They don´t speak English, luckily for me, i had a friend with me who could speak Japanese. But if you can´t, dont worry. Almost all Japanese restaurants has pictures of all their dishes in the menu. I got a bowl of Oyakikodon (eggs and chicken on rice) and it was amazing, so simpel and so full of flavor. This is a perfect spot for lunch.
Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama
After lunch, go left from the restaurant and continue along the katsura river untill you reach Togetsukyo Bridge. Cross it and then go to the right, from here you´ll meet signs up the hill and this will lead you to Arashiyama Monkey Park. These monkeys are not afraid of you, but they will steal from you if they get the chance. So tuck your laces and make sure that your bags and pockets are shut. They can get really close, but dont try to walk after them. Remember, this is still wild animals. You can walk among them without any problems, but please be respectful and follow the instructions on the signs. This is such a Unique experience and i highly recommend you´ll take the hiking trip up the hill to get this experience. Not only can you meet the monkeys here, but the view over the city is unbelievable. Grab your friends at go already ! 🙂
Was that all Kyoto had to offer?
Noooooo, Kyoto is so much more and our blogs are getting updated as soon as we go back to this wonderful place. Not only Kyoto, but you can read more about Japan and other countries in our other articles. Stay tuned friends.
We promise to bring you much more than just this <3
