Kyoto was on our bucket list with its amazing temples and castles. We were spending 2 days in this amazing city. This gem is only 40-minute far away from Osaka by train. We used our Japan Rail Pass for the train ride. The Instagram-hype is so huge about Kyoto so we were expecting something really special. This is one of the main reason why we couldn't miss the most famous sights in Kyoto. Let see what is the must-see places!
Public transport
Kyoto is a big city with 1.5 million inhabitants, however the public transport is quite sluggish. The bus network is not really up to serve efficiently the tourist crowds while the main sights are very away from each other. Choosing bike for riding the city is a good option. We skipped this opportunity because we not sure how to get along without checking our mobile all the time. Due to these drawbacks we have visited less places than we've originally planned.
Main attractions in Kyoto
Kyoto is a typical tourist destination in Japan, so you should prepare yourself for massive crowds. Despite this, it is a truly magical city. If you are first time in Japan, don't miss out Kyoto.
1. Fushimi Inari Shrine
Fushimi Inari Shrine is one of the most hyped sights in Kyoto and mainly famous for its tori gates. If Japan is on your bucket list, I'm sure these pictures below looks familiar. Let see what you should know about this shrine! The history of this place is quite interesting.
Instagram vs. reality
Source: Wikimedia, Commons.org
History of the shrine
This is a Shinto shrine, which is dedicated to Inari who is the god of Rice. The tori gates are impressively lining up and down the hill. Every tori gate at the shrine serves as a donation to Inari. We have observed that the donators' name is carved in the gates. Moreover there were several carved foxes who serves as a messengers of Inari according to the myth.
The gates lead you on a trail into the forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds. The higher grounds deep in the forest have very special atmosphere. (Source: Japan-guide.com)
Experiences & suggestions
We have arrived to the shrine around 10 AM and realized that we were already so late. Fortunately as we went higher on the trail we saw less and less people. The trail was reasonable although the map wasn't so accurate. We had much fun since we walked several hundred meters, but the map showed that we were still in exact same crossroad. Finally, we have decided not go up the highest point of the hill. The view of the city was stunning even from our last spot. Of course capitalism doesn't stop at the entrance: the more generous your donation is, the more monumental your gate is.
The different size of the gates
If you would like to avoid the crowd, I suggest you should wake up early and get there at around 7 AM (or even earlier). There weren't any additional fee to enter it. In spite of the crowd, we have enjoyed the trail and the shrine very much. To sum it up, the shrine is worth the hype.
2. Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
Our second place to visit was the famous bamboo grove of Kyoto. Due to the beautiful Instagram posts, I had high expectations. It is located on the opposite side of the city, so you can guess what was crowd situation by the time we got there around 10 AM (picture on the right side).
Instagram vs. reality
Source: pinterest.com
We had no chance to take a picture without people. The bamboos were beautiful, but the place haven't got any unique atmosphere itself. Actually it wasn't enjoyable at all so we were a little bit disappointed. So the key takeaway is again to get there early!
2. Kinkakuji or Golden Pavilion
The Kinkakuji or the Golden Pavilion is the next one in the row. It is also a popular landmark in Kyoto. This place was my favourite one in this amazing city. Let see why!
This pavilion has got an interesting history. The temple was the villa of one of the Japanese shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and according to his will it became a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect after his death. (Source: Japan-guide.com)
The golden details of the pavilion was breathtaking. The Japanese garden which surrounds the temple, what also tidy and beautiful as well.
Opening hours: 9:00-17:00
Admission ticket: 400 yen
As it is a famous place in Kyoto, there were so much tourist. It was annoying but somehow more bearable, than the other places. We were standing in a queue at the fence to be able to took picture without others.
4. Kiyomizu Temple
The temple was added to the list of the UNESCO world heritage sites in 1994. This is one of the reason why it is so popular. The temple was originally associated with one of the oldest schools within Japanese Buddhism. (Source: Japan-guide.com)
Instagram vs. reality
Source: Webmagazin.com
Unfortunately the main hall was under construction as you see in the right picture. Luckily the other parts of the temple was really astonishing. This place is also definitely worth the hype.
Opening hours: : 06:00 am - 06:00 pm
Admission ticket: 400 yen
+1. Arashiyama Monkey Park
The Arashiyama Monkey Park is the first place which was not on every single must-see list, but it was so much fun. In the park, there are 120 snow monkeys, which are also called “Japanese macaque' who are living freely on the hill.
The monkeys are still considered wild therefore there are some regulations that one should follow: Don't make an eye contact! Don't fed them only from the wooden house as you see in the pictures! Don't pet them!
This was a really great experiences for us, so we strongly recommend it!
All in all these was our main impressions about Kyoto, which is an amazing city with its unique heritage. We highly recommend it!
Next up: Hiroshima
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