Kyoto is really a city of temples. My top 3 places in Kyoto was Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari and Kinkaku-ji Temple (Golden Pavilion). I took the train from Osaka to Kyoto for 1400 yen. Here is everything I did;
One of my top 3 places to visit in Kyoto, Kiyomizu-dera!
My top 3 places in Kyoto
1. Kiyomizu-dera
2. Fushimi Inari Taisha
3. Kinkaku-ji Temple- Golden Pavilion
Northern part
Kinkakuji Temple - Golden Pavilion
Ryoanji Temple - its Rock garden.
Kinkakuji Temple
Kinkakuji Temple-Golden Pavilion. I love the gold color and the nature around it!
Ryoanji Temple
Ryoanji Temple. I only went outside it, but if you have time, why not go inside. It is famous for its rock garden.
Southern part
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Fushimi Inari Shrine- I loved this place!! On my top 3 things to do. I like that it becomes an experience to walk around it. Later there are steps and you will reach a view! I also love the red color against the green nature around it.
Western part - (Arashiyama area)
Bamboo forest
Tenryuji Temple
Togetsukyobridge
Kyoto Forest for pictures.
Arashiyama Bamboo forest
Arashiyama Bamboo forest. Close to Tenryuji Temple.
Tenryuji Temple
Tenryuji Temple. I wondered who it was on the painting inside the temple (which you can see in my picture above if you look very closely). I later found out it´s an Indian monk Bodhidharma.
Togetsukyo bridge and Katsura river
If you have time, you can walk towards the Togetsukyo bridge. There I was walking next to the Katsura river and saw these cool boats.
Eastern part
Kiyomizu-dera!!
Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion)
Gion District (Yasaka Shrine, Nishiki Market, Shinkyogoku Shopping Street Union and Tsujiri Tea House!)
Kiyomizu-dera - one of my favorite places!
A fun story behind the pic. After walking past the temple, and reaching opposite it, you can see a path leading upwards. I saw a guy coming down from it so I asked him "Is it worth going up?" He said, "No, not really". However, I decided to go up the path anyways..LOL. Up there I realized I will have this amazing view of the temple. Maybe I enjoyed it a lot more as he made me have very low expectations:P
Ginkakuji Temple (Silver Pavilion)
Ginkakuji temple, also called Higashiyama Jisho-ji, is a model made after the golden pavilion, unfortunately, it´s not in silver, but I enjoyed the garden around it!
I really liked that the moss was covering the ground (pic taken at Ginkakuji temple).
Gion district
In Gion, you can find Nishiki Market, Shinkyogoku shopping area, Yasaka Shrine, and Matcha ice cream at Tsujiri Tea House!
Yasaka Shrine. It´s open 24h, which is good as many temples in Kyoto close around 5 to 6 pm. Gion is, therefore, a good place to visit during the evening as well.
Other things to do in Kyoto
Try on Kimono!
You should try wearing a kimono! The pic was taken as I passed by Heian Shrine.
Maybe a daytrip to Nara?
Daytrip to Nara.
What to eat
Chicken Katsu
Chicken - Katsu was my favorite dish in Japan! This was during my day trip to Nara.
Japanese curry. It´s a famous dish in Japan. It has a rich and strong flavor. Maybe more like Indian food. The restaurant is called "ASIPAI Curry and Coffee" and was very close to my hostel. The place was cozy.
Soba noodle soup
The restaurant is called いわを, located in Arashiyama. I saw that the line outside the restaurant was long, so I decided to join. Here it is on Google map.
Sukiyaki (beef bowl)
Sukiyaki (beef bowl) is famous. You can find different price ranges for it. I just happen to find it on the menu in a chain restaurant called Sukiya Shijo Kiyamachi at Gion.
Gyoza
I tried gyoza here as a late-night snack. The restaurant is called 餃子の王将祇園八坂店 and is located at Gion.
Even during wintertime, many people (tourists?) were buying ice cream. I love ice cream, but it was so cold outside. However, I ended up eating 2 matcha ice creams during my trip ;)
Late time snack
Every night I used to sit down in my hostel´s kitchen and eat some snacks:P I love fruits (and chocolate), so that´s what I was eating. Especially a big fan of strawberries in Japan!! A must try!
Accomodation
I stayed in Backpackers Hostel K's House Kyoto, Kyoto. I had a nice experience at this hostel.
The hostel is relatively big, however, I stayed in a female room and I met very nice people there. You can decide how much you want to socialize, they have a shared area with a kitchen where you can meet people. I was just sitting there by myself eating my late time snacks and talking with my friends through social media:P It´s a clean hostel, staffs are nice and it´s well located (near Kyoto station). I recommend it!
Bye kyoto! On my way to Tokyo with train
Hope you enjoyed the blog, next one will be about Tokyo! let me know if you have any questions!//Diana
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