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Travel notes, Kyoto
Contents |
Two-day guide to Kyoto
You need a map. Kyoto-eki has a tourist center on the eleventh floor or something like that, and you can get an English map there. But they are closed at night and don't open until 10AM. Maybe it is a better idea to print this map somehow. Or you can go to the Campus Plaza Kyoto next to the station, where they have free Internet terminals, and there are maps next to the sign-up sheet.
Day 0
- You will arrive and leave in Kyoto-eki. Take in the amazingness of Kyoto-eki. If you don't understand why it is amazing, go to the main hall and go up the escalator until you see the stairs.
Day 1
- Go to To-ji just before 6AM. They have a morning Shingon service every day in the inner sanctum, and all these old folks will show up at the gate just before 6. Follow them inside, sit seiza, be super polite, and they will sing praise to Kobo Daishi and the Hannya Shingyo. I wouldn't recommend this for beginners. Newbies can stick with their fake geisha service.
- Breakfast at the French bakery (crepes etc.) which is on the other side of the large road, several blocks north from To-ji. Alternatively, just walk towards the Kamo River and stop whereever you see something good. In a pinch you can go back to Kyoto-eki and eat at an overpriced restaurant there.
- Walk down the Kamo River, which is a sight in itself. Don't skip this one.
- In this area there is the Kyoto National Museum. If you like museums buy a ticket, if you don't, gawk at the kind of awesome architecture.
- There is a temple with 1000 life-sized 觀音 Kannons in it across the street, whether you visit that one is up to you.
- Kiyomizu-dera - really a nice place. I recommend getting lost here and walking into the Jodo Shinshu mausoleum by accident thinking it's Kiyomizu-dera. You must buy a ticket to get in, but it gets you to a sacred waterfall, mountain hike, most awesome Shinto shrine, etc.
- Philosopher's Walk - depending on whether you want to walk here from Kiyomizu-dera or if you want to go to lunch first and ride a crowded, grumpy bus to the start of the path, you can do this "forwards" or "backwards". Backwards will take you to the next stop...
- If you didn't have lunch, proceed to Proverbs or Falafel Garden - note that these are hella out of the way but there are French bakeries around there
- Head to Teramachi in central Kyoto and be suitably confused (KFC, action figure store, grocery store, Christian bookstore, traditional cafes, foreigner-bait kimono store, stationery store) by a small, friendly, but nonetheless chaotic imitation of Tokyo.
- Nishiki Food Market intersects Teramachi and is hard to miss. Walk down there and pretend you are an old Japanese dude shopping for tonight's dinner.
- You can go to dinner in any number of decent places in this area. It's all sort of expensive but you were going to spend that money on doujins anyway. If you get lost around Nishiki walk to the end and there is stuff there IIRC.
Day 2
- If you are in a mood to wake up early and you're feeling REALLY adventurous you can go to a Tenrikyo service at 京都市下京区高倉通五条下ル堺町２２−１ around 7am or so. (Don't do this on a whim, call ahead to 075-351-3998.) They do a religious service unlike anything you've ever seen, with a rock band of traditional Japanese instruments. Say hello to Takamitsu for me.
- Go to Arashiyama, walk down the riverside, cross over the bridge and go to the monkey park. This can be either morning or afternoon but it will take about half a day to enjoy. Splendid things there include the Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, bamboo forest, etc. Arashiyama also has the best souvenir shops in Kyoto so be on the lookout for hand-embroidered scarves, cute monogrammed towels, and bunnies made out of recycled silkworm cocoons.
- Fushimi Inari - can also be either a morning or afternoon trip. This looks like just a cool shrine, but it is actually a rather large mountain, and if you try too hard to climb to the top you will find 4 hours has flown by and you are too tired to do anything else. Save some energy for:
- Tofukuji - there are really excellent places to sit and look at the scenery there, so that can also take several hours, but it's not a maze.
- Have dinner at either Cocoichi Curry or Honke Kamadoya (specifically this one-- it's special). There's nothing particularly Kyoto-ish about these places, but thinking about Kyoto made me hungry for them. Now I'm looking at this place on Google Maps and I'm almost drooling.
If you finish these two days you will be suitably exhausted and maybe need to go to an Akihabara maid massage parlor for several hours for relaxation.
- Places you will sadly miss: Saihou-ji, Byoudou-in, Kouzan-ji, most of the cafes. It's OK, I missed these things too.
- Places you can feel free to miss: Imperial Palace, Ginkakuji, Kinkakuji, Ninnaji, Hieizan, Daikakuji, Nijojo, Heian Jingu, Ujigami Jinja Shimogamo Jinja, Nishi and "Higashi" Hongwanji. These places are for scrubs. (Note: I'm betting if any Kyoto residents read this they will hate me)
- Places to loathe: Kyoto Tower