- Introduction: An Overdue Trip To Kyoto
- Review: JetBlue Mint Business Class A321 (MIA-LAX)
- Review: Four Seasons Los Angeles At Beverly Hills
- Review: Starlux Airlines Business Class Airbus A350 (LAX-TPE)
- Review: Starlux Airlines Lounge Taipei Airport (TPE)
- Review: Starlux Airlines Business Class Airbus A330neo (TPE-KIX)
- Review: Park Hyatt Kyoto, Japan
- Review: Ritz-Carlton Kyoto, Japan
- Review: Four Seasons Kyoto, Japan
- Review: Shisui Nara, Marriott Luxury Collection
- Impressions From Our Trip To Kyoto, Japan
- Review: Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge Kansai Osaka Airport (KIX)
- Review: Japan Airlines Business Class Boeing 787 (KIX-LAX)
- Review: American Airlines Business Class Boeing 787 (LAX-MIA)
During our trip to Japan, we spent roughly a week in Kyoto, which we split between the Four Seasons, the Park Hyatt, and the Ritz-Carlton. This was my first trip to Kyoto in roughly a decade. To be honest, my last visit was brief and the weather wasn’t very nice, so that probably didn’t leave me with the best impression. This time around, I loved Kyoto, and I’m already looking forward to returning.
Admittedly that hardly makes me unique, as Kyoto has become such a popular tourist destination, and it’s no doubt overcrowded. But still, like many popular tourist destinations, they’re widely visited for good reason.
On the blog I heavily focus on the journey rather than the destination, and that’s just because that’s where I think I can provide the most value. There are lots of amazing destination resources out there, and I’m not trying to compete in that area. However, sometimes I like to share impressions of destinations as well, so in this post I wanted to do that for Kyoto.
In no particular order…
In this post:
I adore visiting Japan
Before I talk specifically about visiting Kyoto, I just have to say how much I enjoy spending time in Japan. Every time I land in Japan, I feel like I’m on a different planet. There’s something so nice about traveling somewhere that has little crime, and where service is consistently excellent, everything is spotless, and people are courteous to one another.
Would I ever dream of living in Japan? No, to be honest. It’s too high context of a culture for me, and I don’t love how rigid everything is. But my gosh, there’s no place I’d rather visit, and I’m just consistently in awe at how different the culture is compared to what I’m used to at home, and it’s such a breath of fresh air.
As expected, Kyoto is very crowded
Nowadays peoples’ travels are largely influenced by what they see on social media. For example, you’ll see people posing at the Fushimi Inari Shrine as if they’re the only visitor. The reality for most people, unsurprisingly, is very different.
If you go to any of the most popular attractions in Kyoto, expect that you’ll basically be swimming in a sea of people. That’s true even in non-peak season, and even during non-peak hours. For example, below is what Fushimi Inari Shrine looked like during our visit.
I felt like when we visited the most popular attractions, we were dodging (sun) umbrellas, trying to be respectful of people doing photoshoots in their rented kimonos, and were just avoiding running into people.
Of course it’s still possible to capture nice pictures, but just be realistic that your experience almost certainly won’t look like what everyone posts online.
Kyoto is the perfect blend of city & nature
What makes Kyoto such an interesting destination (and what also makes up for the crowding) is that the place gives you the best of both worlds. Among tourists, Kyoto is best known for its nature and history, as the area around Kyoto has endless temples, gardens, and more.
But beyond that nature, Kyoto is a legitimate city, with a population of around 1.5 million. That’s of course a large city by international standards, though it’s only a bit over 10% of the size of Tokyo, for example. So you can be in one part of Kyoto and feel like you’re in the middle of Tokyo, and then you can be in another part of Kyoto and feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere.
Personally I’m not a huge fan of vacationing in major cities, since to me it feels more exhausting than relaxing. Yet in Kyoto, I really felt like I was in a more rural destination, with the flexibility to also have access to a major city. Kyoto strikes a great balance in that regard, and I suspect that’s one of the things that makes the destination so popular.
Kyoto has amazing dining & hotels
With the rate at which tourism demand in Kyoto has grown, we’ve seen an unbelievable number of new luxury hotels open in Kyoto. At this point, Kyoto has to be one of the most competitive and impressive luxury hotel markets in the world, and the options keep increasing (for better or worse).
While hotel rates in Kyoto are very high, fortunately we even have lots of great points hotels. There aren’t many cities that have truly impressive options from most of the major global hotel groups. So for those of us who like visiting fun destinations and having a great hotel experience, Kyoto is tough to beat.
Then there’s the food, of course, Kyoto has an endless number of amazing restaurants, no matter what style of Japanese food you’re looking for. Japan is such an unrivaled food destination, because there aren’t many places where so much pride is taken in serving quality food. Dining in Japan isn’t just about eating, it’s an experience.
Japan is surprisingly affordable right now
In recent months, the Japanese Yen (JPY) yen has been at an all-time low, making it a great time to visit Japan. Hotels in Kyoto are outrageously priced, with the top luxury hotels often going for $2,000+ per night. However, aside from that, I found Kyoto to largely be very reasonably priced, at least when converting to US Dollars (USD).
Whether we’re talking about restaurants, or taxis, or public transportation, or entry fees for temples, I felt like most prices were surprisingly reasonable. Typically when I’ve visited Japan in the past, I was a bit taken aback by how expensive many things were, but I didn’t get that feeling this time around. I guess that’s the benefit to a currency being around one-third less valuable than the last time I visited, eh?
Bottom line
We had the best time in Kyoto, and I can’t believe I hadn’t visited in a decade. If you’ve never been to Japan, Kyoto is an approachable destination that has a lot to offer, from beautiful nature to a cool city. However, expect it to also be very crowded, as it has become one of the most popular global travel destinations.
I definitely want to return to Kyoto at some point, though there are a lot of other places in Japan that I’d like to visit first. I think our next destination in Japan will be Niseko, to check out a different kind of ski destination (vs. the United States and Europe).
If you’ve visited Kyoto, what was your experience like?
Your description of Kyoto is spot on. I visited Kyoto, along with Osaka and Tokyo last month (10/23). The crowds were ridiculous, even when arriving at the shrines by 7am. The pics you posted could have come from my camera, as they look almost identical to the pics I took, including the hordes of Instagram addicted tourists. Fortunately, Japan and its weak Yen currency help to make a visit to Japan quite reasonable right now,...
Your description of Kyoto is spot on. I visited Kyoto, along with Osaka and Tokyo last month (10/23). The crowds were ridiculous, even when arriving at the shrines by 7am. The pics you posted could have come from my camera, as they look almost identical to the pics I took, including the hordes of Instagram addicted tourists. Fortunately, Japan and its weak Yen currency help to make a visit to Japan quite reasonable right now, which no doubt is a big contributor to the many people visiting now. It was a far better value than the insane expensive pricing in England, which I visited over the summer, with equally heavy crowds of people. I would happily go back to explore more of Japan, this time in the smaller and less visited cities.
My wife and I visited Kyoto at end of Sept. Stayed at the RC (my 2nd time). Coming from NYC, we enjoyed wandering around the city, looking into small shops and eating. We did a few Michelin restaurants at night which were wonderful (from a NYC perspective, not expensive). Lunch was much simpler, ramen, soba etc. Yes, Kyoto's tourist sites can be crowded. We went with a private guide who helped us avoid the crowds...
My wife and I visited Kyoto at end of Sept. Stayed at the RC (my 2nd time). Coming from NYC, we enjoyed wandering around the city, looking into small shops and eating. We did a few Michelin restaurants at night which were wonderful (from a NYC perspective, not expensive). Lunch was much simpler, ramen, soba etc. Yes, Kyoto's tourist sites can be crowded. We went with a private guide who helped us avoid the crowds as much as possible and gave us a good lay of the land. We enjoyed our stay and look forward to our next visit.
We just got back from Kyoto and agree with everything the author said EXCEPT about the cost of hotels. We stayed in two hotels while there. Both were between $150 and $200 per night and offered beautiful rooms, excellent and gracious service, and a warm and inviting atmosphere. You don't need a 5 star hotel in Kyoto as service, food, and comfort are excellent everywhere.
100% true! Hotels in Kyoto are only expensive for those who place arbitrary star ratings or brand restrictions on themselves. There are literally hundreds of accommodations available under ¥30,000 per night, including many in Gion and Higashiyama.
just returned from japan a few weeks ago. like you, it’s one of my fave places to visit. kyoto in the tourist spots was mobbed. but when you aren’t at the famous temples, shrines or markets, it’s quite sane. japan continues to be the cleanest place i’ve ever visited. Googled “best ramen/yakitori near me” and rewarded with exceptional food served by people who were quite welcoming. rented an AirBnB and it was convenient and well-priced....
just returned from japan a few weeks ago. like you, it’s one of my fave places to visit. kyoto in the tourist spots was mobbed. but when you aren’t at the famous temples, shrines or markets, it’s quite sane. japan continues to be the cleanest place i’ve ever visited. Googled “best ramen/yakitori near me” and rewarded with exceptional food served by people who were quite welcoming. rented an AirBnB and it was convenient and well-priced. also went to osaka for the first time and loved it.
The usual sightseeing places in Kyoto are packed during autumn season. Moreso with overtourism returning. However, there are still places in Kyoto not overrun by tourists. One can still slow down and appreciate them slowly without the tourist hordes. During the autumn season, some places have limited period of night openings for the night light-up of the site. They are worth visiting to see those places in a different light.
With respect to food, Kyoto...
The usual sightseeing places in Kyoto are packed during autumn season. Moreso with overtourism returning. However, there are still places in Kyoto not overrun by tourists. One can still slow down and appreciate them slowly without the tourist hordes. During the autumn season, some places have limited period of night openings for the night light-up of the site. They are worth visiting to see those places in a different light.
With respect to food, Kyoto is a really good food city. Lots of restaurants and small eateries offering diverse Japanese fare, modern fusion, Western fare, and Asian cuisines in-between. Some of these places are away from the crowded areas and, especially for the small eateries that have limited seating, along the alleyways well off the main roads. One needs to be intrepid to find those.
Last time I went to Kyoto the hotel manager was very rude because I booked the Ryokan under the premise of having a parking space because that’s what their website offered, the manager told me to go to another hotel if I wanted parking and told me it was my mistake that the website said there was parking, he even asked me to prove it, when I did he just huffed and said it was a mistake.
The blame game is a common issue in Japan, or so it would appear. Housekeeping attempted to enter the room at 9PM one night despite the "do not disturb" light turned on and woke me up. I called the front desk to determine the issue and the front desk told me I did not have the "do not disturb" light turned on and I did have the "make up room" light turned on. I inquired...
The blame game is a common issue in Japan, or so it would appear. Housekeeping attempted to enter the room at 9PM one night despite the "do not disturb" light turned on and woke me up. I called the front desk to determine the issue and the front desk told me I did not have the "do not disturb" light turned on and I did have the "make up room" light turned on. I inquired the next morning and the manager indicated housekeeping was investigating whether or not I turned the do not disturb light off and the make up room light on while I was sleeping. And this is at a 5 star, $750 a night hotel...
Oddly enough housekeeping called me two hours earlier to determine the status of housekeeping and I indicated housekeeping was neither required nor desired for the entire stay.
After multiple inquiries housekeeping brough me a note and a candle. Never imagined housekeeping would be working at 9PM at night so the entire situation was a bit disturbing.
@Ben,
I hope that picture of sushi is not meant to be representative of amazing food. That is some truly sad looking sushi. The egg is obviously not prepared with any care or skill, and some of the other neta is decidedly tired and past due.
Japan is an amazing food destination, and while even the sushi at 7-11 is actually superior to what you get in many places outside of Japan, you...
@Ben,
I hope that picture of sushi is not meant to be representative of amazing food. That is some truly sad looking sushi. The egg is obviously not prepared with any care or skill, and some of the other neta is decidedly tired and past due.
Japan is an amazing food destination, and while even the sushi at 7-11 is actually superior to what you get in many places outside of Japan, you should really treat yourself to some of the high end sushi experiences. They are often surprisingly reasonably priced.
I just left Japan, my 12th trip involving a stay there. They have generally involved 10 to 21 days there, with 11 involving at least a couple of nights in Kyoto (my favorite city due to being imvolved in gardening and landscaping as a long term hobby).
It's worthwhile for some people to hear about top of the line hotels. I spent four nights at one of the nicer Daiwa Roynets (there are four within...
I just left Japan, my 12th trip involving a stay there. They have generally involved 10 to 21 days there, with 11 involving at least a couple of nights in Kyoto (my favorite city due to being imvolved in gardening and landscaping as a long term hobby).
It's worthwhile for some people to hear about top of the line hotels. I spent four nights at one of the nicer Daiwa Roynets (there are four within two blocks of Kyoto Station). I've stayed in all four at one time or another. For comparison costwise, my four night stay cost was roughly $600 USD. I was five minutes from the JR Shinkansen and other JR Lines at Kyoto Station and the subway stop for the Karasuma Line.
The Station area has abundant food court options, for a variety of budgets and cuisines.
My wife & I have stayed in Kyoto on 9 separate occasions since our first visit to Japan in 2009. On all but 2 occasions we've chosen to stay in late January, early February. Obviously, it's cold, gardens & parks are not at their best but accommodation is generally cheaper & there are relatively few other tourists making public transport, in particular, more comfortable to use
While Kinkakuji, Fushimi Inari & Kiyomizudera, for example, are...
My wife & I have stayed in Kyoto on 9 separate occasions since our first visit to Japan in 2009. On all but 2 occasions we've chosen to stay in late January, early February. Obviously, it's cold, gardens & parks are not at their best but accommodation is generally cheaper & there are relatively few other tourists making public transport, in particular, more comfortable to use
While Kinkakuji, Fushimi Inari & Kiyomizudera, for example, are often still crowded, we've been to other equally interesting shrines & temples & seen less than a dozen other people at times - on one memorable occasion we didn't see anyone other than the person in the ticket office
Obviously, if you go to see cherry blossoms or autumn colours you have to expect higher accommodation costs, crowds & the associated inconveniences of travelling during the peak tourist seasons
That bowl of sushi in your photo is a horrible misrepresentation. You most certainly weren't served sushi all at once and with pieces touching each other. It looks like you visited an inexpensive conveyor sushi restaurant and put as many pieces on a round plate for the photo.
Aside from that I got that Japan is amazing and too crowded. Deep dive...
I have visited Japan many times, my favorite place in the world to visit. Kyoto is only 30 minutes by train from my friends home, so we have visited often. Each time is a different, but wonderful experience. So much history there, you can really learn much about Japan in Kyoto. I would suggest attending Kabuki once.
Was this post at all influenced by someone posting on Flyertalk that you never leave your hotel room?
If it was, I’m glad you posted it. It was a good read.
Where can we see this post?
The guy ordered French fries at his hotel restaurant. It’s true he doesn’t really care about local culture and doesn’t bother much with local restaurants, hotels, etc.
Visiting Tokyo right now. Yes the prices are reasonable. The meals run 700 yen to 1400 yen on average -- $5 - 10$ US. Lunch is the office building options intended for the workers in the building, though. The local transportation is more than reasonable. I started the trip with an tourist 28 day IC card and $200 local currency via ATM, but concluded $50 for the IC card for the transportation would have sufficed....
Visiting Tokyo right now. Yes the prices are reasonable. The meals run 700 yen to 1400 yen on average -- $5 - 10$ US. Lunch is the office building options intended for the workers in the building, though. The local transportation is more than reasonable. I started the trip with an tourist 28 day IC card and $200 local currency via ATM, but concluded $50 for the IC card for the transportation would have sufficed. Credit cards are widely accepted. I have yet to complete a cash transaction. Accommodations are not reasonable. I booked three nights at the IC ANA via the corporate rate and three nights at the Conrad Tokyo via points. Both were sold out ultimately. The walk off the street rate is $500 and $750 respectively. Starting the day at the break of dawn does have advantages. Neither Tokyo nor the people of Tokyo are morning people. I visited Tokyo previously and concluded the disdain for non-Japanese hans't improved. The hotel staff treat the non-Japanese differently. The Japanese were moved to the front of the line at check in. The people on the street don't acknowledg the non-Japanese.
What acknowledgement do you need from people of the street?
I’ve never experienced being treated worse than Japanese guests. I even see clueless, tone deaf guests who ignore social context treated just as well as everyone else (unfortunately).
> Accommodations are not reasonable. I booked three nights at the IC ANA via the corporate rate and three nights at the Conrad Tokyo via points. Both were sold out ultimately. The walk off the street rate is $500 and $750 respectively.
At this time of overtourism in the major cities of Japan, there will be scarcity of rooms available to cater for rewards point redemptions. Choosing to stay at these 5 star Western chain...
> Accommodations are not reasonable. I booked three nights at the IC ANA via the corporate rate and three nights at the Conrad Tokyo via points. Both were sold out ultimately. The walk off the street rate is $500 and $750 respectively.
At this time of overtourism in the major cities of Japan, there will be scarcity of rooms available to cater for rewards point redemptions. Choosing to stay at these 5 star Western chain hotels would be predictably expensive. There are many Japanese hotels that are good and offer a more local experience for a reasonable price that you could go to as alternatives.
> I visited Tokyo previously and concluded the disdain for non-Japanese hans't improved.
> The people on the street don't acknowledg the non-Japanese.
The Japanese are generally reserved when it comes to dealing with foreigners, especially those who do not converse in Japanese. Having preconceived expectations of how one should be treated/acknowledged without understanding the other side of the equation will result in the conclusions that you have. If you can converse some in Japanese and be polite in your approach, they will open up and be more friendly and approachable as well.
Give HOTEL THE MITSUI a try next time - did five nights there in October and it was amazing. And right across the street from Nijo Castle!
I lived in Kyoto in the early 90's. I frequently visited Fushimi Inari shrine during that time, and was almost always the only foreigner there. In fact, I would go hiking in the trails behind the main shrine and would often have the entire mountain to myself. Just incredible what social media has done to that place.
I also hiked those trails when I visited Kyoto last month, and it was a twofold treat: First, to escape the throngs of people walking through the main areas, and two, to see beautiful sights in nature without having to go very far. I even caught the yelling from the monks going through their morning training, as it was much quieter up a hiking trail than along the main walkways.
Some sites like the Inari Gates and the bamboo forest are open either 24 hours or at very early hours. We were there during the same period as Ben and had crowd free visits by going around 6a. Given the time change we were generally up anyway, and back to the Park Hyatt for breakfast. It’s a great way to visit these sites.
I’ve lived here for 29 years and I have to say the politeness that Japan was famous for us almost completely gone. People push to get on the train and stand in front of the door when others are trying to exit. And the convenience store and fast food shops! It’s sickening!!! The convenience store staff don’t care anymore and don’t even act polite
Go visit any major US or European city and get re- acclimated. You'll find Japan incredibly polite again just by resetting your comparison point....
I get his point. Japan in 2023 is NO where close to what it was 20 years ago. The friendliness, the culture has lost some of its luster. Probably due to foreigners and tourism.
But it is still way better than any big cities in the USA.
Maybe because many of the convenience store staff aren't Japanese anymore
I doubt you live in Japan
Hopefully ANA's A380 along with Hawaiian's 787 are on the list on when you return to Japan. While you're at it, try a traditional onsen ryokan as well as the Shinkansen.
This is a very sad photo for a post about a trip to Kyoto. Vending machines?
Vending machines are a big part of Japanese society. When I lived in Japan I could get the oddest things from vending machines, as well as stuff that would never work in most countries. At the end of my street I had beer vending machines, imagine that in most countries.
Kyoto reminded me of a theme park when I was there. Everything was so clean and pristine it felt fake.
It's not fake. It's not a theme park. That's how it is there. Imagine coming from a dirty country where one's only reference to public cleanliness to be had is from theme parks(!)
lol , you should not be going to countries like Japan , bro
My first trip to Japan was in 2017, arriving in Tokyo, continuing to Kyoto, then going home from Osaka. after that first trip, I also decided that Kyoto was my favorite city to visit in Japan. The second trip to Japan in 2019, I chose to arrive in Osaka and directly went to Kyoto from Kansai airport. The third trip in February this year, I also spent most nights in Kyoto. this morning I arrived...
My first trip to Japan was in 2017, arriving in Tokyo, continuing to Kyoto, then going home from Osaka. after that first trip, I also decided that Kyoto was my favorite city to visit in Japan. The second trip to Japan in 2019, I chose to arrive in Osaka and directly went to Kyoto from Kansai airport. The third trip in February this year, I also spent most nights in Kyoto. this morning I arrived in Osaka and will spend one night here as I'll meet up with friends who've been living here, but tomorrow will def go to Kyoto. I share your love of Kyoto!
Interesting, we found that we enjoyed Osaka the most out of those 3. The bamboo forest was pretty cool in Kyoto though.
Agreed, Osaka is probably my favorite large city in Japan.
I also haven't visited Kyoto or Kansai region for quite a long time from now, although I'm looking for visiting Hokkaido if I'm going to Japan again. Personally most of Japan look like an attractive tourist destination.
If you visit Japan again, I highly recommend visiting one of their railway museums. Passenger transport in Japan is more than just a mean of moving, it's more like to a part of their culture. I visited railway...
I also haven't visited Kyoto or Kansai region for quite a long time from now, although I'm looking for visiting Hokkaido if I'm going to Japan again. Personally most of Japan look like an attractive tourist destination.
If you visit Japan again, I highly recommend visiting one of their railway museums. Passenger transport in Japan is more than just a mean of moving, it's more like to a part of their culture. I visited railway museum in Kyoto, the second biggest railway museum in Japan, back in 2016, and I enjoyed my time there.
Speaking of Japanese museum, I'm not sure whether you've been there or not, but Museum of Aeronautical Science near Narita Airport is also definitely worth visiting.