Travel guide to the historic city
If you are interested in traditional Japanese culture and architecture, Kyoto is the place for you. Kyoko is one of the oldest cities in Japan. It was the capital of Japan for more than 1000 years from 794 to 1868. The city is rich in cultural heritage. Shrines, temples, tea ceremonies, and geisha are just a few of Kyoto’s many cultural attractions. I was born and raised in Kyoto and would like to introduce you to the local culture and lesser-known places, and must-see sightseeing spots.
Must see sightseeing spots
Other sightseeing spots
Sample Walking Plan
Central East Course: Start at Ginkakuji ((the Silver Pavilion) then walk along the Philosopher’s Path. Stop at Honen-in (法然院), Eikando (永観堂) and Nanzen-ji (南禅寺). The shortest distance between Ginkakuji and Nanzenji is about 2 km. The best times to visit this area are in spring and fall. In spring from late March to mid April, the cherry blossoms are lovely along the Philosopher’s Path and the Nanzen-ji area. In the fall, the maple leaves are beautiful around Eikando and Nanzenji area. Snow-covered temples and shrines are also beautiful in the winter, as shown in the picture below.
Kyoto City Zoo, Kyoto City Museum, The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design, ROHM Theatre Kyoto, Heian Jingu Shrine (平安神宮), and Okazaki Park are close to Nanzenji. You can spend a few days to enjoy this area.
Dining and tea break
Near Nanzenji
$$$ Hyotei (瓢亭) is one of the best Kyoto-style restaurants. Although it is expensive, it is worth the price. Hyotei’s asagayu (morning rice porridge) is particularly renowned. You can enjoy a traditional Japanese breakfast here to start your day. Please make a reservation if you plan to dine there.
$$$ Takeshigero (竹茂楼) is my favorite Kyoto-style restaurant. The lunch courses start at 12,100 yen. The traditional Japanese buildings and beautiful garden create a nice atmosphere. This restaurant is less expensive than Hyotei.
$-$$ Gontaro (権太呂) is a reasonably priced Japanese noodle shop. I like Tenzaru Soba (天ざるそば) which is zaru-soba with tempura and the price is 1800 yen. It is reasonably priced for a Japanese restaurant, not too expensive. Enjoy lunch in a traditional Japanese building with a small, yet lovely, garden.
Coffee break
Starbucks is located in ROHM Theatre Park Plaza. Starbucks is located in the ROHM Theatre Park Plaza. If all the seats are full, go to the third floor. There are many tables and sofas in a large open area. You can also sit in the park behind the theater, in front of the Heian Shrine. There is also a convenience store inside the theater. There are plenty of places to sit and relax around the theater.
Hofbäckerei Edegger-Tax is an Austrian bakery located near the theater. According to its website, the bakery was founded in 1569 in the ancient Austrian city of Graz and was awarded the title of Hofbäckerei (Royal Bakery) by the Habsburg emperor in 1888. Sounds good? The food tastes good, too. You can eat in or take out.
Near Ginkakuji
$$ Kanidoraku （かに道楽）is a Japanese-style restaurant specialized in crab dishes. Kani-Suki is my favorite. It is a hot pot dish made by simmering crab and vegetables in a kombu and soy sauce-based broth. The restaurant is open all-year-round, but winter is the best season to eat crabs.
$-$$ Katukura (かつくら) is a Japanese cutlet restaurant. This is a good place to eat when you are hungry because there is a wide variety of cutlet dishes and refills of rice, miso soup and cabbage salad are free when you order a set menu.
$ Masutani (ますたに) is a famous ramen noodle shop. It is not expensive and very delicious. The main ingredients of the soup are various vegetables, chicken broth and pork fat.
Tea break: Plek is a small café located next to the Masutani Noodle Shop. It seats about three people. You can also order food to go. Everything tastes great, but I especially like the Victoria cake. Since it’s a privately run shop, you need to check the opening hours on the website. Please check my Ginkakuji webpage for more information
Tea break: Mo-An (茂庵) is a teahouse located in the woods near the summit of Mount Yoshida. The mountain is not very tall, so it only takes a short uphill walk to reach it. It is located near the Yoshida Shrine. The surroundings have a very serene atmosphere.
For more information on Ginkakuji, please visit my Ginkakuji webpage.
Access to Kyoto
From Kansai International Airport
By Train: Take the JR Express Haruka train to Kyoto Station. The Haruka is the fastest and most comfortable way to travel to Kyoto. The journey takes 70–80 minutes. A one-way ticket costs 3,390 yen as of December 2025.
By Bus: Take Keihan Airport Limousine Bus to Kyoto Station. The bus leaves near the gate on the ground floor. It takes about 100 minutes from the airport to Kyoto Station. One way ticket costs 2800 yen and 5100 yen for round trip (within 14 days).
By Taxi: Regular taxi costs around 30,000 yen. In addition, a taxi service called NearMe operates shared taxi service between the airport and a desired location in Kyoto for around 5000 yen per person. You share the ride with other passengers who are going to somewhere in Kyoto. If you plan to take a taxi from Kyoto Station to your hotel, you may consider the shared taxi from the airport because it is much easier than taking a taxi from Kyoto Station. Advance reservations are required for the shared taxi.
From Tokyo
By train: The bullet train, or Shinkansen, is a special high-speed train. You can reach Kyoto from Tokyo in about 130 minutes. It costs around 13 to 15 thousand yen. The ride is highly comfortable. You can make reservation from the official JR website.
By night bus: The bus leaves from Tokyo late at night and arrive Kyoto early in the morning. Several bus companies operate Tokyo-Kyoto routes. You can find bus information at kosokubus.com. It is much cheaper than the bullet train and saves one night accommodation cost.
By plane: You can take flights from Haneda to Itami (Osaka) then to Kyoto. I do not recommend this option because it is time consuming and not cheap.
Accommodations
During the Corona Pandemic, hotels in Kyoto were dirt cheap, and I stayed at many hotels in Kyoto. Here I would like to introduce you to hotels that I liked.
Hotel Wing International Premium Kyoto-Sanjyo
This is a new hotel and rooms are very clean and comfortable.
Location: about 3-minute walk from Sanjyo Station (both subway and Keihan railway stations). Heian Jingu Shrine, Museums, Yasaka Jinjya Shrine and other sightseeing spots are within walking distance.
Hotel Gracery Kyoto Sanjo
This is also a new hotel and rooms are very clean and comfortable.
Location: This hotel is located in the middle of a busy shopping area. The hotel consists of two buildings and a convenience store is located on the ground floor of one building. Subway station and Keihan Railway are within walking distance.
APA Hotel Kyoto-Gion EXCELLENT
This hotel is very clean and comfortable. Free movies are available. I stayed in a very small room, but the bathroom was relatively large compared to the bedroom size. The hotel offers larger rooms too if you do not like a small room.
Location: The hotel is located in Gion. It is a historic area where traditional restaurants are located and Geisya (called Geiko and Maiko in Kyoto) may be walking on the street. The hotel is very close to Yasaka Jinjya Shrine. If your room is facing East, you may be able to see the entrance to the shrine.
HOTEL ABEST GRANDE KYOTO KIYOMIZU
This hotel is very clean and comfortable. The staff here is very polite. The hotel offered a welcome sake shot when I stayed there. I hope the service is still available.
Location: The hotel is a few minutes away from Keihan Kiyomizu 5jyou Station. Kiyomizudera Temple is about 20 minutes away on foot.
Alternative Accommodation
Here I would like to introduce you to unique options for budget travelers. One is internet cafe and the other is so called “Super sento (public bath).”
Internet cafe
If you want to stay out all day or all night and just need a place to sleep, an internet café is a good option. They are usually much cheaper than hotels and often offer complimentary refreshments, such as coffee, miso soup and soft-serve ice cream. There are many internet cafés in Kyoto. Some of them have private rooms with locks, shower rooms, and laundrettes. Most require you to become a member to use the facilities, so if you’re travelling around Japan and plan to use internet cafés in many different locations, it’s a good idea to join a franchise. Kaikatu Club (快活クラブ)and Jiyukukan (自遊空間) are major franchised stores. You can find them in most big cities, especially Kaikatu Club. Internet cafés do not offer rooms with beds. Instead, they offer flat cushioned rooms in which you can sleep comfortably.
Kaikatu Club at Saiin Station, Price list
This store has private rooms with locks, shower rooms and laundromat.
Membership fee: 370yen
| Hour | Booth | Private Room with lock |
| 1st 30 min | 330 | 460 |
| every 10 additional min | 120 | 150 |
| up to 3 hours | 1200 | 1660 |
| up to 6 hours | 1980 | 2700 |
| up to 9 hours | 2640 | 4130 |
| up to 12 hours | 3190 | 5170 |
| up to 15 hours | 3960 | 5980 |
| up to 18 hours | 4730 | 6150 |
| up to 21 hours | 5060 | 6600 |
| up to 24 hours | 5290 | 7020 |
Unfortunately Kaikatu Club only has its website in Japanese. Here is the link to Kaikatu Club at Saiin Station.
NetCafe Coco Ne
This cafe is located in 3jyo downtown area and offers private rooms with locks, shower rooms and laundromat. This cafe has the website in English.
Jiyukukan Kawaramachi
This cafe is located around 4jyo downtown area and offers private rooms with locks and shower rooms. This cafe has the website in English.
Media Cafe Popeye
This cafe is located in 4jyo downtown area and offers private rooms with locks, shower rooms and laundromat. This cafe has Japanese website only.
Super Sento (Sauna)
Sento is a public bath and super sento is a big public bath. Many super sento are open 24/7. You can relax and spend all day and all night if you want.
Rumor Plaza (male only)
Rumor Plaza is located in the middle of Gion. This is a good location for sightseeing and shopping. It offers three sauna rooms, three hot baths and three low temp baths. You can sleep on reclining single sofa or sofa bed in open space or a private capsule room.
Price
If you do not use the capsule room:
| Course | Price | Check in / out time |
| Regular | 2600 | 9:00-23:00 / 1:00 AM |
| Night | 3200 | 23:00-5:00 / 12 noon |
| Morning | 1800 | 5:00-9:00 / 10:00 AM |
| 1 hour use | 1700 | 9:00-5:00 next morning |
| 3 hr use at night | 2600 | 23:00-5:00 / |
Price of a capsule room is 4800 yen. You can check in from 14:00 and check out before 12:00 noon. You can start using the room from 16:00.