Kyoto might not be as big a city as Tokyo but there’s still more to see that can easily fit into one day. It is possible however, if you catch an early enough bullet train from Tokyo (before 7AM at the latest), to see many highlights of Kyoto if you really only have time for one day there. Arriving by about 9AM, here’s what we’d recommend you to see:
\n- Since you probably arrived on an early train into Kyoto station, immediately head north (take a peak at the Kyoto Tower on the way, but it’s nowhere near as high as any of Tokyo’s towers), and take your pick of the Nishi Honganji or Higashi Honganji temples. We prefer the latter since it’s slightly closer, and has some great dragon statues, together with fine examples of medieval Japanese architecture and art.
- Then still heading north hop on a bus Nishiki Market, disembarking just north of Karasuma station, and look for the entrance to the market on the east side of the road, one block north of the main junction. Nishikikoji Dori is the street, just head straight down here until it turns into a street market.
Here you can find a great combination of ready to eat street food (try the octopus on a stick or deep fried cheese), fresh vegetables and meats for cooking at home, local spices and condiments (look for the Yuzu chilli pepper), as well as the more predictable tourist fayre like Godzilla T-shirts, Totoro towels, sushi fridge magnets and gift boxes of sweets, and the, uh, Snoopy tea house. Note that the market winds down from around 3PM and Kyoto itself tends to close down around 6 or 7PM so best go in the morning or at lunchtime.
- As you exit Nishiki market’s eastern end, there are a couple more market streets running north south (Teramachi Dori on your map) with larger stores selling clothes, furnishings, incense, cellphone accessories and the like. Our favourite store can be found at the big junction in the middle of Teramachi Dori, selling jeans, bomber jackets, shirts and sweaters featuring hand embroidered dragons, geisha, koi carp and other things you’d usually see on a Yakuza’s tattoos (link to separate article coming soon).
From here you have a couple of choices what to do for the afternoon, or move fast and try and fit it all in: - One option is to head to Nijojo Castle, by continuing north until you exit the markets, and then catching a bus heading west from across the street from Kyoto City Hall. This castle was the Shogun’s Kyoto palace and the scene of the restoration of the Imperial family’s rule at the end of the samurai era, as well as of the celebration feast after Emperor Hirohito’s coronation. While it’s not awfully different from every other medieval Japanese building in design and layout, so you may want to skip it if you’ve already seen a lot of Japanese castles or temples in other cities, unlike many older buildings you can explore the inside of this one, and hear for yourself the creaking floorboards specially designed to make it impossible for intruding ninjas to sneak around the building at night.
- Alternatively head east instead from the City Hall and pass over the river toward the Kyoto Zoo, then either visit the zoo or take a walking route from the Shorenin temple and down through the Yasada Shrine and on to Kiyomizu Dera temple, which leaves you well placed to walk straight over to Gion.
- Gion is the famous entertainment district of Kyoto, where theatres and teahouses, as well as bars and restaurants, can be found. Try to arrive here by 6PM latest though, to witness the bustle as the sun sets, remembering that Kyoto is not a 24 hour city like Tokyo. Take a walk around the block from Hanamikoji Dori to Yamatooji Dori you will almost certainly see a few Geisha (Geiko in Kyoto dialect) heading out on foot or in taxis to their evenings’ engagements (usually playing host to important business dinners, or appearing in local theatres). Keep your distance though and be subtle if taking photos, remember they are just people going to work and it’s a bit unfair to get in their way or treat them like zoo animals.
Then return to the bridge on Shijo Dori and explore the alleyways of the seedy looking but entirely safe Pontocho area directly northwest of the bridge to find a bar or restaurant for dinner. Or if you want to get a sense of Geisha dance and other Kyoto arts and entertainments, there is a show every night at Gion corner theatre lasting only 50 minutes with just enough flavour of each. While it’s obviously for tourists and not for the connoisseur, it’s short enough and cheap enough (by Japanese standards) to be worth a visit. Arrive 30 minutes before the start time and buy tickets on the door.
- Finally if you’re not leaving Kyoto until the next morning, note that many of the city’s temples open in the evening and put on beautiful light shows, depending on the time of year and pertinent festivals. Check local tourist information or temple websites at the time of your visit.
When returning to whence you came at Kyoto station, allow enough time to browse the enormous supermarkets in the station’s basements, and pick out a Bento box to eat on your train back – there’s no particular one that we recommend, they’re all amazing, whether beef and rice, sushi and tempura, pork and croquets or any combination of the above. If you’re used to railway station food in the UK being restricted to Upper Crust baguettes and Burger King, get ready to have your mind changed about what takeaway food can be.
As for the other sights of Kyoto, if time is limited we recommend skipping:
- The old Imperial Palace. You can’t go inside the buildings without booking a tour weeks in advance, and the outside is pretty much endless pebble roads laid out in a huge grid that kill your ankles
- Arashiyama – this is a lovely rural part of Kyoto at the edge of the city where it meets the mountains but needs the best part of a day at least to do it justice. Spend a whole day here if you are staying in Kyoto for longer
- Don’t try to see all the temples, there are loads of them and once you’ve seen 3 or 4 you’ve seen them all.
- Shopping, apart from Nishiki market – while Kyoto features the usual set of department stores and retailers as the rest of Japan, the short opening hours and lack of variety means you’re better off shopping elsewhere on your Japanese trip i.e. back in Tokyo.