Planning resources and itineraries for Kyoto, Japan. Tips to save money, avoid crowds, best temples & shrines, plus tons of photos by Tom Bricker.
Our 1-day itinerary for fall colors season in Kyoto routes an efficient and mostly walkable path through some of the very best autumn foliage spots in all of Japan. You’ll see the koyo highlights of Kyoto, including free temples & shrines, gardens, and a handful of nighttime illuminations by following this touring plan. If you’re […]
When it comes to fall colors, Fushimi Inari Taisha doesn’t make a lot of ‘best of’ lists for shrines & temples to visit in Kyoto, Japan during the autumn. This is really unfortunate, as I’d argue that it can be one of the better spots for fall foliage in Kyoto. I understand why Fushimi Inari is conspicuously […]
Our 4-day Kyoto itinerary is a step-by-step Japan touring plan for efficiently visiting temples, villas, shrines, and highlights in an efficient manner. In addition to the “best of” spots and hidden gems in Higashiyama, Arashiyama, and downtown, this Kyoto itinerary culminates in a final day that’ll take you away from the crowds for a hike […]
Tofukuji Temple is famous for its fall colors, Hojo Garden, and having some of the largest and oldest free grounds in Kyoto, Japan. The most iconic scene at the temple is its valley of autumn foliage under Tsutenkyo Bridge, which draws visitors from around the world. In this post, we’ll share photos and our experiences at […]
Unryu-in Temple in Kyoto is known for the views offered its beautiful windows into the Japanese gardens, which differ in each of the four seasons. In this post, we’ll share photos from our visit to Unryuin during its fall nighttime illumination, recount the somewhat-bizarre anecdote of our journey there, and provide our take as to […]
If you’re planning to tour Kyoto, Japan for 3 days, our itinerary provides a time-saving plan-of-attack for efficiently visiting temples, shrines, museums, and exploring the city in an efficient manner. While our 3-day Kyoto itinerary focuses on the “best of” the city and its many highlights, we also share diversions away from the crowds that […]
Jojakkoji (常寂光寺) is a peaceful temple at the base of Arashiyama’s mountains in Kyoto, Japan. In this post, we’ll discuss whether this temple is worth your time and money, offer transportation info for getting there, and share photos of Jojakkoji Temple. I won’t bury the lede–I love Jojakkoji Temple. If you’ve read our 1-Day Western Kyoto Itinerary, you might […]
Kurodani, or its formal name of Konkaikomyo-ji, is a free temple in Northeast Kyoto located near Path of Philosophers. Here, we’ll share photos of Kurodani, info & tips for including this in your Japan itinerary, and why we recommend visiting Konkaikomyoji Temple. Perched atop Yoshida Hill, which is home to a trio of temples and […]
When I finished the first edition of our Ultimate Guide to Kyoto, Japan and showed it to Sarah, her first reaction was whoa, that’s long. Her second was that it was highly personal in nature, with the first section being a love letter to our favorite city in the world. As usual, she was absolutely right. Nevertheless, it was […]
We just returned from another trip to Japan, having spent a week in Kyoto during early July before continuing on to Tokyo. In this post, we’ll recap our visit to Kyoto, sharing some of what we experienced. Rather than this being a play-by-play trip report, this will mostly contain photos and observations (plus some condensed […]