10 Things to Do in Kyoto

After a beautiful time in Shirakawa-go, we took a bus to Kyoto. Here are some great things to do in Kyoto.

Fushimi Inari Shrine

Fushimi Inari is the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Foxes are thought to be Inari’s messengers, resulting in many fox statues across the shrine grounds. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari. You can climb up the path crossing 1000s of Torii gates, passing smaller shrines on the way. (Torii is a traditional Japanese gate symbolising the transition from the normal to the sacred.)

Hokanji temple

We didn’t enter the temple but the vicinity is a beautiful area showcasing the beauty of Kyoto.

Ninen-zaka

It is a preserved area with a gentle sloping pedestrian-only lane lined with beautifully restored traditional houses. It is the perfect glimpse of what Kyoto used to look like.

Yasaka Koshindo

A tiny temple that you could easily miss if you weren’t looking for it. These colorful balls are called Kukurizaru – the “hanging monkey”. Kukurizaru represents a monkey with the hands and feet tied to the back, a symbol of self-control and triumph over desires.

Yasaka Shrine

Also called the Gion shrine, this is a beautiful shrine where we saw a lot of Japanese people (especially couples) in their traditional attires coming for worship.

Ema (wooden plaques on which worshippers write their prayers)

Catch a glimpse of a Geisha in Gion

I am so fascinated by Geisha that I’ve written a full article on them – How to see a Geisha in Kyoto (or six of them!)

Nijo castle

Walking inside the castle, you can see the offices and the living quarters of the shogun (military dictators who had more power than the emperors – samurai were their soldiers) and imagine what it would have been like back then (there is an entrance fee).

Stay at a traditional Japanese Machiya

Machiya are Kyoto’s traditional wooden townhouses. We stayed at Waraku An (you can email the owner directly for booking). It was such a beautiful stay!