Temples, Shrines, Pagodas, and Geishas

We got to Kyoto in about 2 ½ hours from Tokyo on a Shinkansen, the bullet train. Supposedly we saw Mt. Fuji on the way. I’m not really sure which mountain was Mt. Fuji though….I'm guessing it was the biggest one.

The first two nights in Kyoto we used points to stay at the Hyatt which was a treat. They even had a great gym which we used…..Felt really good to work out! :) The last night we stayed in K’s Hostel. We’ve never stayed at a hostel so we thought it’d be kinda fun and we are trying to staying on a budget with such a long trip. It was actually very clean and close to Kyoto train station so worked out well.

Kyoto really has so much to see. I felt like we were rushed trying to fit it all in. Luckily the Hyatt was in Southern Higashiyama which is right in the middle of one of the main sight seeing districts. We got to see Kiyomizu-Dera Temple, Kodai-Ji Temple, Maruyama Park, Shoren-In Temple, Chion Temple, Yasaka-Jinga Shrine, Sanjusangendo Temple, Nishi Hogangi Temple, Nijo Castle and Kinkaku-ji Temple. We both loved Kinkaku-ji Temple which is also called the Golden Pavillion….amazing! Also at the Kiyomizu-Dera Temple there was a shrine, Jishu-Jinja, dedicated to Okuninushi, a god of love and good matches. People pray to find their true love....how cute! The two streets leading to Kiyomizu-Dera Temple, Chawan Zaka and Sannen Zaka were lined with tons of teapot stores, cafes, and restaurants.

We spent a lot of time walking around different areas, Gion and Ponto Cho mostly. Gion is the Geisha district and has some really great cobble stone streets lined with teahouses, cafes, and restaurants. We did see a few Geisha as well. Ponto Cho is another great street right on the Kamo Gawa river. It's probably the main area in Kyoto for nightlife. We had dinner at one of their Izakayas and had some great Yakitori. We also tried Shabu Shabu, thinly sliced beef, which you cook yourself. This was quite hilarious to watch because I'm sure we did it wrong and the waitress tried to look out for us but her instructions were lost in translation. It was yummy anyway though!

Kyoto is so different from Tokyo. They are both great in their own ways. Tokyo has so much to offer with so many diverse neighborhoods each with its own personality and Kyoto has so much history literally on almost every street corner. I'd definitely recommend at least two full days for Kyoto.