I love Kyoto

It's easy to see why you can fall in love with Kyoto...and never want to leave. We re-arranged our travel plans to spend all four full days in Kyoto. Originally we were going to head to Hiroshima from Kyoto but we decided to go from Osaka instead to maximise our time.

We covered heaps of ground! In one day we went to Nijo Castle, Kyoto Imperial Gardens, Ryoanji temple and the Golden Pavilion! The downside to packing it all in is that by the end of the day you end up being absolutely knackered with sore feet and a zillion photos to pour over. That's half the fun though.

I recommend going on Johnnie's Walking Tour, Johnnie explained a lot about the history of Kyoto, the strange but tolerant mix of Shintoism and Buddhism and how the art of Geisha is slowly fading. It's a 5 hour walk though with no lunch break, so bring snacks!

But my favourite place of all in Kyoto was the Heian Shrine and its gardens. The shrine looks like its in a desert with all the white gravel surrounding it, but behind it is a beautiful, luscious garden. It's so peaceful and tranquil. Plus you can stop for a tea break at a little cafe where we met the loveliest waitress who offered to take photos for us happily.

I would also recommend staying at Kyoto Travellers' Inn, especially in the Japanese-style rooms with Tatami mats. Very good base for sight seeing - we walked to the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Heian Shrine and the Philosopher's Walk from the hotel. However the 100 Rakuten Sightseeing bus is a great option for getting directly to major tourist sights as well for only 220 yen, it took us back from the Silver Pavilion to the hotel.

I vouch to one day return...



Zen garden on the grounds of the Silver Pavilion or Ginkakuji Temple (currently undergoing restoration work)



Moss!



The Philosopher's Walk



The gardens of Heian Shrine









Korean War Memorial



Shinto Shrine



Higashi Honganji Temple



Buddha statues on the grounds of the Golden Pavilion



The Golden Pavilion



Nijo Castle