Dear friends,
In my previous post about Kyoto, I mentioned that I was not going to do a guide, BUT… I felt a slight sense of guilt for saying I write about family travel and then refusing to create a guide. Also, a girl can change her opinion, and I felt bad for leaving my fellow parents and “off the beaten path” travellers hanging. Kyoto can be explored away from the crowds. I found that it is only a very specific area that is crowded, and, to be honest, it must be avoided with kids, especially with a stroller (despite being a seasoned traveller, I still make rookie mistakes!). This is a practical newsletter I’ve been meaning to write, since I've already recorded my diaries and observations about Kyoto here.
Kyoto has over 1,600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines because it served as Japan's imperial capital for over 1,000 years. That means, there are enough temples to visit, see, enjoy and roam around aside from The Big Five: Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), Fushimi Inari Taisha, Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion), and Ryoan-ji.
As the spiritual hub it is, it is better to go at the beat of its own energy and take strolls around gardens, contemplate nature, and plainly (as I ended up doing) accept that you won’t even scratch the surface of all there is to see. I found Kyoto to be a big city; of course, it’s smaller than Tokyo, but the distances between places are still long and walking around can get very tiring after a few days.
We decided to stay away from the Gion and Kawaramachi areas, in an apartment overlooking the Takase River and not too far from the Kiyomizu-Gojō train station. By the looks of the surroundings, this area seemed to be growing in tourism, with hotels and rentals that looked very new, but it still wasn’t crowded.
Across from the apartment was a small children’s park, and right around the corner was a great French-Japanese fusion restaurant where we often ate (listed below), so we could give our child familiar food when he got tired of trying new things. Across the street, we had a supermarket, and a few steps outside the door, we could go run around the Kamo River- So we couldn’t have planned it better.
I fell in love with our apartment rental and considered moving in right away (kidding, obviously!). The apartment used to be an old ryokan that was tastefully renovated, preserving all its traditional elements and architecture. It was fascinating.
After the initial hurdle of where to eat with a little one, we found great restaurants:
SOMA - Delicious food and good vibes with a terrace over the Kamo river. We went there a couple of times for their wagyu beef.
Suba - Most of the furniture was broken, but we were hungry, and it was full of Japanese people, so we tried our first soba noodles standing up. Loved the experience and the food.
2ème Maison - Delicious French-Japanese fusion restaurant that came in handy for late dinners.
[Ki:] - Lebanese food in an artistic environment. Miles and I loved the falafel and the experience.
Coffee
Kyoto is not short of coffee places, and once again, I have many marked but couldn’t go to all of them. Here are some tried-and-tested, and others where all I could do was window shop.
Mar Cafe - It’s hidden inside a residential building, and you have to take an elevator to the rooftop. It has an amazing view and great staff. I went a couple of times with Miles for a coffee, as they also have a small library with kids’ books. It’s also a great place to watch the sunset.
Walden Woods - A cool, very hipster-y coffee roaster with a surprise on the second floor. Delicious coffee and matcha.
Kawama Cafe and Murmur Cafe were all on my list, but my timing was off, and they would be closed when I could visit.
Supermarkets
Since we stayed for a week, we didn’t want to eat out the whole time, so I found a few helpful supermarkets to buy groceries from.
Kyoto Takashimaya Shopping Center - On the bottom floor, many supermarkets cater to different needs. I was very overwhelmed, but I eventually found what I needed because they had many international brands.
Good Nature Station - Located inside a hotel but offering organic fruit, vegetables and snacks. They also have a burger bar inside.
Kanoya Kawaramachi - A regular fruit and vegetable store in a convenient location.
Fresco Gojo Ohashi - A handy 24hr open convenience store.
Unlike in Osaka or Tokyo, there aren’t many places or activities targeted to kids (like the Osaka kids plaza, for example), so we spent a lot of time in the temples and gardens, especially where he could run around.
Do
Rent bikes - It’s a great way to explore the lesser-known areas and to cycle up and down the Kamo River. We rented a bike to cycle to Fushimi Inari instead of the metro.
Railway Museum - We didn’t make it, but this was on my list as my son is a fan of everything that has wheels.
Conveyor Belt Sushi - Kevin found a place within the Kyoto Train Station (which is a sight of its own with its escalators that go up to infinity). Conveyor Belt sushi is a fun event for all the family, I mean, food that moves around on a belt? Yes.
Sagano Scenic Railway trolley train - Unfortunately, I only found this as we were leaving the area of Arashiyama area, but it looked amazing for little ones.
See
Higashi Hongan-ji Temple - This was our first visit to a temple, and wow, was it an experience. It’s very spacious, so Miles spent a lot of time walking around and sitting in the tatamis inside to cool down. I believe he also learned about the meaning of temples and their spirituality.
Shōseien Garden - Across from the Higashi Hongan-ji Temple is this shy, maybe-overlooked garden that we loved to find.
Fushimi Inari-Taisha - Of course, I couldn’t visit Kyoto without seeing the famous Torii Gates. Even though it was crowded, the crowd was dispersed as we were all walking up or down in different directions.
Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple - A fun and unexpected temple full of Buddha statues in nature. The statues don’t have a spiritual meaning per se, so it was okay to walk around them and be a little playful, just like their faces. Very entertaining to Miles, and he got a sticker too.
Yasaka Shrine - We visited this temple at night, and it was for the best because it was still busy but not overcrowded.
Avoid
❌ Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and surroundings. It was too crowded to even walk.
Instead: Rent a bike at the train station and cycle around the beautiful surroundings, that’s how we got to see empty temples and visit the Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple, or take the scenic railway train.
❌ Kiyomizu-dera and surroundings during the day: It was a total nightmare; you couldn’t even walk on the street going up to the temple, let alone push a stroller; it was so crowded.
Instead: Either explore the streets at night or take the parallel street, where cars can drive, which also goes up to the temple, but it’s way less crowded. The temple itself was full to the brim with people.
Mosquitoes and the weather: The weather was hot and humid. It was October, but the sun was still very strong. I spent most of my time in shorts, which meant my shins and ankles got covered in mosquito bites, especially since we spent so much time by the canal and the river. A big takeaway from all of this is: bring linens to cover your arms and legs, and a strong mosquito repellent for you and your kids.
Nighttime: Kyoto wakes up early and goes to sleep early. This means my plans were always a little off-schedule because of the early opening and late closing times, and because the distances are long, I couldn’t do too much in one day with my little one.
After 6 pm, everything was shut down, and the streets were empty. It was almost eerie. There were not many options for things to do at night aside from restaurants, but kids can get impatient in restaurants.
Breakfasts: The Japanese breakfast is a very different endeavour from the Western one. It’s either a spicy curry or a plate with small dishes with all kinds of flavours. We went to M&Maison Kyoto to try a typical breakfast.
Scrolling up, it looks like I have a lot of recommendations for you. Please let me know in the comments about your experience in Kyoto.
Happy travels!
Ana
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