places to stay:

last time i went i stayed in 2 places

1. Cross Hotel - clean hotel, great location - very central to the strip of restaurants and bakeries along the river
2. Mimaru Hotel Kyoto Station - this is “convenient” because it’s next to the train station but other than a mall the station isn’t a poppin area. We stayed here bc there’s a pokemon themed room which lived up to its hype - the room had a “living room” area and bunk beds so it’s nice for 3-4 people to stay in.
3. Nohga Hotel - the location of this place isn’t super accessible/central, but the hotel is absolutely gorgeous. There’s a top-tier bakery (which we had every single day), a restaurant, and a rooftop bar. The overall design of both the lobby and the rooms is immaculate. One plus though is that Nohga Hotel is very close to some popular temples and shrines.

transportation:

unlike tokyo, there’s not as much of an extensive subway system here. there still exists trains but they’re a lot more limited. i took the bus which was great but a little slow, otherwise you can choose to uber. I would definitely choose uber over taxi because most drivers speak little to no English and it’s really hard to convey where you want to go even while showing them google maps.

FOOD:

‼️ **Google Maps List** - this is so you can import to google maps and easily look up the spots as you walk around! it also serves as a TLDR if you don’t want to read 😄

• 名門 秋吉 河原町店 (dinner)
  • Yakitori is nice because there’s something for everyone, with a variety of meats and vegetables, and side dishes. The yakitori is amazing here, and the grilled rice ball is fucking delicious. It was super crispy, super flavorful, and makes you wonder why you put up with unseasoned rice balls in the US.
• Nishiki Market
  • Nishiki Market is a popular tourist attraction. It’s about 4 blocks of covered street market with kitchenware, food stalls, trinkets, and more. You can really eat your way through this place with served food as well as samples. Definitely take your time because there’s a lot to see (and eat)!
• Arrow Tree (cake)
  • I bought a strawberry earl grey cake and a mandarin hazelnut cake slice from here for Mosab’s birthday and it was seriously the best cake I’ve ever had in my life. It was beautiful decorated and the fruits on top are SO generous.
• Ichimonjiya Wasuke (snack)
  • Ichimonjiya Wasuke is located outside the Imamiya-Jinja Shrine, across from the other competing aburi-mochi place called Kazariya. These two places essentially serve the same thing - aburi mochi (grilled mochi skewers) with a side of green tea. The lines do get pretty long here and it can feel like a long wait, but once you’re seated and sipping green tea, enjoying your grilled mochi… you understand why it’s worth it. it’s a vibe.
  • Pro tip: if you go with friends, consider splitting up and waiting in both lines to get into whichever one is fastest. Food quality-wise i think they’re pretty comparable.
• Starbucks Kyoto (coffee/chill)
  • Yeah, it might feel lame to go to a Starbucks in Japan, but this one is different. It’s located inside a renovated traditional Japanese building near the famous Kiyomizu-dera and Kodai-ji temples. The seating (located upstairs) is tatami style, meaning you can take off your shoes and sit on the straw mat flooring. Also there are some specialty Starbucks drinks and pastries only found in Japan so make sure to check those out! I got this hot yuzu tea that was delicious.

THINGS TO DO:

• Arashiyama! - this is a 30min-1 hour drive (depending on car or bus) away from downtown Kyoto. It is SO beautiful and peaceful with views of the Katsura River and the mountains.
  • There is a fun monkey park that is a short uphill hike away
  • Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple
  • cafe gabu - a simple comforting bowl of noodles or rice after walking around the temples
• temples - there are a bunch of them. My favorites were the Kiyomizu-dera and Rengeoin Sansusangendo (1000 buddhas). I wanted to see Kinkakuji (the gold temple) but it was a little far and every time we went it was like 2 minutes until closing :\. Our fault.
  • theres a lot of street merchants and stores near temples selling food and souvenirs. this is super fun to browse in addition to seeing the actual temple itself
  • definitely pay attention to the hours of the temples because many of them close early.
• Nishiki Market
  • I already listed this under food but there is also a lot of cool shops for jewelry, ceramics and clothing in this area. You could easily spend a day here
• Uji
  • The town of Uji is known for matcha. It’s a short ~30 min train ride away from Kyoto, perfect for a little half day trip. In downtown Uji, there is literally a matcha cafe on every corner. I also had the most INCREDIBLE bowl of beef ramen at Menya Inoichi. I really really love Uji and would encourage anyone with a couple of days in Kyoto to check it out.