I’m in Kyoto right now. This is my 3rd out of 5 days here. I am wondering if there’s any nice places to visit within an hour of travel or even within Kyoto that aren’t massive tourist attractions?
Went to Nara yesterday and it was so incredibly crowded, I really got overwhelmed. Between that and Kyoto station confusion and walking around the city last night, I need some slightly quieter things to do for the next 2 days as I expect the weekend will draw even bigger crowds?
I have already seen some of the biggest attractions (which have been great), done a couple hikes, and have wandered around gion and city a lot too.
We might hire bikes – anywhere in particular we should ride to? Any day trips within an hour that are just nice, pretty towns or something? Any suburbs, parks, or area of Kyoto that are worth a wander around just because it’s enjoyable? Art galleries, shops, cafes and other recs totally welcome too!
Just trying to find an in-between wandering around aimlessly forever, and going to the top 10 attractions.
Thanks so much!
by instantcameracat
12 comments
Go to arashiyama and see the monkeys!
Otagi Nenbutsuji -> Adashino Nenbutsuji -> Saga Torimoto street. Extremely beautiful, peaceful and not really crowded (we were there at the peak of Sakura season last year with almost no one else there!).
One of my suggestions was actually going to be Nara but I’m guessing you won’t want to go back there. The beginning of Nara park is a zoo for sure but if you walk further in you can actually get some really nice and (relatively) quiet spots to just relax and enjoy the view.
Otherwise, if you head through the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and go north there are some quiet side streets/parks that you can visit. My bf and I ended up just relaxing in a random park just north of the bamboo forest. It didn’t have the nicest view but we essentially had a whole area to ourselves.
I’d highly recommend Uji for a half day trip. It was fairly quite compared to other parts of Kyoto, when I went last week.
It has a relaxed vibe; the main temple there is beautiful along with it’s serene garden. You can then grab lunch at some of the many restaurants lined across the river.
The Okazaki-jinja Shrine is a beautiful shrine dedicated to bunnies.
Try Ohara or Kurama area.
Nanatani River was like an hour away from Kyoto station and had so many cherry blossoms and wonderful walkways alongside it. We went during peak bloom in the morning and there weren’t that many people there. Blooms are probably gone now but I think it’d still be a great place to visit. It feels remote and you have to take a bus that doesn’t run often, so pack a lunch from the station before you hop on the bus and check the bus time table when you plan to leave!
Walk the Kurama-Kibune hike!
– Kurama-Kibune walk (highly recommend), can combine with a visit to Ohara
– Hieizan (take the 2 ropeways up to the temple complex and then take the Sakamoto ropeway down to finish off the day exploring Sakamoto, could even go further to explore Omi-Takashima)
– Miho Museum (Art museum designed by I.M. Pei, the designer of the Louvre), beautifully designed and a really cool, relaxing experience. Their restaurant had a great onigiri set! You can take a bus there from Ishiyama Station
Is anyone in Kyoto between May 9 to 13 by any chance? I’m traveling solo and would love to meet up with people!
Kyoto railroad museum is awesome!
We took a walk on the Philosopher’s path and aside from the occasional local, there was no one there. Granted, we went in the morning to beat the June heat, but it was really nice and calm.