Good Food and Views are Worth the Journey
The main sites to visit in Kyoto’s eastern districts include the Shugakuin Imperial Villa, Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) and Eikando Zenrin-ji. The Philosopher’s Walk, is an easy path to stroll down, linking Ginkaku-ji to Eikando Zenren-ji and another temple Nanzen-ji. This makes spending one day in this area a nicely contained itinerary.
If I had to rank the top sites to visit in this area, they would be Shugakuin, Eikando temple, and Ginkaku-ji. So if you’re short on time, make...
If in your mind’s eye of Japan, you see old wooden structures lining narrow lanes and paper lanterns then Kyoto is probably the best place to find this. And specifically, the Kawaramachi and Gion areas in central Kyoto are great places to soak up the atmosphere of old Kyoto. I think the evenings are the best time to walk around and especially in the summer when the restaurants along Pontocho-dori expand out over the river.
My first trip to Kyoto, I stayed south of Gion so I started...
Those of us living in Singapore may be familiar with Hashida Sushi's Singapore branch, which has been named among the best restaurants here by a number of publications. However, we decided to pay a visit to the original Hashida in Tokyo. Both are good. In fact, Kenjiro Hashida ("Hatch") who heads up the Singapore outlet , was also behind the counter the night we visited in Tokyo. The main difference is the proximity to the various seafood in Japan meant that Hatch was able to serve us...
Three of Kyoto's major temples are located within a 40 minute walk of each other in the northwestern quadrant of the city. Of these Kinkaku-ji - also known as the Golden Pavilion - is probably the best known. And while all three are temples, they each have different characteristics which makes a morning or afternoon spent exploring this area, a nicely contained visit.
I started at Kinkaku-ji and although there are a gazillion photos on the net of this temple, I was still in awe even...
Kyoto’s western district Arashiyama is worthy of its own destination visit. Nestled in the lush hills along the Oi river, it is best known for its towering bamboo forest and the Tenryu-ji temple, while the imperial residence Katsura Villa and “Moss Temple” Kokedera (Saiho-ji) are nearby. You could easily spend two days here without stepping foot into Kyoto city. But if you’re short on time, here is a one day condensed itinerary.
Morning: Katsura Imperial Villa or Moss...