A good friend is heading to Kyōto in the next few weeks, and I originally thought I would commit my recommendations for this city that remains a jewel among jewels.
However, that list is quite long and as I worked on the first recommendation, realizing it would take days to complete the full list, I recalibrated. I’ll share weekly recommendations (alternating with Tōkyō recommendations) to make this travel-specific issues more manageable for me and, I hope, more digestible for you.
Getting There
Kyōto is, geographically, situated with a mountain-ridged bowl. Safe and secure from attack a millennium and a half ago, with good river access, but with no place for an airport. That said, there are three easy ways to get there.
The easiest option, by far, is the bullet train from Tōkyō. And if you have a rail pass, train travel is reasonable, fast, and fun. You arrive at Kyōto Station, a glorious hub complete with a hotel, performance spaces, lots of shopping, and restaurants. And the architecture of the station is stunning as well.
If you’re flying into Japan’s third-largest international airport, Kansai (KIX), there are buses and trains from the airport to Kyōto Station. And there’s an express bus from Itami Airport, the domestic air hub just outside of Ōsaka, Kyōto‘s obstreperous neighbor. (This is not to say that Ōsaka is without its charms—it has some of the best food in Japan.)
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Out of Japan to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.