KYOTO || A Magical Blend of Old and New from Food to Architecture
The last time I visited Kyoto, I recalled walking up a slope packed with food and souvenir stalls to visit the famous Kiyomizu Temple.
This time, with no itinerary and feeling like I had all the time in the world (even though we had just planned to stay for three days), I took my time to meander through residential neighbourhoods and stumble upon cafes and cozy eateries. There is much more to explore than you think in Kyoto.
Regrettably, we began our journey from Tokyo to Kyoto on the day when the Shinkansen had a five-hour service interruption, and we didn’t arrive until ten thirty in the evening. Restaurants had closed by then, and yet we still managed to find fast food options that were open around the clock.
Even though our item in the city was reduced to just two days, we still found enough gems to compile the following list of places to stay, eat, and linger.
STAY | Watermark Hotel Kyoto
This is the hotel my niece still talks about weeks after our visit. Specifically, she says she wants to return to our Kyoto hotel without considering the greater context of returning to Japan.
We had fortunately secured a deal to book two suites at Kyoto Watermark Hotel. The hotel’s rooms feature traditional tatami flooring. There is a living room area where we comfortably watched the World Cup final late into the wee hours of the morning when Argentina took home the win.
The spacious bathrooms have a main space for washing up with a sink and mirror and separate areas for the toilet, shower and bath.
It was a hotel room where we didn’t mind spending an extended period of time, and we enjoyed lazing in bed until later hours in the morning to feel the soft, fluffy covers and king-sized beds.
CAFFEINATE | Astrea Coffee
Pressed sweet and savoury sandwiches and specialty coffee await at this tiny cafe with a simple, white exterior. Inside, minimalist florals and light wooden materiality establish an inviting spot for guests to enjoy their morning coffee and breakfast. Read about our visit to this intimate cafe here.
Tasty made-to-order fruit sandwiches.
CAFFEINATE | Okaffe Roasting Park
On our second and last day in Kyoto, I set out bright and early on a sunny and windy winter day to find a hot latte to start the day. Nestled amongst the residential streets, I chanced upon Okaffe Roasting Park. Outside, a pickup truck was parked, and stacks of timber outdoors made it seem as if a wooden pavilion was still under construction. Peering behind the pickup truck, I saw that this was a coffee house.
A unique cafe with an outdoor terrace experience.
A heavy wooden sliding door opens to a cozy, minimalist, modern cafe. The coffee bar lines one side of the shop, and adjacent to the bar, a coffee-making tool display beckons the coffee enthusiast. Lifestyle magazines are laid on top of a wooden bookcase for guests to peruse and linger, while starter packs of coffee beans entice visitors to bring the experience home and pick up a cup of coffee. A sizeable commercial roaster takes up much of the space on the right-hand side of the shop, with a seating area by the large window.
What caught my attention was the rooftop patio, which is located up a flight of wooden stairs, where you will discover bench seating surrounding a tree in the middle of the intimate courtyard. Comfortable cushions and abundant natural light would make this the ideal spot to spend the morning when the weather warms up.
SIGHTS | Fushiinari-Jinja for its Beautiful Ascent and Sunset
If you want to visit a historic, postcard-like setting while you’re in the Kansai region, Fushi-Inari Jinja should be on your list. As soon as we arrived, we saw several pairs of tourists dressed in kimonos doing photoshoots.
Fushi Inari Jinja is the temple in all the photos from Kyoto. Thousands of red torii gates line the path of the ascent up the mountain.
Torii gates leading up the mountain.
While the main temple is at the base of the 233-metre mountain, a roughly two-hour round-trip hike up the mountain is dotted with additional, smaller shrines. Snack bars and vending machines allow visitors to take a break during their walk. Various viewpoints offer sweeping views of the city below.
We arrived at the top to catch a breathtaking sunset, where the skies blazed a bright orange. My best description of the colour would be an organic egg yolk.
While others shy away from the light ring, we are drawn by its beauty.
Insider Tip: head down from the mountain quickly before the sun sets, as families of monkeys reside there, and you don’t want to get caught with your valuables or food out in the open when it gets dark! On our descent, we did hear the screeches of the monkeys in the forest, but fortunately, we felt strength in numbers with several in our party (although it was just perceived strength as I’m sure the monkeys would have outnumbered us!)
SIGHTS | A Buddhist Temple in the City—Rokkaku-dō Temple
I initially chose this as a convenient meeting point in the city. Still, it was a beautiful location where the greenery billowed in the wind and soaring trees provided shade from the winter sun.
Visitors attached their wishes and fortunes on paper strips to the trees, a serene scene to behold.
This hexagonal Buddhist temple is considered the birthplace of the traditional art of flower arrangement in Japanese culture—Ikebana.
Statues arranged on the stone steps surrounding the water feature at the temple.
EATS | TRAIN STATIONS AND NEIGHBOURHOOD STREETS
The magical thing about train stations in Japan is that they usually have many restaurants within an underground pedestrian walkway or mall connected to the station.
During our stay, we enjoyed a traditional grilled fish bento set and delicious Japanese-style pasta. You don’t have to look far for good food anywhere in Japan, as they take their food and its presentation very seriously.
While we would love to present popular options for you to visit, we rather enjoy wandering in the neighbourhood streets because we stumbled upon many mom-and-pop restaurants and home-style cafes. Nothing beats the taste of a home-cooked meal. Wouldn’t you agree?
Wander quiet neighbourhood streets to discover home style eats like this one.
If you’re planning a trip to Japan, we recommend allocating at least three to four days to Kyoto, as there are many sights and unique experiences to discover. The city offers much more than traditional temple visits and presents an expansive repertoire of authentic and innovative experiences.
