The city of Kyoto was Japan’s ancient capital and the center of the thriving Heian Culture. For almost four hundred years, Kyoto enjoyed a golden age of refined culture that produced sophisticated art, literature and poetry. Modern Kyoto is one of the world’s most amazing cities with 2,000 traditional temples and religious sites, teahouses. Visitors can meet working Geishas in the Gion district, and enjoy guided tours of museums and spectacular natural sites like the bamboo forests in Arashiyama.
Although Kyoto isn’t a city with a significant Jewish history, it’s such a beautiful place that when you explore Jewish traditions in Japan, it’s absolutely worth including Kyoto in your travel itinerary. This article features some of the most visually stunning places to visit in Kyoto, and a range of not to miss cultural sites. When you plan a trip to Kyoto with Gil Travel you’ll open a door to over a thousand years of Japanese history and a unique chance to gain an insight into Japan’s ancient spirit!
Must-Visit Places in Kyoto
Despite fires, earthquakes and wars, Kyoto survived Japan’s turbulent history astonishingly intact. Miraculously the city was spared all but minor damage during WW2 and its cultural treasures are lovingly preserved and kept accessible to tourists. Many of Kyoto’s Buddhist temples and monasteries and Shinto shrines are functioning places of worship and visitors are entranced to hear monks chanting the sutras and performing rituals, just as their predecessors did many centuries ago.
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Fushimi Inari Taisha (O-inari-san) is a famous Shinto shrine dedicated to the fox deity Inari. The shrine was first established in the year 711 and still attracts supplicants seeking good harvests and success in business. Fushimi Inari Taisha is famous for its spectacular pathway of orange colored tori gates that symbolize an entrance to the spiritual realm.
We recommend an early morning trip to Fushimi Inari Taisha to beat the crowds and to enjoy the crisp clean morning air and the peace and harmony of the ancient site. If you’re feeling energetic enough to hike the 12,000 steps to the shrine, you’ll be able to enjoy the beauty of the tree lined route. If you prefer a more leisurely ascent of the shrine, Gil Travel will arrange for a chauffeured private tour.
Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)
If there is a single must see site in Kyoto it is the wonderful Kinkaku-ji Zen temple. The Kinkaku-ji is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its beauty is somewhere between sublime and surreal. The temple, known as the Golden Pavilion, is actually a pagoda covered in gold leaf. It’s set before a wooded mountainside and overlooks a lake – which can reflect an image of shimmering gold.
Like most Zen temples, the Kinkaku-ji is surrounded by immaculate and superbly maintained gardens. The gardens change naturally with the seasons and give visitors a subtle sense of being connected to nature, even as they explore the luxurious gilded pagoda. Kyoto is full of magical and captivating places, but you will never forget the Kinkaku-ji. Possibly the most special time to visit is on a cool autumn day when the leaves are changing color and there is a feeling of change in the air.
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
Once you get past the bright lights of Tokyo, with its ultra-high tech infrastructure and luxury hotels and shopping centers, you’ll quickly realize that Japan is a country of mountains and forests where relics of the ancient past are casually absorbed into everyday life. You don’t have to travel far from the center of Kyoto to find outstanding natural beauty. One place in Kyoto that you definitely will not want to miss is the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove.
The towering bamboo stalks look slender and graceful but are surprisingly strong. It’s a strange experience to walk through them as they sway gently in the wind. If you want to combine an exploration of Jewish heritage with a fun visit to Japan, one of the highlights will be a visit to the nearby Iwatayama Monkey Park.
Iwatayama is a great place for kids to let off some steam and feed the monkeys (food is on sale at the park). The troop of over 120 macaque monkeys is actually wild, but generous daily feeding encourages them to stay in the mountain top park. A private guided tour of the area can include a visit to the Tenryu-ji Temple (another UNESCO World Heritage Site) and its peaceful Sōgenchi Garden.
Kiyomizu-dera Temple
The Kiyomizu-dera (pure water) Temple was first established in the year 711 and it takes its name from a waterfall inside the temple complex. The Kiyomizu-dera was improved and reconstructed at various points with significant rebuilding in 1633. The temple is a special example of traditional Japanese carpentry; not a single nail was used during the entire construction process.
The Kiyomizu-dera is set among the trees on a steep hillside to the east of Kyoto and offers a spectacular view of the city. Some of the best times to visit are during the spring cherry blossom season or during the fall. Japanese forests can rival places like Vermont when the foliage takes on autumnal colors.
Nijo Castle
As well as being one of the world’s great cultural centers, Kyoto was also a center of power during Japan’s turbulent and violent history. Nijo Castle was built by the Tokugawa Shogunate between 1601 and 1626. It was not just a defensive structure but also a statement of power, designed to impress and intimidate all who passed through its gates. Anybody who is interested in military history, Samurai culture or Japanese architecture will find Nijo Castle one of the most fascinating places to visit in Kyoto.
Nijo Castle was built out of political and military necessity, but the Japanese never missed an opportunity to incorporate beauty and art into their designs. Nijo Castle attracted some of the finest craftsmen and artisans of the period and their work can still be seen today. One of the castle’s most famous features is the Nightingale Floor, supposedly designed to creak and “chirp” under the weight of human feet. The story is that singing floors were intended to betray assassins and intruders creeping through castles and palaces at night.
Food and Restaurants in Kyoto
If you’re planning a luxury kosher tour of Japan, there are some excellent gourmet dining opportunities in Tokyo and Osaka. Kyoto is more challenging, mainly because the city doesn’t have a significant Jewish history or modern Jewish community. Gil Travel can help you to plan a kosher itinerary in Kyoto and sample some of the city’s amazing food.
Gion Karyo (祇園 花郷) – Gion
Gion began to emerge as an entertainment district in the chaotic 15th century and gradually became one of the most refined and exclusive geisha districts in Japan. Visitors to Gion can still see professional geisha as they explore the quarter’s winding streets and charming wooden houses. One of the best traditional restaurants in Kyoto is the Gion Karyo. The restaurant is noted for its hospitality and offers a formal kaiseki (traditional multi-course meal) with an opportunity to sample locally brewed sake and other Japanese plum liquors and spirits.
The emphasis at Gion Karyo is on gourmet dining and tradition. Guests should expect exquisitely presented seasonal dishes and a quiet, almost ceremonial atmosphere. The restaurant is a long way removed from the noisy and cheerful neighborhood izakaya where locals go to relax in an informal setting.
Nishiki Market Street Food
One of the must see attractions in Kyoto is the Nishiki Market. Its stalls have some of the city’s best street food and it’s an amazing experience just to wander and browse through the market. If you visit the market as part of a private tour, your Japanese guide will point out the most appetising delicacies (Japanese street food can easily count as delicacies), including soy-glazed mochi skewers, fresh yuba (tofu skin), tamagoyaki (rolled egg), matcha and chestnut-based sweets, Kyoto pickles and green tea ice cream. It’s best to visit the Nishiki Market with a good appetite and don’t plan on eating again for a few hours.
Add a Luxury Trip to Kyoto to Your Japanese Itinerary
If you’re already planning a luxury tour to explore Jewish history in Japan, Kyoto is not a place to miss out on. It doesn’t have a Jewish past or heritage, but it gives visitors a wonderful insight into historical Japan – and much of the context that will help you to imagine Japan as it must have seemed to the first Jewish travelers who arrived on the islands. Kyoto is also a place of incomparable beauty and one of the world’s great cultural and historical sites. Gil Travel will help you to plan a unique tour of Kyoto and provide up to the minute suggestions for luxury accommodation and gourmet dining, as well as arranging exclusive guided tours, lectures and cultural events.
