Kyoto Hidden Gems
L'ancienne capitale impériale pendant plus de mille ans. Les milliers de torii vermillon de Fushimi Inari, le Pavillon d'Or, la forêt de bambous d'Arashiyama et les quartiers de geishas composent le Japon le plus emblématique. L'astuce pour éviter la foule : se lever tôt, profiter des crépuscules et s'échapper vers Uji ou Miyama.
37 spots
Capitale du Japon pendant plus d'un millénaire : 17 sites UNESCO, une économie artisanale vivante et une côte sauvage sur la mer du Japon que la plupart des visiteurs ne découvrent jamais.
Climat et meilleure saison
Climat de cuvette : étés d'une humidité redoutée et hivers pénétrants et humides. Début avril et fin novembre sont le pic de fréquentation (et de foule).
Spécialités culinaires
- Kaiseki
- Yudofu
- Matcha et wagashi
- Cuisine familiale obanzai
Lieux emblématiques
- Fushimi Inari
- Kinkakuji et Ginkakuji
- Arashiyama
- Amanohashidate et Ine sur la côte nord
Kyoto Machiya Stay
Machiya are the narrow wooden townhouses that line Kyoto's older neighborhoods—three meters wide, 20 meters deep, built…
Kyoto International Manga Museum
The Kyoto International Manga Museum (京都国際マンガミュージアム) occupies a renovated elementary school building and houses 300,000…
Nanzen-ji Temple
Nanzen-ji (南禅寺) ranks as the head temple of the Rinzai Zen sect's Nanzen-ji school, with a massive Sanmon gate (三門, 22 m…
Daitoku-ji Temple Complex
Daitoku-ji (大徳寺) is a sprawling Zen temple complex containing 22 sub-temples, several with exceptional gardens open to t…
Pontocho Alley
Pontocho (先斗町) is a narrow 500-meter alley running parallel to the Kamo River, lined with traditional wooden buildings h…
Nishiki Market
Nishiki Market (錦市場, Nishiki Ichiba) is a narrow covered arcade housing 100+ specialist food vendors selling Kyoto's sea…
Gion Matsuri
On July 17, Kyoto shuts down. By 8:00 AM, half a million people line Shijo-dori waiting for the first float to appear. W…
Kyoto Station Building
Kyoto Station (京都駅) is a controversial modern architectural landmark designed by Hiroshi Hara (completed 1997). The 15-s…
Nishijin Textile Center
Nishijin (西陣) is Kyoto's historic textile district where high-end kimono fabric has been woven for 1,200 years. The neig…
Kyoto Handicraft Center
Kyoto Handicraft Center (京都ハンディクラフトセンター) is a seven-floor department store specializing in traditional Kyoto crafts: cer…
Sento Imperial Palace
Sento Imperial Palace (仙洞御所) served as the residence for retired emperors from 1630 onward. The palace buildings no long…
Kyoto Kaiseki
Walk into Kikunoi and the room falls silent except for water trickling in the courtyard garden. Your server places a lac…
Maiko Makeover
Maiko makeover experiences allow participants to undergo full transformation into apprentice geisha: traditional white m…
Kurama-dera Temple
Kurama-dera Temple (鞍馬寺) sits atop Mt. Kurama (570m) in northern Kyoto, accessible by cable car or a scenic 30-minute fo…
Tofuku-ji Temple
Tofuku-ji Temple (東福寺) is Kyoto's premier autumn foliage destination, featuring 2,000 maple trees that create a 'sea of…
Nijo Castle
Nijo Castle (二条城) served as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa shoguns from 1603–1867, representing the military government…
Kyoto Zen Meditation
You sit on a round cushion facing a white wall six inches from your nose. Legs folded, back straight, hands in a mudra y…
Heian Shrine
Heian Shrine (平安神宮) was built in 1895 to commemorate Kyoto's 1,100th anniversary, recreating the original Heian Imperial…
Kifune Shrine
Kifune Shrine (貴船神社) sits in a forested mountain valley north of Kyoto, famous for its summer river dining platforms (川床…
Gion District
Gion (祇園) is Kyoto's most famous geisha district (hanamachi, 花街 'flower town'), where traditional wooden machiya townhou…
Philosopher's Path
The Philosopher's Path (哲学の道, Tetsugaku no Michi) is a 2-kilometer stone walkway following a canal lined with hundreds o…
Kyoto Imperial Palace
Kyoto Imperial Palace (京都御所) served as the emperor's residence from 794 to 1869 when the capital moved to Tokyo. The pal…
Yasaka Shrine
Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社) anchors the eastern end of Gion, serving as Gion Matsuri's spiritual headquarters and guardian of t…
Kyoto Traditional Sweets
Wagashi (和菓子, traditional Japanese sweets) reached its aesthetic and technical peak in Kyoto, where sweets-making became…
Kamo River Noryo-yuka
The Kamo River (鴨川) flows through central Kyoto, and during summer (May–September) restaurants along its banks construct…
Kyoto Ramen
Kyoto ramen (京都ラーメン) blends tonkotsu (pork bone) and shoyu (soy sauce) into a rich, dark broth that's less heavy than Ha…
Kyoto Gyoza
While gyoza (餃子, Chinese-style dumplings) originated in China, Kyoto has developed its own regional style emphasizing ve…
Kiyomizu-dera
Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺, 'Pure Water Temple') is a UNESCO World Heritage temple famous for its wooden stage (清水の舞台, Kiyomizu…
Ginkaku-ji Silver Pavilion
Ginkaku-ji (銀閣寺, 'Temple of the Silver Pavilion') was built in 1482 by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa as a retirement villa,…
Ryoan-ji Rock Garden
Ryoan-ji Temple (龍安寺) houses Japan's most famous Zen rock garden (枯山水, karesansui 'dry landscape') — a rectangular plot…
Sanjusangen-do
Sanjusangen-do (三十三間堂, 'Hall with 33 Bays') is a 120-meter-long wooden hall containing 1,001 life-size golden statues of…
Shosei-en Garden
Shosei-en Garden (渉成園), also called Kikoku-tei, is a tranquil 10-acre stroll garden just east of Kyoto Station — remarka…
Eikan-do Temple
Eikan-do Temple (永観堂), officially Zenrin-ji, is renowned for its autumn night illuminations (mid-November) when 3,000 ma…
Sanjusangen-do Archery
Every January (second Sunday), Sanjusangen-do Temple hosts Toshiya (通し矢) — a coming-of-age archery ceremony where 20-yea…
Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion
Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺, 'Temple of the Golden Pavilion') is a three-story Zen Buddhist temple covered in pure gold leaf, reflec…
Katsura Imperial Villa
In 1933, German architect Bruno Taut visited Katsura and wept. "The greatest work of Japanese architectural genius," he…
Tea Ceremony Experience
You'll crouch through a door so low your forehead nearly scrapes the frame. This is intentional—samurai had to leave the…