Kyoto

Visit Kyoto to experience the magic of its shrines and historical sites.

Only a two-hour bullet train journey from central Tokyo, our day in Kyoto was one to remember. Maxing out our JR (Japanese Rail) pass, taking the return trip essentially meant the week-long pass paid for itself. After a mishap with boarding the wrong train at the wrong platform, a kindly assistant pulled out a bilingual card and let us know how we could make our way to the right place. So, after many apologies and thanks, we were successfully redirected and departed from Tokyo onwards.

On arrival, I was taken aback by the sheer density of shrines. Although I knew it by reputation as Japan’s most spiritual city, seeing the number of them in such close proximity was fascinating. Landing at the central station, we took a short, 15-min walk through a mixture of residential streets and developed skyscrapers to To-Ji Temple. This had a collection of beautiful buildings and serene pools of water that reflected the blossoming sakura. Although photography wasn’t permitted in some of the inner buildings, we enjoyed visiting each of them and taking in the sights.

Later we caught a local bus uptown and headed to the 400-year-old Nishiki Market, a hub of Kyoto which offered a bit of retail therapy, but still in keeping with the traditionalism we saw in other parts of the city.

And as late afternoon approached, we knew we had a short window in which to see the renowned Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine, the historic red gates of which you’ll no doubt have heard about, if not seen pictures of. This beautiful Shinto shrine dates from 711 (easily remembered when you think about the local konbini) and is a must-see for visitors. Arriving slightly later in the day, we were lucky to avoid mischievous monkeys that might steal our belongings, and we got to enjoy seeing the sunset over the iconic red gates.

After a short train ride back to Kyoto Central Station, we embarked on our trip back to Tokyo. We’d packed a lot into a single day – for me, I always want to appreciate a new place and squeeze every last drop out while I’m there, because you never know when you might be back. So while we had the fatigue that always follows a jam-packed day, it was complimented by the fact that we’d seen at least two ancient shrines, visited a historic market for the best food, drink and souvenirs, and successfully navigated Kyoto’s public transport system. A day well spent!