Klay Blog
Hannah’s Kyoto Tips
The first part of this is are things I have clustered into areas that you could do all together. Further down are other things I have just listed.
I have noted if they need pre-booking. If I have not mentioned about booking it means you don't need to book in advance.
However it is very common to book for cafes/ restaurants in Kyoto, especially on weekends pre-booking is highly recommended.
Most places on this list are child friendly (we see children almost everywhere), but a few are not. I have made a note under the few I know that are not. But please check yourself too as I might be wrong.
General tips
Check the opening hours online before you go anywhere! Both on google & their social media accounts wherever possible... opening days seem a little flexible here, as lots of places are owner operators they close for certain times that google might not have updated. Same for temples.
I would suggest avoiding the super popular touristy temple gardens/ general spots if you can - there are so many temple gardens in Kyoto, the best ones we have seen are the smaller less known/ touristy ones (listed some below). The popular places can be very over crowded.
My favourite thing about Kyoto is the Kamo River, which stretches throughout Kyoto. It has walking and bike tracks, stepping stones, lovely over grown grasses, real turtles in the river, drops for the perfect sounds of water falling, places to dip your feet in, people practicing musical instruments like saxophone and flute, children playing and butterflies. It is a beautiful and generous public urban space.
I suggest visiting the 'Delta' area, especially in warmer months you could go to the bakery Artisan ' Halles and get some things to take away to eat at the Delta.
If you are here for long enough, it would be worth buying or hiring a bike. Cycling along the Kamo River is lovely, but all the streets too. So much to look at. You can buy second hand bikes from around NZD$50 & there are many places you can hire bikes from. Many bikes have seats for children too.
ONE half a day
Kawai Kanjiro's house and studio and other things
Start at:
1. Kawai Kanjiro's house
2. Ichikawaya Coffee shop Yummy seasonal fruit and cream sandwiches and Omurice. The building is beautiful too. Worth the wait for a table.
3. Tofukuji temple complex It has bridge and garden - do both.
The garden is very famous because it was designed by Mirei Shigemori, a modernist garden designer. The gardens are quite radical compared to the traditional structures.
4. Komyo-in By the same experimental landscape designer Mirei Shigemori. Really beautiful & only a 5 min walk from Tofukuji (technically a sub temple of Tofukuji
ONE half a day
Nanzan-Ji Complex & Murin-an
Start at:
1. Nanzen-ji MAIN temple
THEN IMPORTANT... go to the smaller temples around it (all within 5-10 min walk from each other).
They are really special gardens, here are the ones we went to that we loved:
2. Nanzen-in
3. Tenju-an (we saw a turtle in the lily pond):
4. Konchi-in
on the way you could stop for a coffee at Blue Bottle
5. Murin-an (a bit of a walk own from the others, maybe about 10 min walk) you can get a drink/ sweet set and sit and rest at murin-an.
Food/coffee in this area:
Hanafusa East coffee shop Super cute old school coffee shop with old men wait staff that wear bow ties and play really good music from their CD collection.
It is 1950's style and sort of a time warp. BUT just a warning there are people smoking inside sometimes, which is horrible for non smokers! 2/3 times we have been no one was smoking, but once they were and it was intense.
ONE Half a day
Daitoku-ji temple & ancient mochi
Daitoku-ji is a big temple complex. The ones I have listed are all about 5 mins walk from each other. You need to pay for entry at each smaller temple. There are a lot of beautiful smaller temples within here to visit, here are some that we have been to that we loved:
1. Ryogen-in Temple
2. Ohbai-in Temple
This was incredible.
3. Zuiho-in Temple
Garden of this one was designed by Mirei Shigemori.
4. Koto-in Temple
This one looks so beautiful - even worth just checking out the entry! But has sadly been closed all the times we have walked past. Worth a try though, even to see the entry.
Near Koto-in is a very cute matcha soft serve place:
Kouroan tea shop & farm
then about a 7 min walk to the ancient mochi place....
Ichimonjiya Wasuke Ancient Mochi
Open 10am-5pm. Closed Wednesdays.
This is the OLDEST SHOP IN JAPAN! It was established in the year 1000. 25 generations deep.
The grilled mochi is so delicious. PLEASE NOTE: there are confusingly two across from each other - the right one is the older one? but they are quite similar! Read more here.
ONE half a day:
Katsura Imperial Villa
so so beautiful. It is a guided tour. Worth it though.
NOTE: You need to book in advance, we booked the tour from this location (confusingly a different similar sounding location):
Imperial Household Agency, Kyoto office
*might not be child friendly - you will need to check this
You can actually book this online too here.
If the website is too confusing maybe try email:
kyotosankan-info@kunaicho.go.jp
ONE half a day
Northish, Enko-ji & others:
Start at:
1. Enko-ji Temple & garden
2. Shisen-do Temple & Garden
3. Konpuku-ji Temple
Basho-an is located here, beautiful tea house type cottage, really nice thatch roof
Other things (not by day just listed places)
Chou Chiku Kyo House
One of the most beautiful houses we have ever visited. I highly suggest visiting this house if you are interested in architecture. The details are amazing - so many interesting passive natural cooling systems. You must book in advance to go on a tour. We had to book one month in advance because it was so booked up! After you make a booking contact them to ask for an english tour guide & make sure you get a reply! It is important to get an english guide because understanding the details are what makes this place special.
It is a little far out of town, but the trainstop is about a 7 minute walk from the house.
Book on their website here.
*might not be child friendly - you will need to check this
Shugakuin Imperial Villa
You usually need to book in advance to go on a tour, however we just showed up 20 mins before the tour and there was space for us - bit of a gamble but you could do this too. They run two tours a day.
Info on how to book is here.
It is very close to Bar Hutte (more info below) where you could go after for a drink and look through their books.
Mirei Shigemori Residence
Official website here.
You need to book in advance to go on a tour by emailing shima753@hotmail.com
This is on the same road as Yenta Bakery - so if you go here on a Wednesday or Friday, make sure to go check out the bakery! It is 30 seconds walk away.
Shopping
D & Department store Homewares, clothes & you can have lunch here too https://www.instagram.com/d_d_kyoto
Shokunin Showroom Japanese handcraft - kitchen items & homewares store
They also have a great website & ship worldwide
https://www.shokunin.com/en/
Books and Things Really good second hand architecture and art bookstore. Let the owner know what you are interested in, he is so helpful. https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/936564509882350/books-things/
Media Bookstore Bookstore selling a lot of architecture and art books. https://www.instagram.com/mediashop_plants/
Tomiya Traditional Pickle Shop The pickles are traditional and delicious. They often use organic ingredients. They have a lot of passion for keeping things pure and authentic. The owners are very kind and always have interesting things they teach us about local culture and food. It is far away from most other things you might see in Kyoto, but if you are in the area & are able to eat pickles in your accomodation, you should try to come here. https://www.instagram.com/tomiyakyoto
Vinegar Shop We loved this place. Yummy taste testing. The old Machiya building is so nice.
Bar Hutte "skinny bookshop", it is also a standing bar! 2nd hand books. Most of the books here are in Japanese. https://www.instagram.com/ba_hutte
Food
Lunch
Ao Onigiri (lunch) Best onigiri! Go early if you can, as they sell out quickly. Check out their instagram page on the day to see what is left.
Hobodo Cafe (lunch, all vegan) We first tried their Shiso Soda at the Heian Market and knew it was special. It was delicious. So we were happy to find out this couple also has a fully vegan cafe. They offer delicious and healthy lunches. We made a booking via instagram a few days before going to make sure we would get a seat.
Kanei Handmade Soba (lunch) This is a well known and respected soba place. It is a locals place, but it also on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list and soba fans from across come here to try the soba. It is made from 100% buckwheat and hand cut. They serve it with fresh wasabi that you grate yourself. It was really delicious.
Gomacro Salon (lunch or very early dinner, all vegan) This cafe specialises in sesame seed food. It serves three set meals a day. We had the curry and the noodles. They were really good. It is pretty central too, so a good spot to go to if you are doing other things in town.
Yenta Bakery (lunch) They are only open Wednesdays & Fridays. Really cute bakery that operates out the front of the owner's house. The house/ bakery was designed by the same architects that did Bolts and Bar Hutte. Check out their instagram page for updates.
Sonoba Soba (lunch) Another in the Michelin Bib Gourmand list and another 100% buckwheat and hand cut. It is run by young creative people. They have a fresh modern menu. We really loved this place. They do not take bookings and they are very popular, so I suggest getting there 10 mins before opening so that you are not standing in a line outside for a long time or miss out (many places just close when they have sold out of their servings for the day). Check out their instagram page here.
Kew (Bakery) Probably the best cheesecake & donuts in the world? Like most of the best places in Kyoto, you need to make a reservation on their website. They open reservations on the Monday for that week at 10pm & I think they book up fast. This place is very popular (but not crowded thanks to their booking system), so you do need to be organised.The interior is very beautiful too. Like many places in Japan, they have a rule that no photos of the inside are allowed, which makes for a nicer experience as the influencer culture can be quite overwhelming in Japan.
Food
Dinner
Itadakizen (vegan, dinner) We had a nice dinner here. It is hard in Kyoto to find vegan/ vegetarian friendly places for dinner in my experience. We booked via their website.
Uzu vegan Ramen Kyoto (dinner) Very delicious vegan ramen (it has a Michelin Bib Gourmand). Only seats 8. They now only take set menu bookings. You need to book well in advance on their website.
*might not be child friendly - you will need to check this
Food
Wagashi (Traditional Sweet Shops)
Wagashi means Japanese sweets. Kyoto is famous for their traditional Wagashi. They are typically made from plant based ingredients & usually change throughout the seasons. Most are from 1600-1860 (Edo Period) before western influence. It is a beautiful part of Japanese culture that we became very interested in on our last trip. They are like works of art.
Umezono
Our friend Yu (a local) said this was her favourite sweet shop in Kyoto. It is a small place and often very busy with a bit of a wait, but it went fast and you can browse the menu while you wait. We had a shaved ice & an agar jelly/ mochi and tried out different things on different times we went here. It was always delicious.
My friend Fumi suggested this place. It's another tiny charming place that is very popular. It was founded in 1682. They make mochi from millet. It is made to order. The first time we tried to come here it was all sold out and they have chalk marks outside the shop for where people usually have to queue! So we went back again early and it was worth it. One of the most amazing things I have eaten, maybe ever. Their menu is very simple and they bring you complimentary tea, or maybe it was part of the set! We had the red bean covered mochi and a millet powder covered mochi. Really beautiful. It is right near the Tenjin-san Market!
Kagizen Yoshifusa Shijo - Main Branch Make sure you go to the original main branch (there are two!). The space has a lovely vaulted ceiling and you look out to a courtyard garden. This sweet shop makes exquisite things. I found it very inspiring. It is 300 years (or maybe more) old. We had the the iced Kuzukiri noodles (made from Japanese arrowroot) with brown sugar syrup, Kanro-take mizu-yokan (red beans in the bamboo) & the daily sweet special.
Ichimonjiya Wasuke (Ancient Mochi) Open 10am-5pm. Closed Wednesdays. This is the OLDEST SHOP IN JAPAN! It was established in the year 1000. 25 generations deep. The grilled mochi is so delicious too. NOTE: there are confusingly two across from each other - the right one is the older one! but they are quite similar.
Umezono Sabo This is a sister shop to the other Umezono on this list. This one is a bit more modern (but in a very old building) and has a different menu. It is really nice too.We had the seasonal frozen ice with ginger syrup (delicious and a bit spicy) with white peach and dango mochi and chilled red bean paste at the bottom, as well as a ume soda. We sat upstairs in the beautiful space. It is located in a traditional machiya.
Totaro Another modern wagashi shop in a converted machiya. They specialise in matcha desserts. It is a short walk from Sonoba Soba
Food
Coffee
Kikushin Coffee (coffee and toast) This place is in a touristy area and can be busy. When we went there were two groups going in, so we waited outside for them to finish. The place is tiny. It was worth the wait. It is really cute. We had 'Honey Toast' and 'lemon toast' and it was really delicious and I do suggest you try it too if you are in the area. I would say to avoid this area generally though :)
Weekenders Coffee (coffee) We had a yummy iced coffee with lemon and thyme and sparkling soda.
Antique Markets
There are a handful of different markets in Kyoto. We went to quite a few and here are the two we would highly recommend.
1. Heian Market We loved this one the most. It is only on once a month. Check their instagram page for updated dates.
2. Tenjin-san Market This one is also just once a month
Very Touristy places
But worth it if you go at opening time
Saiho-ji (Koke-dera) Moss Temple. You need to book in advance (we booked about a month in advance). Follow the directions from the website.*might not be child friendly - you will need to check this.
Ginkaku-ji (Silver Temple) No booking required so it gets very packed. We went as soon as it opened and it was already very busy. The crowd was worth it for this one for me.
