Kyoto in 3 days

[herpsky]

I'm going to kyoto for 3 days.

I've never been to kyoto.

I'm going on a bus tour with old people for one day but i have two days free.

If there's something I can only buy in kyoto, that would be nice but

id rather burn $$$ in tokyo.

I love going to temples and etc.

Are there any specific things, places, food, and etc that you guys particularly liked?

Im staying at a hotel near JR Kyoto station. If there are decent restaurants, let me know.

Seriously, I've contributed a lot to tokyo suggestion threads so I think it's my turn to learn a few things from you queers.

[herpsky]

Fuzoku-ten info = positive rep.

[cyberPUNK]

check out the part of town called kitayama. it's basically a richer part of town with a lot of random upscale boutiques. there's also a botanical garden and lots of nice restaurants, bakeries, and cafes if you're into that sort of thing.

shopping wise, i'm a whore for vintage clothing stores and would highly recommend hanjiro in shijo (the main shopping district). they have branches all over japan, but in case you haven't been i'd recommend it. the clothing is cheap and there's usually a great selection of vintage clothing as well as their own line of t-shirts. if you want to save money for tokyo, this place is pretty cheap, so you won't be burning too big a hole in your pocket.

http://www.hanjiro.co.jp/

if you want to hit up an izakaya kawaramachi street near the kamo river around shijo is a definite spot you must hit. i'm not sure if you've got a tourists guide but there's a bar in those books by the name of ING, it's owned by this 50 year old japanese rocker that's obsessed with the rolling stones. it's in kawaramachi. if you happen to find it, it is one of the best drinking spots you could ever hope to find. plenty of interesting clientele and definitely a nice atmosphere, though a hole in the wall.

if you have any questions in particular about any of this stuff or maybe something else feel free to pm me. i've only been to the kansai region and spent a good amount of time in kyoto. i may add more to this thread as i remember some other cool places.

enjoy your stay in kyoto!

oh i nearly forgot, there's a mall by the name of shin pu kan near the karasuma oike subway station. it's got a beams clothing store if you're interested, but the real attraction is the beer garden at the top. i haven't been, but been meaning to.

[simsays]

Temple-wise, I liked Fushimi Inari Taisha. Thousands of toriis running up a mountain.

[DaBestSpoona]

check out nishiki market its touristy, but fun if your into food.

[aho]

I haven't really checked the Tokyo thread and I didn't get time to read up on your situation or tastes but as far as how I spent my time living in Kyoto as a poor college student, shopping and bars will generally be found between Shijo and Sanjo. Kiyamachi between said streets would be a good place to just walk around at night for bars and clubs (not a club person myself but check out Sam&Daves or World). By far my favorite ramen-ya is located on Kiyamachi just south of sanjo on the east side. The name escapes me at the moment but there is nothing better than a fresh bowl of ramen at this place (you'll recognize it by the red banners and line...it's an outside ramen place) or even the kabab place next to it on the right (not very Kyoto rashii I realize). Around 7:00pm ish you will find many university students meeting for gokon or just trying to nanpa along the Kamo river under the Sanjo bridge along with the random couples just making out on the west side of the river by Starbucks and Lawsons. There's usually drummers with "fire dancers" and a crowd on weekend nights, and sometimes bands will set up in this area. Then theres the standard gaijin bar, as we all love to hate, "The Hub". I recommend this place if your looking to pickup those gaijin hungry girls, and fellow asshold gaijin (The first "street" south of sanjo between sanjo and shijo along kiyamachi, although closer to kawaramachi). Theres also a place gaijin frequent called "A bar" which is near the World club that I did frequent for cheap Yebisu, but it's impossible for me to describe its location.

I'm assuming you'll be visiting all the must hit temples and shrines, etc. but my favorite one is Kiyomizudera. Kinkakuji and Ginkakuji are also nice and if you get time follow the Philosopher's trail south, it's a nice walk (preferablly bike ride though). You'll end up in the Higashiyama area which has a pretty traditional feel and is also home to a nice restaurant. There'll be lots of little shops leading up to the temples and shrines and I recommend the cream puffs, macha ice cream, and any of the free food sample places on your way up to Kiyomizu. The imperial palace is nice as well. Tons to see but those are the one's I'd hit for sure. If you get time, just bike north up the Kamo until you hit the mountains, it's really nice anytime of the year!

For shopping (this is sufu afterall), the main spots are again going to be between shijo and sanjo on the north and south and karasuma and kawaramachi on the west and east. Since your in Tokyo I'm sure your used to the standard fare (Hare, Ships, etc.). If you had one of these stores in mind just ask and I give directions. Most of the good stores will be located on shijo anyways in or around Teramachi (the large arcade shopping street) or in Daimaru dept. store. As stated above the Shinpukan north of sanjo on karasuma has a few good stores and theres a BAPE nearby if your into that, or even the APC store alot further south by shijo. I also recommend the hanjiro store listed above although it might be hard to find at first. Just locate the KFC inside shinkyogoku (the OTHER arcade shopping street parallel to teramachi) and there'll be one of those shop reps holding a sign/ad that you can ask.

If you had any specific stores you had in mind just ask! Although you can find most of it in Tokyo anyways...

[herpsky]

I'm 120% japanese and i do not need to do ANY shopping.

I might just get a Kyoto souvenior starbucks tumbler. Who knows...

Things that might appeal to a gaijin may not appeal to me.

Im going solo so bars that sorta require company = i dont need.

I guess I'm looking for more touristy stuff, after all.

[cyberPUNK]

well for touristy attractions i'd recommend going down to gion. it's basically a section of old kyoto that's been preserved. all the restaurants here are really expensive, but i'd recommend strolling around the area.

like others have recommended, you can't miss fushimi inari. it's my favorite temple by far, and makes for great pictures. there are several trails around the temple as well, so if you just feel like getting lost on a nature trail, the option is available. i'd also recommend ginkakuji. once you arrive you'll realize the main attraction here isn't the pavilion but rather the nature surrounding it.

as for food i'd recommend soft cream, you've probably had your fill in tokyo, but if not i'd recommend trying some, especially the grean tea flavor. you can find a soft cream stand outside nearly every temple.

as for a souvenir...probably purchasing something from one of the temples is the way to go. while not in kyoto, i purchased a nice replica of a noh mask at todaiji in nara. i'm sure you can find similar items at the temples in kyoto.

shopping, again, if i could only go to one store in kyoto it'd be hanjiro. i'm just glad to see other people recommend it as well.

[herpsky]

hanjiro...there's one near my house so id probably pass

[sparka]

are there any good maps online of kyoto (transport etc), or should i just wait until i get there to pick one up?

[smurf]

Fushimi Inari Shrine and Kiyomizudera were our favorites.

If you can, rent a bike. With a map and a day, you can easily see all of the shrines, temples and castles in central Kyoto. The city is pretty flat, so you can cover a lot of ground without a lot of effort. We rented from the hotel we stayed at, but I also remember reading about a bike shop or something somewhere online.

Have fun!

[xcoldricex]

if you want to shop- take a train ride (it's really quick if you take the shinkansen. normal trains don't take too long either) to osaka. osaka kills kyoto in that department.

[sparka]

ok so i dont know if hanjiro just moved or what but that store is absolutely INCREDIBLE! super nice vibe. cool people. GREAT PRICES! could have easily spent more time in there just browsing and relaxing. kyoto was/is pretty awesome. thanks for the help!

[mike lowrey]

thought I'd write some things down for those searching the threads..

Kyoto is such an odd city, you cant really compare it to anything. it has 1.5 million inhabitants but looks like a 150,000 person city. I think its worth a visit to see something completely different than Tokyo or Osaka. Theres a ton of nice little cafes in the city, but unfortunately I didnt write any names down. theres also a billion temples and shrines, might be worth picking up a guide book to help pick the best ones.

some random info:

shops

Fuji Daimaru - this shopping complex has a CDG store, Edition which carries mostly the same stuff as the one in Tokyo (weird mix of Nicolo Ceschi Berrini, m.a+, stephan schneider and some swedish labels), Via Bus Stop and some local stores such as Ships, United Arrows and floors of womens wear. also a food store in the basement. theres also a store called Stage which surprisingly had some Paul Harnden footwear and clothing.

Mindtrive - the main store of the several ones they have, a large selection of Attachment, some Julius, Kiminori Morishita and some other japanese labels

Bloc - this mindtrive complex has 3 floors and 4 stores in one, awesome building. eM has local labels, eM import has rick owens, ann demeulemeester, acne, damir doma etc, wjk is on the top floor and theres also a good selection of N4 which I think is their own label. Black is a hidden room behind a corner on the wjk floor which I actually missed the first time. you probably need to ask to get in. in the room, you'll find all their leather stuff from m.a+, carpe diem, giorgio brato and guidi.

Bullet - the last of the mindtrive stores, this one has Factotum, Robert Geller, Rico, N4 and some others. nice small boutique.

Factory Studio - pretty much 3 labels here, Undercover, Number (N)ine and N. Hollywood. ok selection from the first two.

Hare - located on one of the covered shopping alleys, a good selection of their knock offs and things.

food

Tomi Sushi - a good sushi spot hidden on a small alley, awesome old school atmosphere with older gentlemen getting slightly hammered while chumping away on their makis.

C Conquet Cafe - one of the few wifi cafes in the city I came across, decent food and several macs. english menu proves that its mostly frequented by foreigners.

[Swych]

mike lowrey good writeup there.

+1 on Block building, great selection of stuff.

[herpsky]

Arashiyama is dope.

The nintendo HQs is there too.

[Seething Tortoise]

Ride a bike

Get outpaced by old ladies when going uphill

I wish I could say something...but I ended up wandering out of Gion, after Kyoumizu and getting lost and going to some restaurant overlooking the river.

[Appleseed]

A couple more random pics of mine-

Loftman in teramachi arcade; pretty cool co-op that also has a great cafe in the back. Mostly outdoor type gear.

Awomb; Gallery that carries a few high end labels, ACR.

Wonder Cafe; way out in Imadegawa, super homey/chill. Good japtalian rustic dishes.

Eel; Nice restaurant on 3rd st. Specializes in eel, but has lots of other good stuff. Grilled bacon wrapped tomato slices are amazing.

Entsu-ji temple; up north off the Eidan line. Small but one of my favorites in the area. Great viewing garden, when it gets cold they have warm electric blankets for guests.

-Totally agree with the bike. LOTS of great paths and byways to ride on.

[herpsky]

Daigoji is one of the must hit places. It's where the five story pagoda is.

People usually go there to check out the said pagoda but it's actually super lame.

The wooden carvings of characters from japanese mythology (?) displayed in the main temple are some of the most impressive things I've seen.

that makes the trip worthwhile.

[Appleseed]

^ Innit the temple hall for the goddess Benten? Also the hike up to where Daigo-ji was founded is pretty sweet.

[herpsky]

maybe it was sanjyu-sangen-do

fuck i dont remember

[Appleseed]

Nah, nah, you're thinking of the right place. I was just trying to think of what the carvings were of at Daigo-ji . Sanjyusangen-do has all the statues and is up in Higashiyama. Longest wooden building in Japan.

I been to wayyyyyy too many of those shits.

[__CB__]

...also a few other decent stores around nakagyō-ku including ha ha apartment and 45rpm