How to see Kyoto in a day and a half (solo and on a tiny budget)
I travelled to Japan alone with little to no knowledge of the country, a 12 day time-limit and a 700€ budget (plane ticket not included). Before arrival, my Japanese language knowledge consisted of the word “Arigatō” (thank you) and the lyrics to the childrens song “if you’re happy and you know it”. It was one of the scariest, stressful and absolutely amazing things I’ve ever done. One of the best places I visited on this trip was Kyoto and here’s how I explored it in a day and a half, mostly on foot and with spending as little money as I possibly could.
Kyoto is a historically important city to Japan. It is home to around a million and a half people and more than a thousand Buddhist temples, plus some four hundred Shinto shrines. The city was imperial capital for over a thousand years and although it has experienced its fair share of fires and war, many old buildings still stand. So, how on earth, do you experience the essence of this city in a short time?
It’s tempting to say that you need a week in Kyoto. In fact, I would love to return and spend a week there. Two, even. But the fact of the matter is, many visitors are on a tight schedule hoping to see as much of Japan as they can before their plane home. According to my plan, I had a day and a half in the magnificent city of Kyoto. Here’s my suggestions for what to do and see if you (like me) are visiting Kyoto on a tight schedule — and a tight budget:
12pm: Arrival in Kytoto.
I stored my luggage in a storage locker at a station and moved into the city only with a small backpack. I then bought a ticket for the local city busses and headed towards Kiyomizu-dera Temple.
1 pm: Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Kiyomizu-dera Temple is worth a visit any day of the year, but if you can manage to arrive during the bi-annual dragon festival, it will be the highlight of your visit to Kyoto. The festival takes place over two days in the spring and two days in the autumn. You can check the dates here. But even if you can’t catch the festival, the temple itself is beautiful on it’s own.
The main temple building is a large cubic building. Surrounding it is several smaller, very orange shrines and buildings. The whole temple is built over a deep valley or gorge so that many of the buildings, including the large main building, are standing on staves high above the valley floor.
Aside from being historically and architecturally interesting, the location of this temple should also be mentioned among its many merits. The temple is situated at the very edge of Kyoto city and is surrounded by mountains and trees on three sides and the city on the fourth. Being placed on a hill it offers some spectacular views of both city and natured paired with the beautiful orange wood buildings.
In case you cannot make it for the Dragon Festival, here’s what I wrote in my journal right after experiencing it:
“At 2pm the dragon festival started. Suddenly a tourist guide came through and asked everyone to stand aside. Moments later, a procession marched by with the main actor being an 18 foot dragon made of cloth and held up by sticks. It took several people to carry, each holding a stick and moving it up and down so the dragon seemed the move.
As I watched, the dragon made its way through the wooden temple and across the gorge to a porch in front of an alter. I watched from across the gorge as it turned and spiraled in a sort of dance before moving on. In the space of about fifteen minutes the dragon and its whole procession of chanting monks and guarding warriors made its way through the whole temple complex accompanied by the banging of sticks and the playing of large horns. I watched in breathless amazement as the whole thing went on. Both fascinated by the art of it all and awestruck that I got to see it. In a way, I felt I was privvy to a ceremony that was not made for my eyes”
3 pm walking through the city back to the central station
It’s tempting to use public transport when travelling on a schedule but I find that walking — and specifically wandering — is a better way to see a city. I enjoy seeing a city by foot and walking to get somewhere often gets you more interesting places than just taking a train or bus. This walk for example, took me through some of the more residential areas that I normally would not have found. I enjoyed seeing the small shops and buildings the locals live in. This was perhaps the less glamorous part of town, but as a tourist I see enough glamour and sometimes it good to see the real things.
A thing I would have missed had I stuck to the beaten path was this small orange shrine. It was perhaps three meters tall and three meters on each side. And it was placed just outside an apartment block. I cannot imagine that this shrine was there for the tourists to see, as I was the only tourist around, it must be for the locals.
4 PM: check in at hostel
Hostel recommendation: Book and Bed Kyoto
While in Kyoto I stayed at the hostel Book and Bed, which is located on the 9th floor of a building in the very lively Gion neighbourhood. It’s not the cheapest option but it was worth every yen.
The staff are very friendly and speak good English and — more importantly — this is a book themed hostel! My capsule was inside a bookshelf! The hostel consists of one big dorm with about 25 sleep capsules surrounded by books. There are sofas everywhere and people are just sitting around reading. Definitely the best atmosphere I’ve experienced in a hostel in a long time.
6 pm: exploring the Gion neighbourhood
The Gion area is best explored on foot. It has many cute (but often pricey) restaurants. Small streets, and bridges crossing canals. Exploring in the evening is the best time in my humble opinion— it’s when the neighbourhood comes alive. When lanterns are lit, restaurants open and folks about.
Being on a budget and wanting local food I did not end up in one of the fancy restaurants. Instead I did what the locals do and found myself a cheap ramen place. Absolutely a good decision.
Musoshin Gion has been touted as one of the best ramen places in Kyoto and I agree. The place seats only 11 people and has no waiters, only ramen chefs. You buy your dinner in a vending machine by the door, which spits out a small ticket that you hand to the chef. After a few minutes you get your ramen and considering how utterly cheap this place is, you will not believe how good the food tastes!
Kyoto Day two — 10 am: Sanjusangendo temple
Sanjusangendo temple is known for it’s its 1001 Buddha statues.
I thought the 1001 was an overstatement, just like the 1000-armed Buddha often is only depicted with a dozen arms. Or perhaps I imagined the 1001 statues were tiny, like the Chinese terracotta army.
I was wrong. There really is 1001 Buddha statues and they’re all the size of a human. Except number 1001 which is 11 meters tall. The place is too sacred for tourist-photos, so I have no pictures and even if I did, they wouldn’t be able to accurately convey the sheer magnitude and presence of the place. You simply have to visit to fully understand.
The entrance fee for the temple is 600 Yen, but it is entirely worth it. The statues are all housed within one big hall which — as you can imagine — is massive. The 1000 smaller statues stand in neat rows of five or six at the entire length of the hall and in the middle, the main Buddha statue is seated. They’re all made from wood and covered with golden lacquer. Intricately carved and extremely beautiful. The statues are 800 years old and it took a team of sculptors over a century to finish them. In front of the 1001 statues is 28 other sculptures of different deities. Each have a description and explanation in English so it’s a good chance to learn more about japanese buddhism.
Behind the hall with the Buddhas is a corridor with pictures and more explanations. Here are a few fun facts about the statues, the temples and the history of the place. If you go here, I absolutely recommend taking the time to check out the information. For example, I learned that for over two hundred years archery competitions were held inside the hall. Eventually they had to stop because the many stray arrows were shaving off the supporting rafters bit by bit.
1 pm: Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove can be reached with a 15-minute train-ride from Kyoto station and to Saga-Arashiyama station and from there it’s just a short walk to the bamboo grove.
I reccomend talking a casual stroll through the grove and enjoying beautiful views. I visited on a hot an sunny day and the bamboos offered some shade from the sun while filtering the light in beautiful green shades.
The path leads to a small station where one can take a train back to the station but I decided to just walk back as I wasn’t done enjoying the grove yet. I bought myself an iced matcha latte (which matched the grove) and drank it while strolling back.
3 PM: Monster Street
From Saga-Arashiyama I took the train back about halfway to Kyoto and got off at Emmachi station. (Okay truth be told: I’m a bad planner and I went all the way to Kyoto and then back on the same train like an idiot but that doesn’t matter to the narative).
From Emmachi station it’s about a 15-minute walk to Yokai Street which is also known as Monster Street. Here, the local shop owners in this street have decided to put small monsters (about a meter tall each) outside their shops. There are monsters in many different shapes and colours but they all look funny. The whole thing is rather bizarre. When I was there, it was pretty empty, being Sunday afternoon. Over speakers by the lamp posts, music was playing. It was strange child-like music that sounded like it was recorded on a toy-organ. The whole thing had a somewhat eerie feel to it.
I will say though. Monster Street is kind of hard to get to and from. Especially if you, like me, are not Japanese bus savvy, so for a short visit to Kyoto it might not be worth the effort.
5 PM: The imperial palace gardens
Walking through the park of the Imperial Palace is a nice change from the hustle and bustle of Kyoto. Especially if you’ve made your way past the busy Nishiki market, you might appreciate the quiet serenity this place offers. Most of the park is just big and empty and can probably be skipped by anyone who’s not massively into imperial palaces. However, in the eastern end of the park there is a small Japanese garden which is rather cute. It has nice trees and even a little pond.
8 pm (or any time after dark) : Yasaka Shrine.
This Shrine is best visited at night time. As darkness falls on the city, it is lit up by hundreds of paper lanterns and other lights. When I visited, there were only a few other tourists and worshippers so the whole place was ensshrouded by an almost sacred silence only broken by cicadas singing, the running of a quiet stream and the occasional rattling of prayer bells. Walking around there in the darkness is probably one of the most magical experiences I’ve had. I suppose I should say spritial or sacred really. Either way, it was beautiful.
And that marks the end of my time in Kyoto. It’s an amazing city with a rich history and so many places to explore. I hope this could serve for some inspiration while planning your own visit to this magnificent place.
Looking for a cute day-trip from Kyoto or Osaka? Read about my visit to Nara here.
