Kyoto (JP)
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Kyoto (JP)
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Kyoto is my favourite city on the planet, and contains some of the most beautiful sights that I have ever seen.
I can't comment much on shopping, except to say that the city center has all the usual department stores which you find in any Japanese city (Takeshimaya, Daimaru, Mitsukoshi etc..), and a fairly decent selection of shops selling Japanese streetwear (Bathing Ape, Visvim, Wtaps, Neighborhood etc..), which are all concentrated near the top end of the city center, close to Nijo Castle and the former Imperial Palace.
Kyoto is a great city to explore on foot, and I would recommend it as a destination for a first time traveller to Japan for a number of reasons.
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It has some of the most amazing sights you will ever see, such as Kiyomizu Temple, the Golden Pavillion, Fushimi Inari, and the old Geisha disctrict of Gion.
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It is a friendly city, the people of Kyoto are all too eager to assist a tourist in need. A shop keeper actually closed her shop and took Mini on a tour of Kyoto Pharmacies looking for nappies when Tommytron was only 18 months old.
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It is home to the shortest Shinkansen (bullet train) journey in Japan. If you have ever fancied a ride on the world famous bullet train, then you are in luck, for the modest cost of around £20 ($27) you can take the bullet train to Osaka, leading me to….
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It has all the shopping, and crazy sights of a major city only 20 minutes away...in Osaka. Osaka is to Japan what Liverpool is to England, and what Boston is to the US. A city based on trade and industry, with a strong history, and a regional character all to itself.
Hotel wise, we stayed at the Westin Miyako hotel, which is a little out of the city center and closer to the temples and more traditional sites. The hotel has pictures of its famous former gusts everywhere (Ronal Reagan, Prince Charles etc..), and is quite classy, but also friendly and welcoming.
If anyone ever plans a trip to Kyoto, please feel free to PM me, I could talk about it all day.
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Hangten, do both as they are 20 minutes apart on the Bullet Train.
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Thanks for the tip, Megatron! I get to go to Japan at least once a year for work (Tokyo) and should be going there again early next year.
Hangten, do both as they are 20 minutes apart on the Bullet Train.
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Kyoto is my favourite city on the planet, and contains some of the most beautiful sights that I have ever seen.
I can't comment much on shopping, except to say that the city center has all the usual department stores which you find in any Japanese city (Takeshimaya, Daimaru, Mitsukoshi etc..), and a fairly decent selection of shops selling Japanese streetwear (Bathing Ape, Visvim, Wtaps, Neighborhood etc..), which are all concentrated near the top end of the city center, close to Nijo Castle and the former Imperial Palace.
Kyoto is a great city to explore on foot, and I would recommend it as a destination for a first time traveller to Japan for a number of reasons.
-
It has some of the most amazing sights you will ever see, such as Kiyomizu Temple, the Golden Pavillion, Fushimi Inari, and the old Geisha disctrict of Gion.
-
It is a friendly city, the people of Kyoto are all too eager to assist a tourist in need. A shop keeper actually closed her shop and took Mini on a tour of Kyoto Pharmacies looking for nappies when Tommytron was only 18 months old.
-
It is home to the shortest Shinkansen (bullet train) journey in Japan. If you have ever fancied a ride on the world famous bullet train, then you are in luck, for the modest cost of around £20 ($27) you can take the bullet train to Osaka, leading me to….
-
It has all the shopping, and crazy sights of a major city only 20 minutes away...in Osaka. Osaka is to Japan what Liverpool is to England, and what Boston is to the US. A city based on trade and industry, with a strong history, and a regional character all to itself.
Hotel wise, we stayed at the Westin Miyako hotel, which is a little out of the city center and closer to the temples and more traditional sites. The hotel has pictures of its famous former gusts everywhere (Ronal Reagan, Prince Charles etc..), and is quite classy, but also friendly and welcoming.
If anyone ever plans a trip to Kyoto, please feel free to PM me, I could talk about it all day.
Hi Megatron-san,
My fiance and I will be staying in Kyoto for 10 days in November. Any suggestions of what to do and where to visit. I already booked our accomodation so now just need to figure out how to maximise our time at this beautiful city.
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