Kyoto Japan

Kyoto (京都) is one of the must see places in Japan on any trip. With more than 2000 shrines and temples, Japan’s former capital is considered the home of culture and history in Japan. The absolute minimum amount of time you should spend in Kyoto is two days but more is highly recommended to fully experience what the place has to offer.

The must see places in Kyoto include:


Daikaku-ji Temple – Built in the 9th century as a palace for the emperor and later converted into a large temple.

Fushimi Inari Shrine – Dedicated to the gods of rice and sake, today it is one of Japan’s most popular shrines. A pathway wanders 4km up the mountain and is lined with hundreds of red tori gates.

Ginkaku-ji – The Temple of the Silver Pavilion was constructed in 1482 as a retreat villa for the Shogun and then converted to a temple after his death.

Heian-jingu – Heian shrine was built in 1895 to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the founding of Kyoto.

Kinkaku-ji – The Temple of the Golden Pavilion is one of Japan’s best known sights. The original building was constructed in 1397 and the temple building is covered in gold.

Kiyomizu-dera – One of the most famous landmarks in Kyoto and first built in 798. The step approach to the temple is lined with shops selling local handicrafts and souvenirs, and the view over Kyoto from the famous wooden terrace is truly breathtaking.

Nijo Castle – Built in 1603 as the official Kyoto residence of the first Tokugawa shogun, it is a place of inner beauty and architecture with some of the best gardens in Japan.

To-ji – Established in 794 by imperial decree to protect the city of Kyoto. The 5 storey pagoda is the highest pagoda in Japan.

Gion – The famous entertainment and geisha district of Kyoto. Take a walk along Hanami-koji street lined with traditional restaurants and teahouses. It is a great place to visit in the late afternoon or early evening to spot a geisha or maiko.

Kinkaku-ji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion)

These are some great resources to help you explore Kyoto

Is it Safe to Travel to Japan

Is it safe to travel to Japan. A lot of people have been asking me this question lately. The March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster, along with fears of aftershocks and radiation from the Fukushima nuclear reactor has been deterring tourist from travelling to Japan. Japan was hurt badly by the disaster but Japan needs tourists to help it heal. Before the disaster, Japan was on a high and experiencing its most tourists on record in the first two months of the year. In March the figure fell drastically due to the disaster. Let’s get back to the key question here, is it safe to travel to Japan. Japan was hit hard by the disaster, but only 0.1 per cent of Japan was affected by the tsunami and the area that was affected is not a popular destination for tourists to Japan. Most tourists to Japan either visit the ski resorts in the north island of Hokkaido, which was not affected, or follow the “Golden Route” from Tokyo along the southeast coast to Hiroshima. The route include Hakone, Nagoya, and the traditional cities of Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Okayama. Most tourist attractions in Japan are now open, although some may have shortened opening hours to conserve power. All international airports are operating and this even includes Sendai Airport, which was damaged by the tsunami, and the bullet trains are all running as normal.

With all this occurring, tourists are still unsure whether or not to visit Japan mainly due to lack of information and not researching. The smart people who have done their research realize that Japan is pretty safe to visit.

This is my submission to the 2011 Special Edition of J-Festa

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