soonerfanatic

What would you see and do?

We are staying at the Westin Miyako. Any recommendations for shabu-shabu nearby?

soonerfanatic

Would this be one?http://mboogiedown-japan.blogspot.co...d-ishibei.html

jib71

Kicking off with an early morning trip to Kiyomizudera would be a good start. It opens much earlier than many other sites and it gets crowded later in the day -- Plus it's in the opposite direction from the Westin to the other area that you might explore -- From there, come back to the Westin for breakfast then walk through Maruyama park and up the philosopher's walk as far as the Ginkakuji.

For dinner, I'd try one of the restaurants that put out decks by the Kamo river. That's quite the thing to do at this time of year:
http://www.kyoto-yuka.com/shop/map.html

Now, this plan means that you miss some of the best known places such as the Kinkakuji, Ryoanji, Nijojo. But you will see some truly spectacular scenery and some of Kyoto's most celebrated sites - and without dashing all over town and getting caught up in traffic and so on. You can only cram so much into one day.

abmj-jr

Jib71's suggestion above makes a lot of sense if you are walkers. The route stays all on the east (higashi) side of Kyoto and winds through several important and beautiful sites. The whole thing will cover several kilometers with some up-and-downhill walking.

If you are not strong walkers or want to see a wider selection of sites, you might have to do what many Japanese do and simply spring for cabs to get around quickly and efficiently to several of the "big" sites. This is not as inexepensive but someone staying at the Miyako will most likely be able to afford it. Of course, I would be out of character if I did not make my usual derisive comment that it makes no sense to even try to "do" Kyoto in 1 day but if that is your schedule, so be it.

If the second option appeals, I'd suggest starting at Kiyomizu-dera as suggested above for the same reason - it opens early. I would then walk down Sannenzaka Slope to look in the many little pottery shops and souvenir stores. The I'd grab a cab and start hitting as many as I could of the following: Sanjusangendo Hall, the Heian Jingu Shrine, Nijo Castle (Nijo-jo), Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavillion) and the old, narrow streets just south and east of Yasaka Shrine at the edge of Gion. If time is left, add one or more of: Ryoan-ji (near Kinkaku-ji) for the rock garden and stroll around the lake, Ginkaku-ji (the Silver Pavillion - if you go here, leave time and energy to hike the hilly garden for nice views of Kyoto) and Nazen-ji back near where you started. In the early evening, I'd either stroll along Ponotocho Alley or the little lanes and bridges along the river in Gion.

I've listed more than you could probably see in one day so some cherry-picking would be in order but those are my A-list. The (A-) list is much longer.

JR

motytrah

Morning with Johnny Hillwalker. Stop for lunch. Continue up the Philosophers walk. End with nice dinner in downtown Kyoto.

mosburger

This sounds good to me as well. ^ And lunch would of course be at one of the Kyoto branches of MOS burger.

LapLap

I was in just this position last week.

I resolved this quandary by spending the day in Nara.

(For lunch I had Nishin Soba, I can dig up the address for you if you're interested, it was excellent)

Chapel Hill Guy

We had a stopover in Osaka on the way back from Beijing and spent one day in Kyoto and one day in Nara (which you should visit as the temple and deer are amazing). It wasn't ideal, but then neither is my time and money budget for travel.

We took the train from Osaka, then had a taxi drop us off at Sanjusangendo Hall (wow, what a place!). From there we walked up Gojo-zaka slope, then Chawan-zaka (teapot lane) to Kiyomizu-dera. We then walked back down along Sanneizaka and Ninenzaka, took a look at Yasaka Pagoda, then walked along Ishibei-koji.

We visited Yasaka Jinja shrine, then spent the rest of the time roaming the streets of Gion.

Can't recall the name of the place where we had lunch, but we tried some truly beautiful obento boxes.

I think I got the order (and names) of the above right, but I'm reconstructing it from old notes.

I wish we had more time, but this at least gave us a taste of Kyoto.

mosburger

Gion...Can be nice at times but a lot of it is corporate account karaoke bars and soap business and off limits to non-Japanese. I'd much rather head to the magic of Kamigyo-ku and northern Kyoto for strolls.

Some supermarkets have amazing price/quality ratios for sushi and other bento.

happytravelling

I wish I knew about this forum when I was in Kyoto 2 years ago...

Chapel Hill Guy

Methinks mosburger has become a bit jaded.

We really enjoyed walking around Gion. Lots of interesting architecture, neat little side streets, etc. and we spotted several geisha. Didn't really see any cheesy karaoke bars or anything else I would describe as tacky.

loopies

We also stayed at the Westin Myako - we booked a 1/2 day tour that picked us at the hotel and took us to 3 local sites. Then you can decide from there where else to explore. The restaurant at the hotel was a rip off - eat in town instead.

unagi1

Whether Gion or Pontocho, its all there, its just a bit more subtle, even if you can read Japanese, than in Tokyo, or say, Shinsaibashi or Namba in Osaka.

troyb

Did you book this through the hotel? Was it a private tour or group? How much was the cost? Would you say it was worth it?

atlantacane75

I thought the tour at the Imperial Palace and our visit to Nijo castle were both wonderful. And I highly recommend going to both Kinkakuji and Ryoanji Temples. Finish up with a stroll in Gion. We took the bus around town and it was easy to use. If you have more time, Fushimi Inari temple, with its vermillion gates up the mountain behind it, is very nice to visit.