Originally Posted by
Klarity7
Hello Flyertalkers. Sorry to bump a year plus old thread but figured it was better than starting a new one.
Have seven full days in Japan next July (just me and Mrs. K, no kids) and while we are committed for five of those days, we have an open 48-hour stretch where we would like to go to Kyoto for an overnight.
I was planning to catch the early morning Shinkansen to Kyoto and return to Tokyo the following evening. We will travel pretty light as most of our stuff we will leave on Tokyo. Kyoto is bigger than I realized and we realize that one day will not do it near justice. Add to that, we would like to stay in a Ryokan. Even though I have read that there are better places for Ryokan visits we will try to do it in this trip.
Main questions:
- What part of Kyoto should we target to visit to get a good traditional view of Japan (we tend to like areas that are like a marketplace, and pretty walkable)?
- With the above, does anyone have a couple Ryokan recommendations? We don’t mind spending a little money for a place that caters to first timer westerners, but would still like it to still offer some traditional insight.
We would probably sightsee until about 3pm and then subway, bus, or taxi to the Ryokan after that to enjoy what that has to offer (tea/bath/dinner,etc). Then next day after breakfast , we could spend a few more hours exploring before catching the Shinkansen back.
Kyoto has a Nishiki Market that’s pretty well located to several shrines / temples and Gion, so maybe try finding a place around that.
Note that a ryokan experience will take up most of the afternoon and much of the next morning - and this is if you stay centrally - so consider how it fits into your sightseeing plans and how your tolerance is like for long days. Within Kyoto I suggest choosing a couple of representative temples, not try to see everything, and plan out your entire day including approximate bus / train schedules to check that everything is achievable and to avoid wasting time or backtracking.