Travel plan for first timers in Kyoto

Kyoto Station is an unusual spot for cuisine. If you want to start off with a meal, then you can find it right in front of your eyes. It’s also a good idea to go takeout and eat your purchase on the way. Trains, airport buses, express buses and local buses all arrive and depart here. For getting about within the city, the subways are recommended. A tourist information office is located on the 2nd floor of the station building. For Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, take the JR Nara Line and head for Tofuku-ji Temple and then switch over to the Keihan Honsen (Main Line) to head to Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine.

A famous feature at Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine is the Senbon Torii (The Torii Gate Corridor). Famed for being used as a location for the film “Memoirs of a Geisha”, the crimson scenery and the mysterious atmosphere have attracted many tourists. It is said that the corridor began when many of these torii were erected as a continuing gate from the current world to the world of the dead inhabited by the gods.

The temple was given its name (which means The Temple of the Golden Pavilion) from the golden color of its reliquary hall. It is a simple structure with an overwhelming presence. Enjoy its atmosphere with its background of the surrounding mountains.

The Ninomaru Palace is the highlight of this National Treasure. The so-called nightingale flooring deliberately makes a creaking sound as you walk upon it. The demise of the Edo shogunate also took place here. The castle has also been registered as a World Heritage site.

The scenery which shows the whole of the city of Kyoto from the large veranda at the temple (known as Kiyomizu no Butai) is wonderful. Kiyomizu-dera Temple is an ancient temple constructed at the end of the Nara Era but there are often tourist events held there including illumination.

Along the walk from the sando path of Kiyomizu-dera to Gion, you will find many Kyoto-esque shops that are ideal for choosing those souvenirs. Also in Gion, there are many fine restaurants so it’s suggested that you have your dinner in the area.