5 Fun Things to do in Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto was unlike the rest of the cities in Japan that I visited. I felt as if they had this mixture of old meets new in a way that I just did not quite get in cities like Tokyo and Osaka. With that came a mix of awesome experiences that you can have while visiting there. If you are in Kyoto for a week or even just a day, here are few things to check out!

1. Visit the monkeys in Arashiyama

Just monkeying around

In Arashiyama there is a monkey park located at the top of a twenty minute hike. For around 600 yen (6 USD) you can climb to the top, visit the monkeys and take in the spectacular views of the city below. I spent the day in Arashiyama hanging with monkeys, visiting the bamboo forest (below) and even visiting an owl walk through exhibit!

The view from the top

They were not shy at all

The owl exhibit

2. Explore the bamboo forest

Bamboo forest

Located not too far from the entrance to the monkey park is a bamboo forest that guests can walk through and explore while visiting surrounding temples and shrines. This would be a great activity to do the same day as seeing the monkeys since both are in the same area!

They go on for miles

3.Visit the Nishiki market

Entrance

In the city center, there are tons of stores and restaurants in the Nishiki market to explore that could leave you wandering for hours. You can see all kinds of traditional Japanese cuisine including sparrow and octopus with boiled eggs inserted in the head to keep its shape. If you go, make sure to check out the cheese tarts at Bake!

My delicious cheese tart

Sparrow

How do they get it in there?!

4. Visit Yasaka Koshindo Temple 

Little girls posing inside the shrine

The Yasaka Koshindo temple is the most colorful shrines in all of Kyoto! It’s a beautiful place to check out and most definitely a spot for Instagram worthy pictures. 

Walking around

Like I said, very Instagram worthy!

5. Head to Fushimi Inari 

A girl posing in the traditional Kimono 

The approximate FREE two hour climb up the mountain leads to thousands of gates, not that you have to go all the way up if you don't want to. Make sure to go early to avoid the tourists or simply hike up farther to get your pictures. The higher you hike, the less amount of people there are. This is also a cool place to try some Japanese street food since the road leading up to it has booths selling delicious smelling treats.

On my hike

Made it half way up and decided to throw in the towel

Booths selling food

On the way down, I ran across this man carrying a load of packages on his back UP the mountain. Sir, props to you because I was struggling even without the packages.

Follow my Instagram @KaseyMeetsWorld for more pictures of my adventures! I hope you get to experience Kyoto soon!