What you can’t miss in Kyoto
If Tokyo feels like the city of the future, Kyoto charms as the city of Japan’s past. It’s full of elegant old temples, lush gardens, traditional tea ceremonies and geishas at golden hour. Although it’s certainly picturesque, I will admit that our time in the city didn’t totally live up to our high expectations: many people told us that Kyoto was their favorite city in Japan, so we went in anticipating that we would absolutely love it.
And other than our first afternoon after arriving on the bullet train, we got totally rained out! It made it a lot tougher to meander through side streets and explore back alleys and enjoy the river front with such poor weather. Even so, we still made some wonderful discoveries in the city (I’m so glad I went on a long walk on my own that first day!)–and especially enjoyed our little adventures outside of it.
Fushimi Inari Shrine
One of the most photographed spots in Kyoto is surely the vivid rows of torii gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine, a mountaintop Shinto shrine that dates back to the 700s. It’s a short train ride from the main Kyoto station (two stops!), and the shrine is located right outside Inari station. It’s a really special place, most famed for the double row of bright red torii gates: they’re meant to serve as a transition from the mundane to the sacred and are part of many shrine complexes. Inari is actually the god of rice, but also known as the patron of business–and every torii gate has been donated by a Japanese business.
Feel small in the Sagano Bamboo Forest
Located in the nearby town of Arashiyama, the Sagano bamboo forest is another highly photographed spot (aka: go early, or brave bad weather, if you don’t want to compete with a million other tourists). We went pretty early on a rainy day, which made it especially serene…until we were on our way out and it was CRAZY with all of the selfies.
See the geishas at golden hour
The historic Gion district is one of the best areas to spot geishas, particularly right around 6pm: Kyoto is considered the birthplace of geisha culture. There are many traditional wooden machiya houses in the area, and the geishas are professional entertainers hired to interact with guests during dinner.
Experience to a traditional tea ceremony
Tucked away on a quiet back alley next to a garden with a koi pond, the Ju-An Tea Room is a lovely way to experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. It was an especially nice activity on a very rainy day!
Eat all of the things in the Nishiki Market
The covered market is the perfect place to get a feel for allllllllll of the food options: all of the matcha! all of the fish! all of the rice! all of the yuzu juices! Bring a big appetite, lots of yen and an open attitude.
Wander around the canals
I’m so glad I took advantage of the one sunny day we had in Kyoto to take a long meandering walk through this district: it was so picturesque at golden hour! I’m already dying to come back during cherry blossom season.
Try a matcha espresso latte
Tucked away right behind the main train station, Kurasu Kyoto is one of those chic little coffee shops that felt like it could have been in Brooklyn or Paris or Tokyo. The coffee is next level, and even more in the spirit of Kyoto, you can have a perfectly blended matcha espresso latte. And even if you don’t make it to Kurasu (although I think you should!), there are so many great coffee shops with matcha options scattered around Kyoto.
Enjoy the riverfront
The river flows right through the city, and the riverfront is super useable. I loved all of the groups of friends hanging out along the edge after work, the young couples strolling hand in hand, and the people commuting on bikes on the beautiful paved bike path. 
Test out all of the matcha options
Matcha is the unofficial (maybe official?) food/drink of Kyoto: you can find it in just about everything, from the traditional teas and lattes to ice cream and soft serve and cookies and candies. Before going to Kyoto, I didn’t really love the taste of matcha (too grassy!) but the level of quality definitely made a difference. 
Appreciate all of the temples
There are SO many temples in the city of Kyoto, and they’re all so gorgeous! I loved all of the different vibes: some were super serene and calming with zen gardens and koi ponds, and others were so rejuvenating, full of people paying their respects with bells and incense and offerings.
