26/04/2026
Kyoto — Japan’s former capital, full of culture, nature, and tourists 🫣
⛩️ Fushimi Inari — 10,000 torii gates winding up a mountain to a little shrine. It’s a 4km hike up to the top. There wasn’t too much up at the top, so if you don’t have time to do the full hike, I recommend just walking up until the crowds thin so you can get your insta-worthy pictures/videos. No need to wake up super early to beat the crowds if you just keep going. Otherwise, you can go at nighttime as well for a different eerie experience without the crowds.
🎋 Arashiyama Bamboo Forest — go at 6am before the crowds (and tour buses) arrive and it’s genuinely eerie and magical with the sound of the wind blowing against the tall bamboo stalks. I enjoyed my morning stroll here.
✨ Kinkakuji Temple — touristy and crowded. But still stunning. The grounds are smaller than I expected and you have to pay admission to see the temple. (But you cannot go inside). Worth a visit if it’s your 2nd or 3rd time to Kyoto and you haven’t been here yet or if you have enough days to spare in your Kyoto itinerary.
🍵 Uji — the matcha capital of Japan. I absolutely loved coming here. Shop along the streets and pick up different kinds of matcha, hojicha, sencha, gyokuro, and more… a tea-lover’s paradise but can be overwhelming if you don’t do your research. My favourites of some of the teas I had were from Nakamura Tokichi, Ito Kyuemon, and Tsuen… But you can’t go wrong - anything from Uji is better than what you have at your local store.
Also did a matcha making workshop which was awesome and gave me a better appreciation of the production of matcha.
++So many more things to do in Kyoto not pictured here.
🇯🇵 Save this post for your next Kyoto trip!
#京都 .explores .undiscovered
