During our summer holiday to Japan, my husband and I first spent a week in Tokyo before taking the bullet train over to Kyoto. The two cities are quite different, and it was fun to explore each with fresh eyes.
Once again, we had no issue getting around or communicating with locals, though there were a few times that we had to rely on Google translate to understand what we were ordering on menus… but if you’re up for an adventure, that’s hardly a problem.
While John preferred the hustle and bustle of larger Tokyo, I fell head-over-heels in love with the more intimate, historic Kyoto. You truly feel like you’re transported to the past.
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Where We Stayed
Things I liked about the hotel:
- Updated, modern room: This room was smaller than the {upgraded} room we had in Tokyo, but more recently updated and, for lack of a better word, trendy. The whole hotel has a modern, hipster vibe that we loved.
- Convenient location: I loved where we were! It’s a quick 10 minute walk to the infamous Nishiki Market (large food and shopping marketplace) but was juuuuust the right level of off-the-beaten-path. Pretty quiet too!
- Powerful A/C: If you read my Tokyo guide, you already know that it was a sweltering 100F some days and, unfortunately, the air at our hotel in Tokyo wasn’t the best. This more than made up for it, which is important if you plan to visit Japan in the summer months.
- Wonderful staff: The staff runs on the young side here, but they’re enthusiastic, have a great positive energy, and genuinely seem to be happy to show up at work and to make your stay memorable. That’s kind of a big deal in hospitality.
Areas for improvement:
- Their bikes could use an upgrade. This is such a minor thing, but we borrowed e-bikes from the hotel multiple times and some of them are just beat up and in dire need of upgrading. Not a deal breaker.
Would I stay here again? 100% yes — we both loved the hotel, staff, and location!
Kyoto Restaurants
Breakfast & Coffee
- Ogawa Coffee: It’s hard to find coffee shops that open early in Japan, but this one was part of a larger sit down restaurant (they have multiple locations, so check online for which one has food), so we were able to grab coffee as well as eat. Close walk to our hotel.
- I loved my egg and scallion sando (generously slathered with Japanese mayo. John had an egg, sausage, and Kyoto bread plate that was good, but not as tasty as my sandwich.
- Orange juice vending machine: This one gets an honorable mention — it’s located across the parking lot from Ogawa Coffee (above).
- Certainly not worth it’s own trip, but if you happen to be by Ogawa grabbing coffee, it was fun to grab an OJ from the machine nearby.
- Weekenders Coffee: Two locations, one of which is simply a stand hidden at the back of a parking lot.
- Really good, we both liked this place a lot! So much so that we stopped at their other location (a larger space with outdoor seating in a zen garden) a couple days later.
- Kurasu: John’s favorite coffee from the whole trip!
- Absolutely fantastic coffee shop. I think this was my second favorite from the trip. Passage Coffee in Tokyo reigned supreme for me!
Lunch
- Handmade Udon & Soba Skorahu: An unsuspecting spot that had no line when we walked in around 11am, but had a looooong line out the door when we left. Full of locals — amazing hidden gem!
- I really wanted to get curried udon while we were in Japan, and while it was tasty, the star of the show was hands down John’s pork katsu and egg rice bowl. The woman running the show (I suspect the owner) could not have been more kind.
- Yamamoto Mambo: Okonomiyaki (with lots of varieties and customizations available)
- We couldn’t leave without trying okonomiyaki! There is likely going to be a line outside, and seatings last about 30-45 minutes, so be prepared to wait. It was a cool experience to watch the food being prepped, but this didn’t blow us away.
Dinner
- Chikarayama: A traditional wagyu sukiyaki restaurant that was, unfortunately, overrun with English-speaking tourists. Very few locals.
- A fun experience of cooking wagyu meat right in front of us (in a variety of preparations), and while it was tasty, if you’re looking for sukiyaki, I would strongly recommend going somewhere less touristy. This place was hyped up on Instagram. You can do better.
- Mendokoro Janomeya: Michelin-starred ramen
- Really delicious chicken and soy sauce ramen. Loved the perfectly cooked shoyu tamago (soy sauce egg).
- Sushi Hayashi: Omakase
- Good, but not great. We appreciated that it was all Japanese-speakers except for us, but we weren’t overly impressed by the food. A few great bites, but mostly forgettable. Standout bite: bonito!
- Momoya: Japanese Izakaya; no English menus and no English speaking staff.
- We weren’t necessarily sure what we were ordering, but it all turned out delicious. We especially loved the bonito tataki!
Snacks
- Nishiki Market: A marketplace in downtown Kyoto with hundreds of food stalls and shopping.
- This marketplace is described as the heart of Kyoto. You can find everything here from wagyu skewers, sushi, and baked crab legs, to takoyaki (octopus balls) and shots of sake. Walk around and try whatever looks good to you!
- Chao Chao Sanjo Kiyamachi: A small, bustling gyoza shop.
- These were not nearly as good as what we had in Tokyo, but still fun after a night of drinking. This is another touristy spot that grew popular on social media, so expect a long line outside filled with English-speakers. Not worth the wait.
- Kyogoku Kaneyo: Eel and rice bowls
- John’s uncle recommended this no frills restaurant to us (it’s a very low-key place), but holy hell was it delicious! Melt-in-your-mouth eel with the perfect, not-too-sweet sauce. Yum!
Bars
- The Common One Bar: This place is incredible! Off the beaten path, high-end cocktails.
- Things to know: they allow smoking, there’s a cover charge, but if you can look past those, you will have stellar, unique cocktails! Tell them what you like or are interested in trying, and it’s bartenders choice.
- Bar Rocking Chair: Darkly lit wood-paneled bar with — you guessed it — a few rocking chairs in the space. Light snacks and small plates available.
- Again, smoking allowed — not my favorite, but at this point we’d gotten used to it. No photos inside. Drinks were okay, but I would not return to this bar.
- L’Escamoteur: A magic and alchemy-themed bar that made the World’s 50 Best Bars list (and for good reason!).
- What a cool spot! The bar is run (and owned) by a French man who is the resident magician behind the bar. He and his fellow bartenders, also all French, are concocting absolutely delicious, innovative, and magical drinks and an utterly unique experience. Cash only, no reservations. Would happily return!
Thanks for the interesting travel write up on Kyoto. This detailed report should give us a little push to make the trip happen. It could be challenging in regard to the language, but Ari made it sound doable. I am enchanted Kyoto and will make it happen.
Thanks, Craig
Kyoto is probably my favorite city that I’ve ever visited. I’m thrilled you found this guide helpful and hope you can make it there some day. What a magical place! -Ari