Kyoto travel guides & articles
All 8 in-depth pieces we’ve published on Kyoto — newest first.
A Night Walk Through Kyoto's Back-Alley Shrines
Kyoto's small shrines keep no closing time, and between eight and midnight the lanes above Gion belong to the people who live on them. This is how to walk them properly.
A Winter Kaiseki Trail Through Kyoto's Ponto-chō Lanterns
A route through eleven kaiseki tables in and around Kyoto's lantern-lit Ponto-chō alley, from easy group ryotei to a three-Michelin-star pilgrimage, built for planning real winter bookings.
Kyoto's Temple Lodgings: Sleeping in a Shukubo and the Monastic Morning Rituals
A grounded, door-policy-honest guide to booking a night inside a working Kyoto monastery, from fully English-language Zen instruction to private single-group temple houses.
The Philosopher's Path in Four Seasons: Kyoto's Stone Canal Walk and the Temples Along It
A grounded, season-by-season route along Kyoto's most meditative two kilometres, from the Silver Pavilion to Nanzen-ji's aqueduct, with the temples, shrines, and lunch stops that actually earn a detour.
The 48-Hour Samurai and Sumo Circuit: Kyoto's martial arts arenas
A working guide to Kyoto's real dojos, sword stages and sumo dinner-shows in 2026 — what's genuine, what's theater, and how to book each in a single weekend.
The Wooden Bones of Kyoto: Inside the Machiya That Refuse to Vanish
A slow, honest guide to sleeping, eating and working inside Kyoto's endangered wooden townhouses — and which ones actually suit couples, families and groups.
The Geisha District After Dark: A Local's Guide to Gion's Evening Rituals
How to spend a real evening in Gion in 2026 — which maiko dinners are worth ¥19,000, which Pontocho decks and hidden Kiyamachi bars to drink in, and the door rules nobody tells UK visitors.
The Best Hands-On Cultural Workshops in Kyoto
From whisking your own matcha to forging a knife with a working swordsmith, here is how to spend real time inside Kyoto's living crafts in 2026 — with honest notes on booking, groups and price.