Every Place in Kyoto Unknown
26 hand-picked places chosen by Kyoto locals. No star ratings, no reviews. Just the places we actually go.
Sagano Sightseeing Train
嵯峨野観光鉄道
An old-fashioned sightseeing train winding through the Hozukyo gorge — steep forested ravine, the ri...
Hozugawa River Boat Ride
保津川下り
A 16km descent through the Hozukyo gorge on a flat-bottomed wooden boat, three boatmen working in re...
Torisei Sanjo
鳥せい 三条
An unpretentious yakitori izakaya that looks intimidating from outside but rewards those who push th...
Isozumi
野菜逸品 五十棲
A quiet restaurant focused on locally farmed, ultra-fresh Kyoto vegetables and produce. Farm-to-tabl...
Onikai
おにかい
Upstairs from Isozumi — similar philosophy of fresh, locally sourced Kyoto ingredients in a more int...
Rokujuan
六樹庵
A Taisho-era townhouse behind Shijo-Karasuma, restored from a Japanese painter's private residence. ...
Ace Cafe Rooftop
エースカフェ
Rooftop bar on the 10th floor of the Kyoto Empire Building with views across the city. Relaxed atmos...
Goodman Roaster Kyoto
グッドマンロースター
A serious specialty coffee roaster tucked into the Shimogyo backstreets. Small, focused, no frills. ...
Kurasu Ebisugawa
クラス
The Kyoto flagship of Kurasu, one of Japan's most respected specialty coffee platforms. Half coffee ...
Okaffe Roasting Park
オカフェ
A converted lumber yard with a roaster downstairs and a breezy wooden terrace upstairs. Rare outdoor...
Stumptown at Ace Hotel
スタンプタウン
Portland's Stumptown Coffee inside a 1926 former telephone exchange redesigned by Kengo Kuma. Their ...
Cafe Bibliotic Hello
カフェ ビブリオティック ハロー
A 130-year-old machiya with palm trees out front and walls of books inside. Look for it on Nijo stre...
Fushimi Castle
伏見城
A striking reconstruction of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's castle on Momoyama Hill, painted in white and gold...
Gekkeikan Sake Museum
月桂冠大倉記念館
Gekkeikan has been brewing sake in Fushimi since 1637. The museum sits inside their 1909 brewery and...
Tofukuji
東福寺
One of Kyoto's Five Great Zen Temples, founded 1236. The Sanmon gate — the oldest Zen main gate in J...
Choraku-ji
長楽寺
A small, largely forgotten temple tucked into the Higashiyama hills above Maruyama Park. The approac...
CICON Rooftop Bar
サイコン
Rooftop bar on the 6th floor of NOHGA Hotel, overlooking the Higashiyama foothills. A more design-fo...
Chion-in
知恩院
Built on a scale that makes most Kyoto temples look modest. The Sanmon gate is 24 metres tall with 7...
Heian Shrine
平安神宮
Built for the city's 1,100th anniversary. Grand vermillion buildings, one of the largest torii gates...
Shimogamo Shrine
下鉤神社
Older than Kyoto itself. The shrine dates to the 6th century, but artefacts dug up in the surroundin...
Rurikoin
琛璃光院
A private villa temple whose lacquered floor reflects the surrounding maple garden like a mirror. On...
Kifune Shrine
貴船神社
A mountain shrine tucked deep in a cedar gorge north of the city, reached by a stone staircase lined...
Tentenyu Ichijoji
天天有 一乗寺本店
A Kyoto institution founded in 1971, serving one thing: a rich, sweet chicken broth ramen that has d...
Mount Hiei
比叡山
A proper mountain day out on Kyoto's doorstep. Take the Eizan cable car from Yase, the steepest in J...
Enryakuji
延暦寺
Founded in 788 by the monk Saicho, 150 temple buildings scattered across the forested summit of Moun...
Kamigamo Shrine
上賀茂神社
The partner shrine to Shimogamo, upstream on the Kamo River. Founded in 678, before Kyoto was even a...
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