Kyoto
Where to Stay in Kyoto for Autumn Leaves: 3 Bases
The constraint is not which temple you want to see — it is what time you can be at the gate. Three Kyoto bases for three different autumn trips.
Kyoto
Where to stay in Kyoto: area guides, ryokan, machiya and hotel picks.
Kyoto
Kyoto Autumn Leaves: Be at the Gate by 8:40, Not 9:00
We were at Nanzen-ji's sanmon at 8:37 in late November — and a dozen people were already there. What an early start in Kyoto actually buys you.
Kyoto
Kyoto's Autumn Leaves in the Rain: Go North Instead
Rain is not a lost day in Kyoto — it changes where you should be. Walk-through temples lose most of their value; places you look out from get better.
Kyoto
Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji, Ninna-ji: 2h30, Going Backwards
Start at Ninna-ji and finish at the Golden Pavilion. We walked all three, visits included, in two and a half hours: 09:56, 10:53, 12:28.
Kyoto
Ruriko-in Autumn 2026: Two Windows With No Booking
Ruriko-in's peak autumn weeks are a postal lottery that closed in August. The other 50 open days need no booking at all.
Kyoto
Five Nights North of Kyoto: Worth Leaving the Centre?
For two nights, stay central. For five, the north wins. What five late-November nights at Takaragaike bought us — including a light-up with no ticket.
Kyoto
Custom Zori in Kyoto: What a Fitting Is Actually Like
A made-to-measure zori fitting at Gion Naito: both feet measured separately, three to four months' wait, and a comfort you only notice at the end of the day.
Kyoto
HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO vs Ritz-Carlton Kyoto: The Bath Takes Swimwear
Both are Marriott, so Bonvoy is no tiebreaker. The Mitsui's thermal spring takes swimwear so couples share it; rooms and breakfast are a draw.
Kyoto
Kyoto Hotels with Onsen & Big Public Baths
Kyoto hotels with onsen: 5 picks sorted by bath type (natural hot spring vs. daiyokujo), with prices and tattoo policy checked August 2026.
Kyoto
Buying a Folding Fan in Kyoto: Start With the Ceiling Nobody Charges For
A sensu is six objects sharing one English word — including formal fans that never open. Two Kyoto shops, founded 1689 and 1823, and what to ask in them.
Kyoto
What to Buy at Nishiki Market, Kyoto: An Award-Winning Gin and a Chef's Knife
What to buy at Kyoto's Nishiki Market: Fuka's Gold-medal Hanase gin and a hand-engraved Aritsugu knife, plus how to fly them both home.
Kyoto
Apartment Hotels Kyoto with Kitchen and Laundry
Compare apartment hotels Kyoto kitchen laundry options by private facilities, family capacity and station access.