Japan

Kyoto

Edward Kopka

18 Dec 2025 • 8 min read

I returned to Kyoto because I wanted to revisit some of the sights I had already seen, but now spend more time at them as previously I had been rushed. Yesterday I revisited Arashiyama Bamboo Forest (detailed in the previous post) and today I wanted to revisit many of the traditional and historic regions of Kyoto I had previously seen on the walking tour. Usually when I am on a walking tour, I try not to take too many pictures and instead focus on listening to the guide. Then, after a walking tour, I like revisiting what was covered at my own pace, mostly to take more photos. Since I hadn't done this in Kyoto yet, I spent the morning and early afternoon of my second day exploring the city again and taking many photos.

In this post all the photos are in chronological order, so as you scroll through the page you can see sights, streets, and temples of Kyoto just as I saw them, joining me on my journey through this diverse and beautiful city.

My plan was to start from the Kiyomizu-dera Niomon Gate (the place where the walking tour had ended) and then walk north through many of the historic districts and temples of Kyoto, ending at mount Daimonjiyama. To get to Kiyomizu-dera temple from my hotel there weren't any good transit options, so I just walked the two kilometers instead. On the way I saw more of the central, modern, part of Kyoto (where my hotel was located) and I crossed the river.

The side walk on the major street where my hotel is located. I walked along here to the river.

Crossing the Kamo River in the morning at Gojo Bridge.

After the river, I soon came to the more historic regions of the city. Here the buildings were more traditional, just two to three stories tall, and usually made from wood.

I could see the Pagoda at Kiyomizu-dera Niomon Gate rising above the city at the end of this long street (I think it is Chawanzaka street).

The entrance to the Kiyomizu-dera Buddhist temple with the gate/pagoda.

The first photo was taken on Matsubara Street and then I turned right onto the Sannen-Zaka Path where I took the next two pictures.

From the Kiyomizu-dera temple I then walked through a few old streets that were very picturesque, with beautiful wooden buildings. There were many cafes and stores here; the streets were narrow and full of pedestrians enjoying the city.

The Ninen Zaka Path began from a T-intersection with Sannen-Zaka path and descends rapidly down some steps, this gave me an elevated position to take this picture of the street.

The Ninen Zaka Path was a beautiful pedestrian street with many traditional wooden houses and shops. There was even a Sarbucks here that was styled to fit in with the same traditional architecture just like the rest of the street.

I crossed a major road and then looked back from a small viewpoint where I could see the Ninen Zaka Path I had just walked along.

To get between the highly pedestrianized commercial districts I would sometimes walk on wider streets, or through more residential areas. While less traditional they were still nice to walk through, I didn't take as many pictures in these areas and there was even one residential street with signs prohibiting photography entirely.

This photo was taken while I walked along Yasui Kitamon Street (安井北門通). The second image, with a Shinto shrine, is looking down a side street.

Another beautiful Kyoto street, Hanamikoji-dori, with many wooden buildings in the traditional style.

I found the architecture in Kyoto very interesting. I loved the strong emphasis on showing of the natural coulours of the wood from the various architectural elements. This is a restaurant on Hanamikoji-dori street.

There were many narrow streets in Kyoto and they varied wildly, and could change rapidly, from modern streets with chaotic cables overhead, to calm quiet streets with the traditional buildings. Both of these photos were actually taken on the same street (Kiritoshi Street), just at different sections.

Shirakawa Canal as seen from the Tatsumi Bridge.

The Tatsumi Bridge, and the nearby area, was really picturesque. Many people were taking photos.

I walked past another, modern, mixed use street.

As I continued northward I came to a district with many temples and parks, all of them beautiful and lovely to walk through.

I walked past the Yasaka Shrine. The central shrine building had hundreds of lanterns decorated with text.

I walked through Maruyama Park (located just behind the Yasaka Shrine). Here is the Gion Weeping Cherry Tree that, I would image, must look beautiful in spring time, but now in the winter its branches are bare of any leaves or blossoms.

I tried so hard to get a photo of this Kingfisher as it looked over the pond. Unfortunately my camera and lens combination was just not good enough to get a clear photo.

Maruyama Park had these ponds and waterways with pathways going around and across them.

While walking on Jingu-michi street, I could see the giant Haian-Jingu grand Torii and it loomed large as I came closer.

Okazaki Park (on the other side of the grand Torii) was filled with stalls forming a little street market.

I had a quick look in the Heian Jingu Shrine. The entrance is this large red and white gate with green roof tiles. The inside had a large courtyard surrounded by a wall. The main building of the shrine was under repairs.

I walked up this street (Reisen Dori) to get to the Philosopher's path.

I stopped at a cafe while walking on the street pictured above for a late lunch. I then continued my journey, now walking near the edge of Kyoto, on the Philosopher's Path. Then I journeyed into a nature reserve to climb a proper mountain, but that will be covered in the next post.

The Kamo River bank seen at night from Matsubara-dori street. I loved how the city lights were reflected in the river and especially how the lights of the building on the left illuminated the entire scene.

After dinner I went for one final late night walk in Kyoto, making it as far as the river. I hadn't taken my proper camera, but at the river I found this wonderful scene with the city lights reflected in the water and I had to capture it with my phone's camera.

I probably spent about five hours walking through the city. I stopped only a couple times for a snack, or a coffee, but otherwise I wondered slowly along the streets, taking in the sights and often stopping to take photos. I loved the traditional architecture that was so prevalent throughout this district of Kyoto. So many of the streets were an absolute delight to walk down. I always tried to find the most interesting path to take when routing using Google maps, often avoiding the major roads and going down the smaller streets, but eventually routing to a major destination like a temple or a park.

Many of the streets were busy, as you might tell from some of the pictures, and so I never wanted to linger too long in any one place. However, there were some spots where I did take the time to wait for a better moment: where the flow of the crowd was most optimal. At most places though I did try my best to frame a nice picture. My photos may not be professional quality level but I thought I took some good ones and I hope you enjoyed seeing them in this post.

I honestly loved my time in Kyoto, and on reflection, I believe it may be my favourite city in Japan. On this visit I only had two full days to explore it, but I used the time well and I loved every minute of it. I was able to do a couple of nature hikes and explore many of the beautiful streets of Kyoto. Even so, it was definitely not enough time to see everything, I have been discovering many more things to see and do on my next visit. So far, what my two visits to Kyoto have told me, is that I definitely do want to visit again.

Thanks for reading – Edward

Written 2nd of June 2025

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