KYOTO, JAPAN
Kyoto was Japan’s capital for over a thousand years and kept the buildings to prove it. There are more than a thousand temples. You will not see them all, so stop trying and choose five.
Kyoto is one of the few big cities where slow travel works without leaving the city at all. With urban ryokans, rivers, temples, bamboo forests, and tea ceremonies, Kyoto is a special place.
The Gion neighborhood is perhaps our favorite place to stay in Kyoto, set in a central area of Kyoto yet with a feeling like you are removed from it all. This area holds tales of geisha grace and samurai shadows, offering a glimpse into a world that time forgot though Gion remembers. Urban ryokans, with their minimalist elegance, provide a sanctuary amidst the urban sprawl. The bamboo grove at Arashiyama sounds like nothing else, a dry knocking overhead when the wind moves. Go at seven in the morning or you will be sharing it. The gardens are the part worth slowing down for. Many are built to be looked at from one particular spot on the veranda, sitting down, which is why walking through quickly gets you nothing. One of the most spectacular being the golden pavilion or Kinkakuji, a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. Finally it would be remiss not to mention the famous fushimi inuri shrine in southern Kyoto, famous for its thousands of red torii gates and whose trails lead up the sacred Mount Inari.
If you were to only make time for one city in Japan, then Kyoto would be our top recommendation.
