Kyoto is Japan's former Imperial Capital. Tucked into green hills, it is surrounded by temple complexes. Though several people have said to me in a wistful way about their trips to Japan, "I liked Kyoto", I could not bring myself to enjoy the city. Too small to be vibrant, too Japanese to be aesthetically pleasing, the city itself is not much, and I was pretty much templed out by the time I arrived there during my Japan trip in 2007. For me, a brief stop in Kyoto was just fine.
I did enjoy their sad little tower, and began my visit by going to it's top. I also thought that their ultramodern and complex main rail station was a sight to behold. But apart from that, Kyoto seemed to shut me out at every opportunity. Bank machines would not take my card, temples were closed for graduation ceremonies or for construction, nothing seemed to work quite right. The highlight was getting lost in the hills around the city and getting back to town by walking along the railbed for the Sagano Romatic Train and bumming a ride from boat vendors in the river. In the end, on that one day, I saw a hawk, a deer, a big fat snake, and an owl. How many people who have been to Kyoto can say that?
Photo List (Total 101 Photos)
Click bolded headers below to view, or click "just the best" for quick tour
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Central city (33 photos) - Central Kyoto, including their tower, views from the tower, and their spectacular rail station.
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Temples and Palaces (26 photos) - A very few photos each of two temple complexes in the central city, of one in the hills around the city, of the Imperial Palace Park (a huge disappointment), and of Nijo Castle.
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Bob's long walk (36 photos) - Walking into the hills, I got a bit lost and ended up making my way through the forest to the river. These show mountain and river views, and boats. And my bloody knee.
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Lily's and Bob's Bench at Nijo Castle (4 photos) - My pal Lily, in Kyoto a month before me, wrote a message on a bench and challenged me to find it. I did, sort of. See the results.
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Transit photos (6 photos) - A few photos of Kyoto's two line subway system.
