Kyoto is a vast city, sprawling across a wide river plain. Green hills rise to the north, east and west. Tucked into the side streets and surrounding hills are 1,600 Buddhist temples, hundreds of Shinto shrines, a handful of imperial villas ... and some of the most beautiful gardens in Japan.
Map note: Only major boulevards are shown above. The distance between each of these main boulevards is vast: often 1 kilometer. (Thus, it might take all day to walk leisurely across the city, east to west or north to south!)
Trains: The main Japan Railways (JR) Tokaido line (striped horizontal line above) connects Kyoto with major cities, including Osaka, Kobe and Tokyo, by regular train and bullet train (shinkansen). In addition, there are regional train lines, such as the Hankyu line (dashed line above) which runs east from Osaka and enters the heart of Kyoto along Shi-jo ("Fourth Avenue"). "Go-jo" by the way translates as "Fifth Avenue" and Ku-jo as "Ninth Avenue". The Keihan line runs north-south (dotted line).
Subway: Within Kyoto, there are 2 subway lines (solid lines): the "Karasuma" line which runs north-south and connects with Kyoto Station (and further south at "Takeda" station, connects with the Kintetsu Line running all the way south to Nara) ... and the east-west "Tozai" Line. The 2 subway lines meet at "Karasuma Oike" station. (The fare for adults ranges from ¥210 to ¥340, and for children ¥110 to ¥170, depending on destination). Also consider Kyoto Sightseeing Pass Cards, good for buses and subway: One-day: Adult ¥1,200 / Child ¥600 * Two-day Pass: Adult ¥2,000 / Child ¥1,000.
Every year 40 million people visit Kyoto (equal to a third of Japan's population!), many of them school children. Top destinations include: Kiyomizu temple, Nijo Castle, the Imperial Palace, Gion (entertainment district), the Heian shrine, and the more tranquil Kodaiji and Ryoanji temples. Stroll along the calm Kamo River and then enjoy a traditional kaiseki meal from a restaurant balcony there. Arashiyama in the western suburbs (off the map) offers a legendary river valley with splendid color in the spring, summer or fall.
ANA Hotel Kyoto
Hotel Brighton City Yamashina
