Gion
People talk about it for the evening photograph. The morning is gentler.
3 days · Early April and November
Kyoto
The crowd starts at eight. You leave at seven.
Kyoto pays you more clearly than most cities for an early start. You can walk the lower gates of Fushimi Inari before eight. Those same steps at noon are a different sport.
Do not put every temple on the list. One mountain path, one neighborhood, and one afternoon with no temple at all. Together, those three tell you the city.
Highlights
- Torii gates before eight
- One night in a ryokan
- An afternoon market
Neighborhoods
Arashiyama
Take the bamboo grove early. In the afternoon the riverbank is emptier.
At a glance
- The first slope of Fushimi Inari
- A morning around Yasaka
- A standing lunch at Nishiki
