old and new in ‚«‚å‚Æ
by chaistarr
when you arrive in kyoto by train you will be in a confusing shopping mall. this building has some great modern architecture. if you find your way out, you will be facing a metropolis and not too scenic of a place...a bus terminal, tourists, and the first tourist destination which is ok.....kyoto tower. you might think you got off at the wrong town! many imagine kyoto as solely old temples and women in ‚«‚à‚Ì kimono; yet you see busses and tall buildings and people in gap sweatshirts and nike shoes. yep. this really is kyoto. you gotta search for the "cultural" kyoto that everyone envisions is the true kyoto. kiomizudera temple. i can only imagine walking through the sakura trees in ful bloom, wearing a kimono, like a princess! this temple has been my favorite in japan.
Heian Shrine Garden
by applered
The Japanese garden is not something you can miss. It costs you 500 yens but it certainly worth it. It is not huge but the landscape varied. It gives you a sense of serenity. Additional advantage is that It is not crowded. Since you must go to visit the red enormous wooden structure, Heian Shrine when you are in Kyoto, let's spend another hour in the garden as well.
How to get there? Shinkansen, of course!
by crazyguitar
The best way to get there is by train. My suggestion is to use the Shinkansen (bullet train) . It´s very comfortable and fast. The only problem is the price, it´s quite expensive but just for the experience it´s wothwhile. It´s better to book your sit if not maybe you will not be able to sit.
MEAT! Shabu-shabu!
by vic&michael about Shabu-Zen
This restaurant has a relaxed, spacious ambience. I was very impressed. We got to have All-You-Can-Eat meat and veges for a good price. Shabu-Shabu is a traititional winter dish in Japan. Do you remember seeing it in the movie 'Lost in Translation'? There is a large cooking bowl in the middle of the table, heated up to boiling by a gas burner, and inside is water flavored with seaweed. You dip thin pieces of beef into the boiling water and eat it with various sauces. You boil the vegetables in the water and eat them with the sauces too. Delicious and simple. And all you can eat!! You can get all you can eat meat and vegetables. Or, if you don't like meat, you can get all you can eat seafood and vegetables. You cook and eat the rice and noodles lastly. Oh, and if you like, you can get all you can drink too....for a good price, about US$10.
How to catch a geisha (catch a glimpse that is!)
by Restless-in-kl
When you come to Gion which is known as the geisha district, you would surely want to see them in the streets. It's too expensive to catch their performance in the restaurants as a meal per person can be as much as US$200!
With the Lonely Planet guide advising us to be in Gion at 6pm to catch geishas going to work, I was there promptly for 2 nights but no such luck. Then on our last day, we decided to go to Gion at 3pm for tea and as soon as we got down from our taxi, there they were all 3 of them!
So, to catch a geisha or 3, go to Gion at 3pm and check out the smaller streets which hides the old streets of Gion. They are worth just catching a glimpse!
The old streets of Gion is also very pretty and historic. Check out my travelogue for more pix.
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Entrance to Kiyomizu During Light-Up
Gion Area
Plum Blossoms at Kyoto Botanical Garden
Daigoji's Bentendo Hall
