We arrived in Kyoto on the evening of 1 November 2025 and left at midday on the 6th, with a morning in Arashiyama on the 4th.
Kyoto took my heart.
Kyoto overview
When: 1 to 6 November 2025.
How we got around: mostly on foot, and a ride app when we needed it.
How long I would stay: a week, minimum.
One honest note: I lost a lot of time in Kyoto because I had to see a dentist in an emergency, and the pain took the rest.
Where we stayed
We rented one of the "Free bike and free WIFI, Take it easy" apartments, at 12-22 Murasakino Nishifujinomori-chō, in Kita Ward. Ours was number 204.
The owner is lovely, and he runs several apartments in the same building, each listed separately, so check the numbers when you book.
Why the location is good: it is Nishijin, quiet and residential, three minutes on foot from Funaoka Onsen and five from Sarasa Nishijin, with the Golden Pavilion about fifteen minutes away on foot. The apartment has a kitchen, a washing machine, free bikes and a pocket wifi.
Four of his apartments, if you want to book one:
Best things to do in Kyoto
Fushimi Inari, at sunrise
The thousands of vermilion torii climbing the hill. At sunrise, it was empty.
The man who climbs it ten times a day: on the way up, we met a 72 year old man. Every day he climbs the whole trail ten times, to stay in shape. He passed everyone with a big smile, music playing from the little radio in his backpack, and the whole climb felt alive because of him. We tried to keep up, and somehow we did. At the top he shook our hands and wished us the best. A small, beautiful moment I will not forget.
Good to know: Fushimi Inari is free and open 24 hours a day, which is exactly why you should be there at first light. The full loop to the top of Mount Inari takes two to three hours. Most people turn back at the Yotsutsuji viewpoint, about 45 minutes up, and that is where the crowd stops too.
Book a morning tour of Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama and Kinkakuji
Kiyomizu-dera and Ninenzaka
The temple on its wooden stage, and the stepped streets below it. Ninenzaka was empty too, at that hour.
Good to know: Kiyomizu-dera opens at 6am, earlier than almost everything else in Kyoto, for 500 yen. Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka are public streets, free at any time. Between 10am and 5pm they are packed, and photographing them properly becomes impossible.
Book a tea ceremony in a garden tea house near Kiyomizu-dera
Gion
The old geisha district, with its wooden machiya and its lanterns at night.
Good to know: the private alleys of Gion are closed to photography, with fines posted at the entrances. Photograph the main streets, and leave the residents alone.
Just walking
The rest of my Kyoto was the streets: the temples between two neighbourhoods, the wooden houses, the autumn lanes.
The Pokémon Center
I went, of course. I came out with the geisha Pikachu.
Good to know: Pokémon Center Kyoto is in the Takashimaya T8 building, near Kawaramachi station. It is smaller than the Osaka stores, but it carries Kyoto exclusives, with designs that borrow from local motifs, yukata patterns and woodblock prints. Those are the ones to buy here, because you will not find them anywhere else.
Arashiyama
We spent a morning there on the 4th. It has its own guide here: Arashiyama travel guide.
What we skipped
The Golden Pavilion. And I would have seen far more without the dentist.
Where to eat and drink
Sarasa Nishijin, for lunch
11-1 Murasakino Higashifujinomorichō, in Kita Ward. A café and restaurant inside an old public bathhouse.
Good to know: it was the Fujinomori sento, an eighty year old bathhouse, and it kept everything: the curved karahafu roof, the majolica tiles on the walls, the high ceiling. Open from 11:30am to 9pm, closed on Thursdays, with breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays from 7am.
BASE358, for dinner
631-3 Mototakedachō, in Nakagyo Ward, in the basement of a building on Shijo Karasuma, four minutes from Shijo station. A counter where the chef cooks in front of you, with unlimited wine. A very good evening.
Good to know: it is an izakaya that mixes Japanese and western plates, sashimi next to pasta, open from 11:30am to 3pm and from 5pm to midnight, closed on Sundays. The menu is handwritten in Japanese only, so bring a translation app or point at what the neighbours are having.
Funaoka Onsen, and it is tattoo friendly
82-1 Murasakino Minamifunaokachō, in Kita Ward, five minutes from Sarasa Nishijin.
Good to know: this is one of the rare public baths in Japan that lets you in with tattoos, which is why people travel across the city for it. It is a 1923 bathhouse with carved wood panels, several baths, an outdoor one, a sauna and a cold bath, for the price of a normal sento. Open from 3pm to 11:30pm, from 8am on Sundays, closed on Tuesdays.
Things to know before you go
- Go early to the tourist spots. It is the basic rule, and in Kyoto it changes everything: Fushimi Inari and Ninenzaka were empty at sunrise.
- Give yourself a week. Four days, minus a dentist, was not enough.
Kyoto FAQ
How many days do you need in Kyoto?
A week, minimum.
What time should you go to Fushimi Inari?
At sunrise. It is free and open all night, and the torii are empty at first light.
Can you visit an onsen with tattoos in Kyoto?
Yes, at Funaoka Onsen, in Kita Ward.
Where can you eat in an old bathhouse in Kyoto?
Sarasa Nishijin, a café inside the former Fujinomori sento.
Is there a Pokémon Center in Kyoto?
Yes, in the Takashimaya T8 building near Kawaramachi, with Kyoto exclusive designs.
Is photography allowed in Gion?
Not in the private alleys, where it is banned and fined. The main streets are fine.
Read next
More from Japan:
- Arashiyama travel guide: go before sunrise
- Kawaguchiko travel guide: up at 4:30am to see Mount Fuji
- Nara travel guide: a day trip from Osaka, with the deer
- Oi Racecourse flea market: one of Tokyo's biggest flea markets
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