On Friday, after work, I decided to go to Kyoto, the former capital of Japan and probably the most attractive city for the tourists in the whole country. As I had only 24 hours in total to get there, stay overnight, visit the city during the day and to get back, I chose the quickest option – to travel 2,5 hours with the fastest Shinkansen called Nozomi.

In Kyoto, I stayed in the city center in a ryokan (Gion Ryokan Q-beh). Ryokan is a traditional Japanese hotel featuring tatami flooring, sliding doors, communal baths and large common area where guests can chat with each other and with the host. Usually, ryokans are more expensive than other hotels, however I was able to find a bed in a shared ladies-only room for 27 Euro. Very often, a traditional Japanese meal, kaiseki, is included in the price and the guests are provided with a yukata (a simple kimono) for wearing inside the ryokan, but this was not my case. I needed a simple place to sleep and still was curious how a ryokan looks like.

For the next day, I drafted the following route and was able to follow it, though in quite a tempo. The city is much bigger than I have imagined. Though I stayed in the historical center and started exploring surroundings from there, I had to use public transport to reach some of the destination points.

From my ryokan, it took me about 6 minutes to reach the Hokanji Temple. The area around this temple featuring old houses and countless restaurants is beautiful and you can take some photos with the wooden pagoda in background.

After visiting Nanzen-ji, I headed to the Ginkaku-ji Temple and part of the way (after walking 20 minutes) followed the Philosophers‘ Path for about 10 minutes.

This Zen temple was established in 1482 is famous for its garden. It is indeed splendid, especially in Mid-November, during the foliage. If you take an easy climb following the visitors’ path, you will be rewarded with a panoramic view of the whole Kyoto behind the picturesque garden. The entrance fee is 500 yen.

Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, is probably the most-visited place in Kyoto. The pond with the Golden Pavilion is the center of the temple garden. The garden of the Pavilion is listed as a National Special Historic Site and Special Place of Scenic Beauty. Indeed, the place is incredibly beautiful, featuring the awe-striking golden temple with its full reflection in the water. However, a peaceful stroll through the garden, as you would dream of when you see this picture the first time, destined to stay a dream. The territory of the temple is so full with visitors as no other temple garden in Kyoto is. It’s definitely worth it to visit this place, but staying longer than 30-40 minutes and to enjoy the tranquility and beauty of this Zen Buddhist temple is difficult because of the constant dense people current. The ticket to this temple costs 400 yen and the gates open at 9 am and close at 5 pm.

Nishiki Market (Nishiki Ichiba) is a marketplace located in the downtown Kyoto. It is a narrow, five block long shopping street running parallel to Shijō Street and west of Teramachi Street lined by more than one hundred shops and restaurants. At first, I was completely lost among thousands of exotic products and local specialties, food, drinks, spices and who knows what else. I was just walking through the market with my eyes wide open, trying to make up my mind what to try and what to taste. At the end I realized that I didn’t have much time left and quickly swallowed a (most probably raw) octopus and a squid in some special dressing and run to the metro station to move the last destination point on my plan, Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine.

To get there from the Nishiki Market, take the Keihan Main line and get off at the Fushimi Inari-Taisha station (23 minutes, 210 yen). The absolute highlight of the shrine is undoubtedly the rows of the Senbon torii gates. Meanwhile there are around 10000 of them. These gates are a donation of many Japanese who used to believe that this custom helps them to get a wish to become true or is a proper way to thank for a wish that became true.

From Fushimi Inari I took the Nara line to get to the Kyoto main station – 8 min, 140 yen. There I boarded my Nozomi back to Tokyo.

In total, I spent about four hours on the road, walking / riding bus or metro in between the sightseeing points. Add the time for exploring the temples and shrines and for gastronomic journey through the Nishiki Market and you will get a 9-hour express-tour through Kyoto. Of course, if you have enough time, you can easily split this plan into two or three days, add a couple of other places and see it all in relaxed way.