Empty Kyoto

Empty Kyoto

For everyone interested in or in love with Kyoto, I’d like to suggest you have a look at this upcoming photo book from landscape photographer Daniel Sofer. 2020 and 2021 were very special years due to the pandemic. Japan was closed and the streets and temples...
Cooking Lessons in Kyoto

Cooking Lessons in Kyoto

We’re often asked about Japanese cooking lessons in Kyoto. I’m glad to introduce Keiko san, a cooking instructor who can provide Japanese home cooking lessons in English in her home kitchen or a rental kitchen.She offers various menu items from which you...
Shinnyo-do Temple

Shinnyo-do Temple

Shinnyo-do, or as it is officially named, Shinshogokuraku-Ji or the”true temple of paradise”, is a Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect located in the east of Kyoto. Being off the tourist’s beaten tracks, Shinnyo-do is a great spot to enjoy beautiful...
Light-Ups in Autumn

Light-Ups in Autumn

Enjoy the beautiful Autumn foliage by taking advantage of the evening opening and illumination of these gardens. Here is a list of some of this year’s light ups around Kyoto, together with the dates and opening time.

Kawazu Zakura

Kawazu Zakura

Walking around the city near a place I used to live, I was pleasantly surprised to discover several cherry trees in full bloom in a parking lot up the street. This was the first time after the many years I passed nearby that I saw these trees. The plums are currently...
Ao Momiji – New Maple Leaves

Ao Momiji – New Maple Leaves

After a beautiful cherry blossoms season, things slow down a bit and all is quiet for a while. Then, around the middle of the month of May, is the perfect time to look around the temples and the mountains for the maple trees having new leaves.

Kuromontsuki Kimono

Kuromontsuki Kimono

If you walked around one of Kyoto’s Hanamachi (flower town or Geisha District), early January, you may have seen Maiko and Geiko beautifully dressed in their formal black “Kuromontsuki” kimono, and wearing a real rice stalk “kanzashi” or ornamental hairpin.

Gion Matsuri, User Manual

Gion Matsuri, User Manual

The Gion Matsuri, the most important festival of the year in Kyoto takes place in July. This is not just Kyoto’s biggest festival, it’s one of Japan’s biggest annual events. It’s a month-long series of events, culminating with the spectacular Yamaboko Junko Parade on July 17.

Spring has come at Jônangû Shrine

Spring has come at Jônangû Shrine

When we talk about the spring in Kyoto, images of cherry blossoms come to mind. But the flower season actually starts much earlier, in February, with the blossoming of the plum flowers. One of the best places in Kyoto to enjoy these is a lovely shrine located in southern Kyoto, Jōnangū.