Kyoto, the most beautiful city in Japan.
I have to doubt to say that Kyoto is the best city in Japan- although I was born in Tokyo and brought up there. Kyoto has some mysterious attraction, which makes me want to go there again and again.
You know there are many places where old shrines and temples are remained in Japan and, most of the places, one time visit is enough for me (I don’t mean they are boring place, it is just my opinion.) But somehow, Kyoto is quite different from other places and I can find new attractions every time I visit there.You can feel the combination of past and present, and I really love this mixed feeling when I am in Kyoto.
budget travel? Do not worry.
There are too many places and things you cannot miss, but this time I will teach you how to enjoy Kyoto with small budget.
If you think when you spend more money you could enjoy the trip more, I want to state the different way to enjoy Kyoto.
You know one of the cheapest way to go somewhere is taking night bus, and I used a night bus to go to Kyoto this April. And if you take a night bus what do you think you want to do in the next morning? -taking a bath. The best place to take a bath is public bath in Kyoto Tower, which is located in front of Kyoto station.
It is the best public bath for visitors who took a night bus, because as I know this public bath opens in earliest time in Kyoto! It opens in 7 am so if you arrive Kyoto in early times, you can take a bath here and then go sightseeing freshly. There is a coupon on its website so you can get some discount.
If you want to travel Kyoto in small budget I recommend you to be a morning person, as most of the temples and shrines open in early morning and there are many other places you must go!
schedule of a day
Do you know the phrase, “Morning of Kyoto starts with Inoda’s coffee.”? Inoda Coffee is famous coffee shop in Kyoto and there are some branches in Kyoto city. Inoda’s coffee is a little bit expensive, but in the morning you can enjoy morning set in reasonable price.
After enjoying fresh morning coffee in Inoda, you can go to Kamo River and enjoy hanging around the river. There are pavements along the beautiful river and many people enjoy walking and seeing the nature. In the morning Kamo River is especially beautiful and you can enjoy the fresh and cool wind from the river.
Other good point to be a morning person in Kyoto is that you can visit more shrines and temples. They are traditional buildings so there are no lights and are closed in early evening. So if you become a morning person you can visit more shrines and temples and enjoy them in delight weather.
At night, you need somewhere to stay. Where should you stay? The answer is youth hostel! Do you have some negative image to youth hostels? Oh, you may take today’s youth hostels for gorgeous hotels! Today’s youth hostels are so clean, neat and stylish and you will like them!
In some youth hostels you can even choose pillows you like and other hostels have some mac PCs for visitors!
There are some hostels with traditional Japanese style building, so foreigners can not only look at them from outside but can also stay there! It must be one of the greatest experiences in your Kyoto trip.
How about my Kyoto plan with small budget? You can always enjoy Kyoto only if you have some ideas!