Why Kyoto was chosen as the best city in the world — 23 photo evidence

Kyoto is home to many incredible temples, such as Bedo-in, a Buddhist temple that has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

One of the most amazing temples is the Kinkaku—ji (Golden Pavilion) of the 14th century with a shiny golden facade reflected in the lake on which the temple stands.

Travelers adore the thousands of bright red torii (temple gates) that stretch almost 4 km up the mountain to the main temple of Fushimi Inari. Inari is considered the patron saint of business, so all these gates were built at the expense of some Japanese enterprise.

Nishiki Market, also known as Kyoto Cuisine, is a 400—year-old market that stretches over five blocks. Here you will find more than a hundred shops and restaurants. This is a real storehouse of rare delicacies and unusual products.

For example, here you can find octopuses stuffed with quail eggs. Many shops offer free tasting, so come hungry.

Japan is famous for its sakura, and in Kyoto is full of these wonderful trees.

The Hanami Spring festivals in Maruyama Park are especially delightful.

Although autumn in Kyoto is no less amazing.

To admire the autumn foliage in all its glory, head down the Oi River to the Arashiyama area.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple is a great place to enjoy the views of the city.

And you can take pictures of Mount Fujiyama during a trip on the Shinkansen train (bullet train). By the way, it accelerates to 321 km/h.

There are also many stunning natural places in Kyoto, such as the Arashiyama bamboo grove of unearthly beauty. It is famous not only for its dense bamboo thickets, but also for the creaking sounds that are heard here.

And there are whole colonies of monkeys here, some of which hang out in the Iwatayama Monkey Park.

But what makes Kyoto special is that it is a big city with the atmosphere of a small village.

There is not so much tension between the old and the new.

Kyoto has preserved its traditions and architecture. For example, on the beautifully restored Ninenzaka Street, which descends to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple. It was founded in the ancient imperial era.

But Kyoto is also a modern city. In the central shopping district of Shijo-Dori, you will find almost everything the same as in Tokyo.

Meeting geisha is a common thing on the streets of Kyoto.

No, seriously, they’re everywhere.

Especially in Gion, one of the few remaining in Japan has areas with geisha. The winding streets with ancient wooden buildings remind of old Kyoto and are literally full of traditional tea houses and exclusive restaurants.

Every dish in Kyoto is a work of art. And Kyo-ryori (“Kyoto cuisine”) — this is generally a whole culture of eating, including small portions of food laid out on beautiful seasonal plates.

One of the best places to taste local dishes is the Shirakawa district, which runs along the canal of the same name near Gion. There are a lot of restaurants and bars here.

There are practically no streets in Kyoto where there is nothing to see.