Travel Guide: Kyoto, Japan, for Design Lovers
Experience ancient traditions and modern expressions in this design-minded roundup of sights, hotels, shops and restaurants
Kyoto has long been known as the heart and soul of Japan’s traditional culture and arts. Its centuries-old temples and geisha districts have become the emblematic ideal of Japan imagery. But despite the more than 1,600 temples, 400 Shinto shrines and 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites, the city offers much more than postcard-perfect images to more than 50 million annual visitors.
The city’s historic attractions, prewar architecture (it was spared, unlike in Japan’s other major cities, from World War II bombings due to its ancient, religious significance to the Japanese people) and the latest contemporary trends and modern comforts make it an ideal city for design. From Heian-period architecture and ancient bamboo forests to a revival of modern art museums and maiko (apprentice geisha) performances — Japan’s Old Capital is full of new life. Spend a week exploring Kyoto’s diverse charms during the springtime, when a heavenly backdrop of the country’s renowned cherry blossoms frames the city’s venerable temples and timeworn streets.
The city’s historic attractions, prewar architecture (it was spared, unlike in Japan’s other major cities, from World War II bombings due to its ancient, religious significance to the Japanese people) and the latest contemporary trends and modern comforts make it an ideal city for design. From Heian-period architecture and ancient bamboo forests to a revival of modern art museums and maiko (apprentice geisha) performances — Japan’s Old Capital is full of new life. Spend a week exploring Kyoto’s diverse charms during the springtime, when a heavenly backdrop of the country’s renowned cherry blossoms frames the city’s venerable temples and timeworn streets.
Downtown Kyoto has the potential to underwhelm first-time visitors. Drab office buildings and nondescript strip malls are prevalent. But historical districts like Higashiyama, Arashiyama and Gion still boast pristine architecture by way of ancient shrines and temples, like the famed Imperial Palace and Golden Pavilion. And while the pavilion attracts hundreds of thousands of sightseers every year, there are other lesser-known destinations throughout the city worth exploring.
Must-Sees
Miho Museum: An architecturally jaw-dropping museum designed by architect I.M. Pei
Cost: 1,000 yen (about $10)
Location: 300 Momodani, Shigaraki-cho, Koka, Shiga Prefecture 529-1814
Noteworthy: Modern design in a natural atmosphere
Miho Museum: An architecturally jaw-dropping museum designed by architect I.M. Pei
Cost: 1,000 yen (about $10)
Location: 300 Momodani, Shigaraki-cho, Koka, Shiga Prefecture 529-1814
Noteworthy: Modern design in a natural atmosphere
Over the course of construction, Pei dubbed the isolated structure Shangri-La. It's nestled amidst a thickly forested natural park, and it’s separated from the rest of the world even further by a futuristic, cylindrical entrance tunnel that really sets the mood for visitors.
Besides the striking architecture, the private collections of priceless antiques and ancient relics, and special visiting exhibitions, there is also an onsite tearoom and restaurant, making day trips quite pleasant.
More info: Miho Museum
More info: Miho Museum
Sanjusangendo: A certified national treasure in the heart of central Kyoto
Cost: 300 to 600 yen ($3 to $6)
Location: 657-cho, Higashiyama-ku
Noteworthy: It's Japan’s longest wooden structure (394 feet).
The protracted hall features a stunning collection of 1,001 life-size statues of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy, each hand carved out of wood and painted with gold leaf during the 12th and 13th centuries. No photos are allowed inside the revered hall, but the incandescent glow of the multitudinous deities will sear itself in one’s memory. Lively archery competitions (the Toshiya festival) are held every year outside along the length of the building, as they have been since the Edo period (1603 to 1868).
Cost: 300 to 600 yen ($3 to $6)
Location: 657-cho, Higashiyama-ku
Noteworthy: It's Japan’s longest wooden structure (394 feet).
The protracted hall features a stunning collection of 1,001 life-size statues of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy, each hand carved out of wood and painted with gold leaf during the 12th and 13th centuries. No photos are allowed inside the revered hall, but the incandescent glow of the multitudinous deities will sear itself in one’s memory. Lively archery competitions (the Toshiya festival) are held every year outside along the length of the building, as they have been since the Edo period (1603 to 1868).
Kyoto International Manga Museum: An extensive comic book library
Cost: 800 yen ($8)
Location: Karasuma-dori Oike-agaru
Noteworthy: Japan’s first manga museum celebrates the beloved national comics that cover a range of topics, from sci-fi to over-the-top romance. It opened in 2006 in a converted elementary school, and its diverse exhibitions, drawing demos and extensive library of local and international comic books are enough to entertain graphic design enthusiasts and comic lovers of all kinds for an afternoon.
More info: Kyoto International Manga Museum
Cost: 800 yen ($8)
Location: Karasuma-dori Oike-agaru
Noteworthy: Japan’s first manga museum celebrates the beloved national comics that cover a range of topics, from sci-fi to over-the-top romance. It opened in 2006 in a converted elementary school, and its diverse exhibitions, drawing demos and extensive library of local and international comic books are enough to entertain graphic design enthusiasts and comic lovers of all kinds for an afternoon.
More info: Kyoto International Manga Museum
Must-Eats
Giro Giro Hitoshina
What is it: A stylish restaurant in a wonderfully restored machiya home (a historic merchant’s home or townhouse dating back to the Heian period), with panoramic windows overlooking the Takase-gawa canal.
Cost: 4,000 yen (about $40)
Location: 420-7 Nanba-cho, Nishi Kiya-machi-dori, Higashigawa
Noteworthy: This is haute cuisine on a budget.
Kyoto is famous for its kaiseki, an elaborate, multicourse meal focused on local, seasonal specialties; it originated more than 500 years ago to accompany formal tea ceremonies. The custom isn’t for everyone — a dinner can be extremely costly and consist of up to 15 courses, including rare, and sometimes hard to swallow, victuals, like blowfish and sea urchin. But you can experience a less formal and more affordable version at Giro Giro Hitoshina. The set 10-course meal changes with the seasons.
OKU Gallery and Café is another hot spot within the bustling Gion district — not just for the food, but for the setting. The Japanese word oku means “interior,” and design is understandably at the forefront of this chic café. Inside a renovated machiya home, it has a minimalist aesthetic, with a neutral canvas of clean, white walls and narrow windows overlooking a manicured garden and courtyard. Eye-catching elements like black and white ceramics by Kyoto designer Shojiro Endo and Glove chairs by Italian designer Patricia Urquiola liven up the monochromatic palette, interrupted only by warm natural walnut floors and reed ceilings.
More info: OKU Gallery and Café
Giro Giro Hitoshina
What is it: A stylish restaurant in a wonderfully restored machiya home (a historic merchant’s home or townhouse dating back to the Heian period), with panoramic windows overlooking the Takase-gawa canal.
Cost: 4,000 yen (about $40)
Location: 420-7 Nanba-cho, Nishi Kiya-machi-dori, Higashigawa
Noteworthy: This is haute cuisine on a budget.
Kyoto is famous for its kaiseki, an elaborate, multicourse meal focused on local, seasonal specialties; it originated more than 500 years ago to accompany formal tea ceremonies. The custom isn’t for everyone — a dinner can be extremely costly and consist of up to 15 courses, including rare, and sometimes hard to swallow, victuals, like blowfish and sea urchin. But you can experience a less formal and more affordable version at Giro Giro Hitoshina. The set 10-course meal changes with the seasons.
OKU Gallery and Café is another hot spot within the bustling Gion district — not just for the food, but for the setting. The Japanese word oku means “interior,” and design is understandably at the forefront of this chic café. Inside a renovated machiya home, it has a minimalist aesthetic, with a neutral canvas of clean, white walls and narrow windows overlooking a manicured garden and courtyard. Eye-catching elements like black and white ceramics by Kyoto designer Shojiro Endo and Glove chairs by Italian designer Patricia Urquiola liven up the monochromatic palette, interrupted only by warm natural walnut floors and reed ceilings.
More info: OKU Gallery and Café
Must-Dos
Nishijin Textile Center: A fabric center in the historic textile district of northwestern Kyoto. You can check out a daily kimono fashion show or get dressed up in a 12-layer kimono, just like Japan’s imperial princesses did on their wedding day centuries ago.
Cost: fashion shows: free; imperial kimono dressing: 10,000 yen (about $100)
Location: Imadegawa Minamiiru, Horikawa-dori, Kamigyo-ku
Noteworthy: Offers an in-depth look at the fashions of today and the past
Nishijin Textile Center: A fabric center in the historic textile district of northwestern Kyoto. You can check out a daily kimono fashion show or get dressed up in a 12-layer kimono, just like Japan’s imperial princesses did on their wedding day centuries ago.
Cost: fashion shows: free; imperial kimono dressing: 10,000 yen (about $100)
Location: Imadegawa Minamiiru, Horikawa-dori, Kamigyo-ku
Noteworthy: Offers an in-depth look at the fashions of today and the past
It takes about an hour to don the multilayered, multicolored robes (plus the appropriate makeup and wigs of the imperial era), but the result is a truly doll-like creation. In fact, Japanese girls dress up like the imperial princesses every year on March 3 in honor of the annual Girls Day celebration. If you visit in spring, pick up a Kyo doll and attend a local Girls Day parade even if you don’t plan to play dress-up.
More info: Nishijin Textile Center
More info: Nishijin Textile Center
Arashiyama Forest: A towering bamboo forest that visitors can experience on rickshaw rides
Cost: 3,500 yen (about $35) per person
Location: Arashiyama (various pickup locations)
Noteworthy: Its wide, meandering paths framed by thick green shoots evoke a peaceful atmosphere, especially when the grove seems to rock back and forth in the wind, and have inspired local poets and artisans for centuries.
Cost: 3,500 yen (about $35) per person
Location: Arashiyama (various pickup locations)
Noteworthy: Its wide, meandering paths framed by thick green shoots evoke a peaceful atmosphere, especially when the grove seems to rock back and forth in the wind, and have inspired local poets and artisans for centuries.
You can stop at one of the several temples and shrines dotting the trails or browse small boutiques featuring handmade bamboo-inspired crafts, like matcha tea whisks, intricately woven baskets or the obligatory pair of festive chopsticks to bring home as a souvenir.
Take in dinner and a show the old-fashioned way afterward at Takeshigero, featuring traditional banquet hall and kaiseki cuisine, with private geisha and maiko (apprentice geisha) performances. Witness the delicate costumes, presentation, dancing and music of a bygone era, as people have done here in the Gion district since the early 1700s.
Cost: Varies
Location: 65 Torii-cho, Awataguchi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8436
More info: Takeshigero
Take in dinner and a show the old-fashioned way afterward at Takeshigero, featuring traditional banquet hall and kaiseki cuisine, with private geisha and maiko (apprentice geisha) performances. Witness the delicate costumes, presentation, dancing and music of a bygone era, as people have done here in the Gion district since the early 1700s.
Cost: Varies
Location: 65 Torii-cho, Awataguchi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8436
More info: Takeshigero
Must-Visit Shops
Teramachi Street and Shinmonzen-dori: Well-known shopping districts
Noteworthy: Kyoto is known for its diverse selection of antiques (high end and affordable), and there are several ways to browse the city’s unique relics. The antiques shops along Teramachi Street and Shinmonzen-dori are famous for their wares and monthly flea markets at the Toji Temple and the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine during the last week of every month.
If you're looking for that one-of-a-kind authentic gift, handmade karakami wallpaper is a famous Kyoto craft; there are only two artisans, Karacho and Kamisoe, who still practice the time-consuming, traditional woodblock printing method used to make it. The exquisite wallpaper (notable for its rich color and textural qualities) can be seen throughout the city in chic restaurants and design hotels, like Hoshinoya Kyoto. You can learn more about the ancient technique or place custom orders at Kamisoe, the three-year old shop of owner Ko Kado, who creates the delicate product for shoji screens, wallpaper and fusuma (sliding doors). There are also hand-printed stationery and cards made by Kado’s wife on original washi (traditional Japanese paper). If you visit Kamisoe, don’t miss the other shops inside the Nazuna artists’ collective, a historic machiya home turned creative powerhouse, consisting of a glass blower’s studio and, on the second floor, Ryuka, an artisanal ceramic shop.
Location: 11-1 Higashi Fujinomori-cho Murasakino 1F, Kita-ku
More Info: Kamisoe
Teramachi Street and Shinmonzen-dori: Well-known shopping districts
Noteworthy: Kyoto is known for its diverse selection of antiques (high end and affordable), and there are several ways to browse the city’s unique relics. The antiques shops along Teramachi Street and Shinmonzen-dori are famous for their wares and monthly flea markets at the Toji Temple and the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine during the last week of every month.
If you're looking for that one-of-a-kind authentic gift, handmade karakami wallpaper is a famous Kyoto craft; there are only two artisans, Karacho and Kamisoe, who still practice the time-consuming, traditional woodblock printing method used to make it. The exquisite wallpaper (notable for its rich color and textural qualities) can be seen throughout the city in chic restaurants and design hotels, like Hoshinoya Kyoto. You can learn more about the ancient technique or place custom orders at Kamisoe, the three-year old shop of owner Ko Kado, who creates the delicate product for shoji screens, wallpaper and fusuma (sliding doors). There are also hand-printed stationery and cards made by Kado’s wife on original washi (traditional Japanese paper). If you visit Kamisoe, don’t miss the other shops inside the Nazuna artists’ collective, a historic machiya home turned creative powerhouse, consisting of a glass blower’s studio and, on the second floor, Ryuka, an artisanal ceramic shop.
Location: 11-1 Higashi Fujinomori-cho Murasakino 1F, Kita-ku
More Info: Kamisoe
Must-Stays
Hyatt Kyoto: Probably the most comfortable, conveniently located hotel in town
Cost: 20,000 yen (about $200) per night
Location: 644-2 Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 605-0941
Noteworthy: Located in the heart of the action, this is an exceptional option to help you maximize your time in the city.
Hyatt Kyoto: Probably the most comfortable, conveniently located hotel in town
Cost: 20,000 yen (about $200) per night
Location: 644-2 Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 605-0941
Noteworthy: Located in the heart of the action, this is an exceptional option to help you maximize your time in the city.
The interior design is chic and modern, the two onsite restaurants (French-Japanese fusion and traditional kaiseki) are exemplary, and the hospitality and concierge services are unrivaled.
Or, if you want to go the more traditional route, Hoshinoya Kyoto, just a short boat ride up the river from Arashiyama, is a modern incarnation of a traditional Japanese inn (ryokan) that can truly transport guests into another time and place. Rooms are uberluxurious, with sweeping river views, heated floors and private sitting areas, and a Michelin-starred restaurant provides a rotating menu of some of Kyoto’s best kaiseki cuisine. The property also offers traditional cultural experiences, like tea and incense ceremonies.
Location: 11-2 Arashiyama Genrokuzancho, Nishikyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 616-0007
For something entirely different, spend a night at Nine Hours, Kyoto’s first, and most impressive, capsule hotel. It’s a space-age experience that blends high-minded modern design with streamlined simplicity, with small personal capsules (guest rooms) measuring about 7 feet by 4 feet; they include comfy bedding and modern gadgetry, like calming, light-operated alarm clocks. It’s no luxury hotel, but it’s an intriguing option for backpackers, single parties or curious design travelers.
Cost: 5,000 yen (about $50) per night
Location: 588, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 600-8031
More Info: Hyatt Kyoto; Nine Hours
Pack your bags: More city guides for design junkies
Or, if you want to go the more traditional route, Hoshinoya Kyoto, just a short boat ride up the river from Arashiyama, is a modern incarnation of a traditional Japanese inn (ryokan) that can truly transport guests into another time and place. Rooms are uberluxurious, with sweeping river views, heated floors and private sitting areas, and a Michelin-starred restaurant provides a rotating menu of some of Kyoto’s best kaiseki cuisine. The property also offers traditional cultural experiences, like tea and incense ceremonies.
Location: 11-2 Arashiyama Genrokuzancho, Nishikyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 616-0007
For something entirely different, spend a night at Nine Hours, Kyoto’s first, and most impressive, capsule hotel. It’s a space-age experience that blends high-minded modern design with streamlined simplicity, with small personal capsules (guest rooms) measuring about 7 feet by 4 feet; they include comfy bedding and modern gadgetry, like calming, light-operated alarm clocks. It’s no luxury hotel, but it’s an intriguing option for backpackers, single parties or curious design travelers.
Cost: 5,000 yen (about $50) per night
Location: 588, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 600-8031
More Info: Hyatt Kyoto; Nine Hours
Pack your bags: More city guides for design junkies
Kyoto is the main vein of traditional culture, so be prepared to slip your shoes on and off at the entryway of most hotels, restaurants and some select boutiques. Slippers are usually provided by hosts, but warm socks can never hurt in the cold winter months.