Kyoto Tourism

Situated in the central part of the island of Honshu, Japan, the city of Kyoto served as Japan's capital and the emperor's residence from the year 794 until 1868. Today, it is the country's seventh largest city. An ancient nickname for Kyoto is ‘City of Ten Thousand Shrines’. Recently, the city got famous for the United Nations’ Kyoto Protocol.

Having a turbulent past, Kyoto was destroyed by many wars and fires over the centuries. However, due to its historic value, the city was dropped from the list of target cities for the atomic bomb and spared from air raids during World War II! Now that’s something your Kyoto guide might not tell you!

Countless temples, shrines and other historically priceless structures dot the city. Kyoto tourism involves visiting marvellous temples, grand castles, transcendent gardens, holy shrines and watching cherry blossoms from various hanami (cherry blossom viewing) spots. If you haven’t already, plan your Kyoto itinerary today! Each one of you should visit Kyoto at least once and experience all that it has to offer considering the best time to visit Kyoto.

Essential travel information and Kyoto tips for your visit

  • Time zone: UTC+09:00
  • Currency: Japanese Yen
  • Electricity and Internet: The standard voltage in Tokyo is 100V Frequency works at 60 Hz. Wi-Fi is available in the subway stations bus stops and other public places.
  • Languages: Japanese

Security:

  • Kyoto Police: 110 (Japanese)
  • Fire/Ambulance: 119
  • University Hospital, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine: 075-251-5111
  • Misugi Kai Medical Corporation Otokoyama Hospital: 075-983-0001
  • Tipping: There is no tipping culture in Japan. You can expect impeccable services.

Other tips:

  • Do bow when people bow to you.
  • Although you will be able to communicate in English in almost all the places, street signs, information boards, store signs and menus are written in the Japanese alphabet. Do ask for help if you don’t understand what is written.

Kyoto Trip Planner

Plan your customized day by day trip plan for Kyoto. Choose from various experinces categories as adventure, romantic and family and kids friendly for your trip using using Kyoto trip planner.

The best tours and activities in the city, guided by experts to give you a local insight to the best of Kyoto