Lonely Planet Kyoto

,

• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN:
  9781787019300
• Print ISBN:
  9781786570635

Downtown Kyoto

Top Sights

Sights

Eating

Drinking & Nightlife

Entertainment

Shopping

Downtown Kyoto

Neighbourhood Top Five

1 Nijō-jō Treading lightly over squeaking ‘nightingale’ floors while exploring the castle.

2 Nishiki Market Marvelling at all the weird and wonderful ingredients that go into Kyoto cuisine.

3 Ponto-chō Strolling this atmospheric street in the evening lantern light.

4 Takashimaya Drooling over gourmet goods on display in this department store’s basement food floor.

5 Tawaraya Experiencing a night at one of the world’s finest places to stay in this centuries-old ryokan.

Explore Downtown Kyoto

Downtown Kyoto is bounded by the Kamo-gawa (the river) to the east, Karasuma-dōri to the west, Oike-dōri to the north and Shijō-dōri to the south. In this relatively small square area, you will find the thickest selection of restaurants, shops, hotels and businesses in all of Kyoto.

The main streets of Shijō and Kawaramachi hold some of the best department stores and a few eating options, but you’ll also find a huge selection of shops and restaurants in the area’s four covered shopping streets (known as shōtengai): Sanjō (good for restaurants), Teramachi (a mix of art, souvenirs and clothing), Shinkyōgoku (mostly tacky souvenirs for kids) and Nishiki Market (the city’s main food market). But don’t just explore these main shopping streets: also head into the maze of smaller streets west of Teramachi, where you’ll find a great array of interesting boutiques, cafes, a couple of museums and restaurants.

Local Life

AShopping It might be a tourist hotspot but Nishiki Market is still a gourmet food shopping favourite for locals.

AHang-out Locals linger for h...

Table of contents

• Table of Contents
• Welcome to Kyoto
• Kyoto’s Top 10
• What’s New
• Need to Know
• First Time Kyoto
• Top Itineraries
• If You Like
• Month By Month
• Kyoto by the Seasons
• With Kids
• Like a Local
• For Free
• Eating
• Drinking & Nightlife
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Temples & Shrines
• Neighbourhoods at a Glance
• Kyoto Station & South Kyoto
• Downtown Kyoto
• Imperial Palace & Around
• Gion & Southern Higashiyama
• Northern Higashiyama
• Northwest Kyoto
• Arashiyama & Sagano
• Day Trips from Kyoto
• Sleeping
• Understand Kyoto
• Kyoto Today
• History
• Religion
• Geisha
• Arts & Crafts
• Architecture & Gardens
• The Tea Ceremony
• Transport
• Directory A–Z
• Language
• Kyoto Maps
• Behind the Scenes
• Our Writers