Lonely Planet Pocket Kyoto & Osaka

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• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Year: 2019
• eBook ISBN:
  9781788685627
• Print ISBN:
  9781786578525

Downtown Kyoto

If all you’re interested in on your Kyoto trip is dining on great cuisine, knocking back sake and craft beer at bars, boutique shopping and staying in some of the finest ryokan, you may just never leave Downtown Kyoto (which is, naturally, smack bang in the middle of the city). And you wouldn’t need to sacrifice culture or sightseeing, with heavyweight attractions such as Nijō-jō, the famed Nishiki Market and a smattering of small temples, shrines and museums.

Ponto-chō | GREG ELMS/LONELY PLANET ©

The Short List

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

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

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

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

Getting There & Around

b The Karasuma subway line stops at Shijō and Karasuma-Oike Stations. The Tōzai line also stops at Karasuma-Oike Station and Kyoto-Shiyakusho-mae Station.

L The Hankyū line stops at Karasuma and Kawaramachi Stations.

g Many city buses stop in Downtown Kyoto.

Top SightNishiki Market

Nishiki Market (Nishiki-kōji Ichiba) is one of Kyoto’s real highlights, especially if you have an interest in cooking and eating. Commonly known as Kyoto no daidokoro (Kyoto’s kitchen) by locals, it’s where most of Kyoto’s high-end restaurateurs and well-to-do do their food shopping. This is the place to see the weird and w...

Table of contents

• Table of Contents
• Welcome to Kyoto & Osaka
• Top Sights
• Eating
• Four Perfect Days
• Need to Know
• Kyoto Neighbourhoods
• Osaka Neighbourhoods
• Kyoto Station & South Kyoto
• Downtown Kyoto
• Gion & Southern Higashiyama
• Northern Higashiyama
• Kinkaku-ji
• Imperial Palace & Around
• Arashiyama
• Minami
• Osaka-jō
• Kita
• Survival Guide
• Language
• Behind the Scenes
• Our Writers