A Short Trip to Kyoto: 8 Kyoto Experiences to Tell You All at Once

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Network, Reported by Chen Guanxin

 

This summer, if you’re planning a trip to Kyoto with family and friends, besides visiting famous spots like Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, and Nijo Castle, do you want to try something different yet still full of “Kyoto flavor”? Then how about taking a scenic small train, experiencing traditional Kyoto incense and tea ceremonies, staying in a geisha’s home, and tasting classic old-style Kyoto sushi—enjoying a mini trip filled with the rich ambiance of Kyoto through all five senses?

Fusoin Seigetsudo, a national treasure-level old shop with over 400 years of history, is dedicated to promoting and popularizing the incense ceremony. On the third floor of its main store, it has opened an incense ceremony experience classroom open to the general public. This incense ceremony experience classroom is not only rare in Kyoto but also quite uncommon in Japan. Before the scent-sniffing game, there is also a 30-minute introduction to the history of the incense ceremony.

 

[Info]

Address: Horikawa-dori, Nishibetsuinmae, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture

Phone: 075-371-0162

Aoi KYOTO STAY is a machiya (traditional townhouse) lodging group established in 2011. Though the company is young, it has been involved in the related industry for nearly a decade, accumulating extensive experience in renovating old machiya and providing hotel services. Therefore, within just one year of focusing on private accommodations, it quickly expanded to five villa-type lodgings in Kyoto, each accommodating only one group of guests. Except for Aoi Shinmachi, all are situated by the water, each with a unique charm, yet all blending the elegant nostalgia of machiya with Scandinavian home design. One of them, “Aoi Kamo River Villa,” is a building with over 100 years of history that was once the residence of a geisha. With the Takase River on the left and the Kamo River on the right, enjoying the changing seasons by the river, just a 10-minute walk from Shijo-Kawaramachi, and featuring exclusive private butler service, it is impeccable in terms of scenery, convenience, and privacy.

 

[Info]

Address: 145-1, Tennoucho, 1-chome, Kamigyou-ku, Fushimi-dori, above Uramonji, Kuromonji, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto (Aoi KYOTO STAY Office)

Phone: 075-354-7770

Note: For guest privacy, detailed accommodation address will be provided by staff after booking, and staff will come to check in at the appointed time.

Spanning 150 tsubo (approx. 500 square meters) and 50 meters in length, “Buson” is the former residence of Buson Yosa, a renowned Japanese literati painter, and is the largest existing machiya in Kyoto. Originally built as a combined shop and residence for a kimono-making business in the early Showa period, it is still in operation today. Therefore, it is only open to the public as a café outside of business hours on weekends, allowing visitors to admire the beauty of the traditional machiya layout, including the tsuboniwa (courtyard), inner rooms, and kura (warehouse).

 

[Info]

Address: 249, Inazumachi, Kuramainishi-iru, Higashimonji-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto

Phone: 075-341-0624

The tea ceremony is a way of hosting guests and also a spiritual tea-drinking practice. In other words, the primary purpose of the tea ceremony is not simply to taste tea, but to embody the spirit of “ichi-go ichi-e” (one time, one meeting). At Kokaan, the tea room of the Seikei Art Museum, you can watch the preparation process of Urasenke matcha while enjoying traditional Japanese sweets. Even if you don’t understand the profound mysteries of the tea ceremony, the act of drinking tea will bring you closer to Japanese culture and allow you to sense its deeper essence.

 

[Info]

Address: 6-3, Narashigetemple-cho, Okazaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, inside the Seikei Art Museum

Phone: 075-752-5555