Kyoto Travel GuideA Photographer’s Perspective for Your First Visit

Kyoto is a city best explored slowly, on foot.

For a first visit, Kiyomizu-dera, Gion, Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama may be the places that come to mind. But once you start walking through Kyoto, you discover that the same place can look completely different at another time of day, in another season, or simply from a lane around the corner.

Years of photographing kimono sessions, weddings and individual portraits in Japan bring a familiarity with local streets and locations that makes it easier to notice places and details visitors might overlook.

For a first visit to Kyoto, getting to know a few of its main areas is a good place to start.

Kiyomizu-dera, Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka work well together. Follow the traditional streets toward Yasaka Shrine, then continue into Gion for a classic Kyoto walking route.

Fushimi Inari has a different atmosphere. Its vermilion torii gates continue up the mountain. If you simply want to experience the Senbon Torii, you do not have to walk all the way to the summit. If you have more time, you can keep heading up at your own pace.

Arashiyama is a little farther from central Kyoto, so setting aside a separate half-day gives you more time to explore than fitting Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari and Arashiyama into a single day.

There is another detail that matters when visiting Kyoto: timing.

The same street can look very different at eight in the morning and two in the afternoon. Light is part of it, but crowds also shape the experience of walking and taking photographs. At some popular spots, an earlier start can reveal a quieter side of Kyoto.

Kyoto is not a city you need to see all at once.

Rather than rushing to collect every famous sight, leave some time to wander streets without a fixed plan. When walking or taking photographs, respect private roads and the daily lives of local residents, and avoid entering places where visitors are not permitted just to get a photograph.

Future guides will cover different regions of Japan, the seasons, crowds, transport and when to take photographs, with information and suggestions to help you find a way of travelling in Japan that suits you.