Kyoto

Kyoto is an inland city in a basin ringed by hills, and beach life plays no part in a stay. The nearest proper swimming is on the western shore of Lake Biwa, where sandy strands such as Omi-Maiko fill with families in July and August and the freshwater gets warm enough for a comfortable dip. Suma beach on Osaka Bay is about an hour away by train, a city beach rather than a scenic one.

The clear water and white sand of the Sea of Japan coast, around Amanohashidate and the Tango Peninsula, lie more than two hours north, which makes them an overnight trip rather than an afternoon. In the hot, humid summer most visitors cool off in rivers and shaded gardens, not in the sea.

Kyoto is the home of Japan's most refined cooking. Kaiseki, the seasonal multi-course meal that grew out of the tea ceremony, is served in old wooden houses in Gion and along the Kamo River, and Buddhist temple cuisine, shojin ryori, can be eaten in temple precincts such as Daitokuji and Tenryuji. Tofu and yuba, delicate pickles, Kyoto-style vegetables and sweets made for tea run through everything, and the city has an unusually high number of serious restaurants for its size.

For everyday eating, Nishiki Market is a narrow covered street of pickle sellers, fishmongers and snack stalls, and ramen counters, izakaya and noodle shops fill the side streets around Shijo. Uji green tea and matcha sweets are everywhere, and the sake breweries of Fushimi, in the south of the city, make a good afternoon. What Kyoto lacks is the sprawling street-food abundance and international range of the biggest Asian cities; its strength is depth and precision.

Kyoto was the imperial capital for more than a thousand years and escaped wartime bombing, and its heritage is on a scale few cities anywhere can match. Seventeen sites in and around the city are UNESCO-listed, among them Kiyomizu-dera on its wooden stage, the golden pavilion of Kinkaku-ji and the quieter silver pavilion of Ginkaku-ji, the rock and moss gardens of Ryoan-ji and Saiho-ji, the five-storey pagoda of To-ji and the painted halls of Nijo Castle. Beyond the listed sites lie well over a thousand temples and shrines, among them Fushimi Inari with its tunnels of vermilion gates climbing the hillside, and many with gardens designed as works of art.

The historic texture is as important as the landmarks. The lanes of Higashiyama and Gion keep their wooden machiya townhouses and teahouses, the Imperial Palace and the Katsura and Shugakuin villas show court taste, and the Kyoto National Museum holds a deep collection of Japanese art. The famous sights are very crowded at peak seasons; arriving early, or seeking out the northern and eastern temples away from the main routes, changes the experience completely.

Evenings in Kyoto are quieter than in most Japanese cities of its size. Pontocho, a lantern-lit alley along the Kamo River, and the Kiyamachi canal street beside it are where most going out happens, in small bars, standing izakaya, sake bars and a few student-friendly clubs, with riverside terraces open in summer. Gion after dark is more about atmosphere than a night out, and its exclusive teahouses are closed to casual visitors.

The city winds down early, and those wanting a long, loud night take the train to Osaka, under an hour away. For a relaxed drink with good sake or whisky, Kyoto is pleasant; as a destination for nightlife, it is modest.

Kyoto sits in a basin enclosed on three sides by low, forested hills, and nature starts at the edge of the city. The Higashiyama hills behind the eastern temples have trails up to Daimonji and along the long-distance Kyoto Trail, while the bamboo groves and wooded slopes of Arashiyama mark the western edge. A short train ride north reaches Kurama and Kibune, linked by a mountain path through cedar forest, and the cable car up Mount Hiei looks over Lake Biwa.

The Kamo River's banks make a flat, green route for walking and cycling through the centre, and boats run down the Hozu gorge from Kameoka. Seasons shape everything: cherry blossom in spring and maple colour in autumn are spectacular, summers are hot and sticky, and winters are cold but clear. There are no high peaks or coast here, but the landscape is gentle, close and easy to use.

Few places make a better base for day trips. Nara, with the great bronze Buddha at Todai-ji and deer roaming the park, is under an hour away, and Osaka, with its castle, food streets and neon, is about half an hour by fast train. Uji, home of the Byodo-in temple and Japan's most famous green tea, is barely twenty minutes south.

Still easy, Himeji Castle, the finest original castle in Japan, is under an hour by bullet train, and Kobe, with its harbour and old foreign quarter, is closer. Hikone Castle and the old merchant canals of Omihachiman on the shores of Lake Biwa, and the hot spring town of Arima, add variety. The fast rail network means several of these can be done without planning far ahead. The mountain temple town of Koyasan, by contrast, is close to three hours each way and best done as an overnight stay in a temple lodging.

Kyoto is safe, clean and polite, which makes it easy with children even though its main sights are temples and gardens. There are a few attractions made for younger visitors: the Kyoto Railway Museum, with its roundhouse of steam locomotives and train simulators, is excellent, and the Kyoto Aquarium and the Kyoto City Zoo sit close to the centre. Toei Kyoto Studio Park, a film set of an Edo-period town, has ninja and samurai shows. Feeding the deer in Nara and running through the gates at Fushimi Inari tend to be highlights too.

The drawbacks are practical. City buses are crowded at busy seasons, the famous temples involve stairs and crowds, and summer heat is draining. Many families stay in Kyoto and spend a day at the theme park and aquarium in Osaka, under an hour away.

Central Kyoto is laid out on a flat grid, so it is easy to walk and very good for cycling, with the Kamo River paths giving a quiet north-south route. The trouble is that many of the major temples are spread around the edges of the basin, and the two subway lines miss most of them. Visitors rely on a mix of JR lines, private railways such as the Keihan and Hankyu, the little Randen tram to Arashiyama, and the city buses.

Those buses reach almost everything but are slow and packed during cherry blossom and autumn colour seasons. Combining trains with walking, or hiring a bicycle, is usually quicker. A car is never needed, and traffic and parking make one more of a burden than a help.

Kyoto's shopping is about craft. Shops that have been run by the same families for generations sell Kiyomizu-ware ceramics, Nishijin silk textiles, folding fans, incense, washi paper, lacquer, bamboo work and hand-forged kitchen knives, and tea merchants sell matcha and sencha by weight. The lanes up to Kiyomizu-dera mix fine crafts with souvenirs, while Teramachi and Shinkyogoku, two covered arcades, hold everything from antique prints to cheap clothes.

Shijo and Kawaramachi form the modern shopping centre, with large department stores and their food halls, and the area around Kyoto Station has big malls. The monthly flea markets at To-ji and Kitano Tenmangu are worth timing a visit around. Luxury fashion is present but limited, so this is a city for beautiful objects rather than designer flagships.

Kyoto is mid-range in price. Everyday eating is good value, from noodle and ramen counters to department store food halls and convenience stores, and buses, trains and temple entry fees are inexpensive. The costs come in accommodation and fine dining: hotels and traditional ryokan inns are expensive, and at cherry blossom time and in the autumn colour season rooms become scarce and costly. A kaiseki dinner is a splurge.

Visiting outside the peak seasons, staying near Kyoto Station or in a business hotel, and eating lunch rather than dinner at good restaurants keeps a stay reasonable.

Kyoto's performing arts are rooted in tradition. Each spring the geiko and maiko of the five geisha districts stage their public dances, the best known in Gion, offering a rare chance to see these arts on stage. The Minamiza theatre on the Kamo River is the oldest kabuki house in Japan and hosts the grand Kaomise performances at the end of the year, and several Noh stages hold regular performances of the masked drama. Gion Corner presents short samplers of tea ceremony, koto music and dance for visitors.

The Kyoto Concert Hall is home to the city's symphony orchestra, ROHM Theatre puts on opera and dance, and small jazz bars and live houses dot the centre. Much of the traditional calendar is seasonal, however, and the contemporary scene is small, so on a random evening the choice can be thin.

Kyoto has a quiet, real bathing culture. Old neighbourhood sento, public bathhouses with tiled murals and hot pools, some of them a century old, survive across the city and are open to visitors who follow the etiquette. Hot spring baths are on the edges of the city at Kurama in the northern hills, Ohara and Arashiyama, and the famous onsen town of Arima is about an hour away. Ryokan stays with a deep wooden tub and a long dinner are a restorative experience in themselves.

The city's slower side lies in its gardens and temples: sitting before a raked gravel garden, joining a zazen meditation session or a tea ceremony, or staying overnight in a temple lodging. Crowds at the famous sights work against this, so the calm is found early in the morning, in winter, and in the northern and eastern temples away from the main routes.