Kyoto Without the Crowds? A 3-Day Itinerary Beyond the Tourist Spots

I'll be honest, I was quite nervous about planning the Kyoto part of our three week Japan trip. Crowds just aren't for me, and with Kyoto's well-known over-tourism, I really wanted to spend our time beyond the top results on Google. So full disclaimer, this vlog does not include visits to places like the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove or the famous Thousand Torii Gates. Instead, over three beautiful autumn days in Kyoto, these were the places where we truly slowed down. Where we could just take in the sounds, smells and small details and actually be in Kyoto rather than just looking at it. So if you're planning a trip here yourself, I really hope this video helped you discover a quieter side to this very special city. Hi friends and welcome to the Kyoto vlog. We arrived yesterday afternoon from Takayama. If you haven't seen that vlog, I will link it somewhere up here, but it was very easy to get here. It was just one train from Takayama to Nagoya, and then we got the Shinkansen right into Kyoto Central. And after checking into our lovely hotel, our very first stop was coffee. And I've had my eye on going to one of the Hario cafes while we've been in Japan. It is tucked away in the Gion district down a very quiet little pathway. I think it might actually be in a historic Marchia house, but absolutely beautiful. It looks out over a serene garden, if you are lucky enough to grab one of those seats. And I tried, for the first time in my life, siphon coffee. So if you're looking for somewhere to unwind and relax in one of the busy areas, I highly recommend the Hario cafe. But our main event of the evening last night was actually a kaiseki dinner. I booked this at a place called Mizuno, which is a one Michelin star restaurant. And it's kind of been on my food bucket list for a very long time. It's typically a seasonal chef's choice tasting menu, about 10 dishes usually. And it was such a wonderfully relaxing experience. Only eight seats in the restaurant. And they were also very kind and accommodating to us, being the only English speaking people there. So if you're looking for a very special meal in Kyoto, I honestly would send you straight to Mizuno. It was brilliant. But for now, today is our first full day. So we have got some things to do. So let's get out there and explore the city. Now one of the things I've been a little bit more anxious about when planning this trip to Kyoto was just how busy I've heard the city has been. So I'm really hoping this itinerary gives us a good balance of seeing some of the highlights, but also just enjoying our time and relaxing into the city a little bit more. So first on the agenda, nice and early on our first full day in the city, is we are going on a cycling tour that will take us around some of the highlights, but also hopefully help us to see some quieter gems as well. We met our guide Naoki at his bike shop where he made us a coffee before we set off to explore some of his favourite corners of the city, including this tiny temple that only opens a handful of days each autumn. It felt less like a tour and more like being shown around by a friend, which was such a lovely way to kick off our time in Kyoto. In the afternoon, we ventured beyond the city to the historic Fushimi Sake District. Kyoto is one of Japan's most significant sake regions with more than 400 years of brewing history rooted here. You can sample a range of local producers inside the Fushimi Sake Village, where a handful of eateries offer their famous flight of 18 different sakes to try. We went for only three. We also wandered down the road to explore the area by river on a traditional Edo period style boat, exactly the type that was once used to transport sake around this district. The whole operation is run by this group of Japanese grandpas, which kind of makes it even more charming. For dinner, we returned to Gion for something I had been curious to try properly our whole trip long, Unagi or otherwise known as freshwater eel. We booked a small restaurant set inside a former traditional ryokan and sitting at the counter watching this eel expertly grilled over charcoal was just the perfect way to round out the day. On our second day, we headed about an hour outside of the city to Uji, Japan's matcha capital. We spent the morning at Byodowin Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famously featured on the Japanese 10-yen coin. But of course, we couldn't come to Uji without stopping for a proper matcha experience. Our guide in Kyoto actually recommended this cafe, so we made sure to try this one. It runs on a ticketed system, so it is best to arrive right as they open to secure your spot. Our wait was about an hour, but it was absolutely worth it. The matcha cafe was easily one of the best things I ate during our entire three-week trip. Uji's tiny backstreets are equally as charming, so we spent the afternoon dipping in and out of craft and tea shops, browsing the handcrafted ceramics, and picking up a few matcha souvenirs along the way. That night we had one of the most memorable evenings of our entire trip, dinner with a maiko. The experience starts with a short walking tour through Kyoto's historic teahouse districts, which are among the areas affected by over-tourism in the city. But the main event is dinner itself, held in a traditional restaurant tucked down a quiet backstreet. Here we met our maiko for the evening, which is an apprentice gaiko. Our guide encouraged us to ask questions and really understand the years of training, discipline and artistry behind the craft. It's a rare glimpse into a world that is usually quite closed off. Our maiko performed traditional seasonal songs and dances for us, and even taught us a few games which, needless to say, I was not particularly good at. And as is the trend with this vlog, we are up not just nice and early, but actually at the crack of dawn to try and go and see one of the most beautiful sites in Kyoto we're heading to. Probably one of the most visited temples in Japan, and that is Kiyomizu-dera temple. In an attempt to try to see it with slightly less crowds, I don't quite know how we're going to go. It is busy season, but let's see how we get on. Okay, I think I've had my fair share of people for today. To be honest, it wasn't too bad. If you do want to go up to that temple, I would highly recommend going early in the morning, because even as we were walking down through the more popular streets around the temple, it was already getting quite busy. And the irony is, like, we've just walked 10 minutes down the road, and there is another temple here with beautiful gardens that literally hasn't got a single soul in it. So yeah, I think that will be more of our plans for the rest of the day. But first, it's eight o'clock. We haven't had caffeine, so next is a coffee shop stop. In the afternoon, we made our way north to discover some of the quieter pockets of the city. Our first stop was the Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design, a small but beautifully curated space exploring many of the art forms we'd encountered on our trip throughout Japan, textiles, ceramics, lacquerware, and much, much more. From there, we caught a taxi up to the Silver Pavilion, and because entry is ticketed, it feels noticeably calmer, with beautiful autumn foliage and sweeping views across Kyoto. It's also the perfect place to begin a walk along Philosopher's Path at Golden Hour, a stone canal-side walkway that winds through some of Kyoto's most peaceful neighbourhoods. A stroll which perfectly positioned us for our final meal at Badu. From the same restaurant group behind the famous Monk restaurant, Badu is newer and thankfully a lot easier to secure a reservation at. We booked the counter seats overlooking the kitchen, and I highly recommend choosing the Amakase sharing menu here, then just simply letting the team take care of you. And that my friends is a wrap on not just our time in Kyoto, but actually the entire Japan series. Thank you so much for watching, I hope if you are planning a trip to Japan soon that this has helped. If you haven't seen my other videos, I will link the playlist up here, and I will see you in the next one, wherever that will be.