Kyoto, Japan

Onyado Nono Kyoto Shichijo Natural Hot Spring Hotel

WHERE WE STAYED

Why we loved it:

  • This hotel was the perfect mix between a traditional Japanese accommodation and a more modern hotel with the best amenities.

  • There was traditional tatami floors throughout the hotel – you have to lock your shoes up in a locker when we walk in.

  • They serve free (and freaking delicious!) ramen every night from 9:00pm-11:00pm.

  • They serve free ice cream every afternoon through evening and free probiotic yogurt until 10:00am.

  • Their breakfast is amazing! It’s included in some room rates. You can get sashimi grade fish, tons of made-in-front-of-you meat dishes, miso soup, western-style items, and INCREDIBLE desserts. It was the best hotel breakfast we’ve literally every had!

  • The onsen facilities were amazing! There are five different baths in both the men and women’s sides. They offer really great skin care and shampoo / conditioner in the locker room for after the onsen.

  • They have matcha and espresso machines in the lobby and the quality of the matcha AND cappuccinos were amazing! We probably had 219 matcha latte’s between the two of us (ha!).

  • The staff were amazing! They were so helpful and kind and really made our experience the best it could possibly be.

Top 10 things we did in Kyoto.

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1. Kyoto Tower | Food Hall + Shopping

721-1 Higashishiokōjichō, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8216, Japan

Why we loved it:

  • The Views! You can go up into Kyoto Tower and take in the breathtaking views of the city. We recommend booking your ticket for the window 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after sunset! This way you get to take in the views of Kyoto during the day, during sunset, and at night! We booked our tickets / time slot using Klook.

  • The Food! Kyoto Tower isn’t just a place to take an elevator up and see the views – in the bottom of the tower, there’s tons of shopping and an amazing food hall (B1 Food Hall)! Some of our favorite food we got in all of Japan was in Kyoto Tower. Our top picks / must trys:

    • Daukisyusan Kaitensushi | A sushi train / sushi rotary restaurant

    • Gyoza Sumemasa | Pork gyoza

    • The Roots of All Evil | Cocktail bar specializing in gin drinks

2. Nishiki Market

Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8055, Japan

Why we loved it:

  • Food, food, food! Go hungry – there are so many amazing food stalls in Nishiki Market. I don’t even want to recommend any of them because I think the best part is wandering around trying whatever looks good to you! Pretty much anything you get will be amazing!

  • Shopping! There are tons of shops here as well – pottery shops, shoe stores (where you can get brand-name shoes for much cheaper than in the US!), locally-made gifts / crafts / souvenirs… you name it.

How to get there: From Kyoto Station , you can take the Karasuma subway line to Shijo Station and enter the market from the west side at Takakura Street.

3. Gion District

Gion (祇園) is Kyoto's most famous geisha district, located around Shijo Avenue between Yasaka Shrine in the east and the Kamo River in the west.

Important tourist information: The ally ways and side streets are now unfortunately closed to tourists in efforts to protect the Geisha, however, you can still meander down the main street, Hanamikoji street.

Why we loved it:

  • The street is lined with incredible shops filled with locally made crafts and souvenirs. There’s even a store filled with those cute little solar-powered cats who are waving.

  • There’s tons of food stalls along the main street – be sure to stop in and try the Mitarashi Dango (Rice dumplings in a sweet soy sauce).

  • The temple at the end of the street is beautiful – be sure to walk all the way up for some beautiful views of the Gion District.

  • If you’re looking to get away from the crowds but still want a beautiful view of the temple, check out the K36 rooftop bar located in the Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu. They have the best espresso martini’s!

How to get there: The closest train station is Gion-Shijo (Keihan Line, Exit 6). You can go to Gion from Kyoto Station by taking bus #100 or #206.)

4. My Only Fragrance | Make Your Own Perfume & Cologne

Japan, 〒605-0827 Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, 清水寺門前産寧坂 清水3-348

Why we loved it:

  • You can make your own perfume and cologne at My Only Fragrance in Kyoto, Japan!

  • First you get to smell all of the scents without the labels so you are truly picking the ones that smell the best to you (you cleanse your nose with coffee beans in between each word)

  • Then you get to pick which percentage of each scent you’d like to be in your perfume. Don’t worry, they’ll help you decide if you’re not sure what to do!

  • Afterwards they tell you which scents you chose and they ask you what you’d like to name your perfume! They print out the label and put it on the bottle!

  • You choose your cap color and they give you your new scent in a cute little bag, ready for the airplane!

  • Notes:

    • The 50ml one is acceptable to bring in your carryon.

    • Reservations are needed but if you’re unable to make one online, just show up — we were able to get a reservation same day (about an hour after we inquired!)

5. Glanta | Make Your Own Rings

Japan, 〒605-0826 Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, Masuyacho, 351-3

Why we loved it:

  • We got to make our own rings in about 30 minutes!

  • We chose Glanta because they had the option to make affordable gold rings (as opposed to many other shops that just had silver).

  • The staff are super helpful and so kind! They helped us through every step and made sure our rings turned out perfectly.

  • You can to engrave your ring for no extra charge which made it even more special!

  • Max isn’t really into jewelry but he ended up loving this activity and actually loves his ring, too! So this is definitely not just for women – and regardless it’s always so nice and refreshing to do an activity that involves your hands and you actually creating something!

Japan, 〒605-0079 Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, Tokiwacho, 165番地 ジェイ・プライド祇園白川 1階
On maps it actually comes up as Cafe Rob* It’s sort of a speakeasy pop up breakfast restaurant!

Why we loved it:

  • These were the best soufflé pancakes we’ve ever had! I had seen this place on Instagram and honestly was skeptical that it was worth the hype…We waited about 30 minutes to get in, but I have to say, it was 100% worth it!

  • Reservations: The website says you can make reservations but it said there wasn’t any available so we showed up. Turns out no one had reservations. You just had to wait in line outside the door. We waited for about 35 minutes.

  • Hours: They’re open from 10am-4pm — they stop seating at 3:30 (Maps / Google might say differently, but this is what we found after we got there too late the first day we tried!)

  • What to order:

    • The Matcha Tiramisu Pancakes

    • The Creme Brule Pancakes

    • Skip the matcha (it wasn’t our favorite) and get the Hojicha latte (roasted green tea!) 🍵

6. Panel Cafe | Japanese Soufflé Pancakes

7. Kinkakuji-cho | The Golden Temple

Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8361, Japan

Why we loved it:

  • This was our favorite temple in all of Japan – it’s beautiful, the grounds are serene, and the water in front of the temple creates the most magical reflection. The photo opportunities are endless.

  • It’s a bit off the beaten path, being about 40 minutes of transport (a train and a bus) from Kyoto Station, but it’s definitely worth the journey.

  • Hours: 9:00am - 5:00pm

8. Amatora Headspa

Japan, 〒600-8472 Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, Myodenjicho, 686番地 烏丸阪急ビル 3F

Why we loved it:

  • You can’t go to Japan without getting a headspa treatment!

  • Amatora spa was such an incredible experience! The staff were amazing and so accomodating! It was one of the most relaxing experiences we did in Japan.

  • They base your treatment off of Ayurvedic principles. They have you fill out a form that describes how you go about life and they personalize the treatment to your specific needs.

  • They gave me some tea and candies to enjoy while they styled my hair, too!

  • Reservations? Yes, make a reservation online – they have pretty open availability, but try to make it at least 24 hours in advance.

9. Samauri Museum

292 Higashi Daimonjicho, Nakagyo-Ku Utano koji Building 2F, Kyoto 604-8043 Kyoto Prefecture

Why we loved it:

  • Okay you might be thinking that this looks like it is for kids, but we have to disagree! Most people in our group were adults! I actually didn’t really know anything about Samurai or Ninjas and I learned so much – but it wasn’t in a dry or boring way. If you know me (Hannah), I hate most museums… but this one was so different and very interactive!

  • The guides all speak super good English! And they were super funny and personable.

  • You get to throw ninja stars and dress up like Samarai at the end.

  • We used Viator to book our tickets – we found this to be the cheapest route.

Notes:

  • Plan to do this on the day you are visiting Nishiki Market as it’s located right in the market!

10. Traditional Japanese Starbucks

Japan, 〒605-0826 Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, Masuyachō, 349

Why we loved it:

  • We aren’t usually ones to get Starbucks on our trips because we always love supporting small, local coffee shops! But we had to try this Starbucks for a couple of reasons: it is in a historic 100-year-old-building in the Gion district of Kyoto and they have traditional tatami floors with cushions in their seating area for a traditional Japanese coffee house experience.

  • The latte was not our favorite – it tasted mostly like milk…

  • Opt for the matcha or some of the Japan-specific drinks like the Melon Frappuccino and you’ll be much more satisfied!

Notes:

  • Plan to go here when you visit the Gion District as it’s located along the main street you’ll be walking down.