I’ll soon be working full-remote and am looking to move out of Tokyo to be a bit more connected to nature & culture, while also looking to bump some numbers off my monthly rent bill.
If anybody has any experience living in Kyoto, I’d love to hear you insight.
Current worries would be hordes of international tourist groups and general busy-ness of the inner city. Therefore, I’d preferably be looking for somewhere in the north-east / north-west.
Cheers!
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This is my 7th year here, and overall I quite like it. The tourist conjestion is a thing for sure, but it generally only impacts the more touristed parts of the city (places that you’re not likely to go on a regular basis). I live in the Shimogamo area (a bit further north), and it’s really not an issue in my area.
Having gotten into cycling, I really like that I can ride over the mountains into Shiga, ride south along lake Biwa, and then over another mountain pass into Uji before heading north back into Kyoto (just one example). The quick access to nature is something that I would miss if I were to live in Tokyo (from where I live I can cycle 20 minutes north and pretty much be in the countryside, or cycle 10 minutes or so south and be downtown).
As somewhat of a city person (still the case despite being in my 40s) Kyoto doesn’t quite scratch that itch – though when when I want something more urban Osaka is not even a 500 yen train ticket away.
Kyoto is great but it’s still pretty pricey, nothing close to Tokyo though.
In addition to being surrounded by mountains and nature, being roughly an hour away from Osaka by train is also great if you wanna party on the weekend, but live somewhere quiet on the weekdays.
I’ve spent basically every summer since I was a little girl with my bachan in Shimogamo. I think it’s nice. And it’s more quiet up there. But I still like spending time in the city when I’m visiting her now. The hordes of tourists can be annoying, but I’m not a permanent full time resident either, so I really don’t think I have any right to complain and just deal with it.
It is much easier to get out from the city and into nature than Tokyo or Osaka are, of course. And being so close to Biwako is really a benefit. I’ve certainly considered moving there to live with her when I finish school.
Whereabouts in Tokyo are you living? I used to study in Shibuya; every single day I had to deal with hordes of tourists getting in my way whenever I walked down the streets to head to class, and in comparison Kyoto isn’t worse, in my book.
Depending on where your work-life and private life will take place you might not even be that much bothered by international tourists. Busy-ness is a nuisance in certain areas more than others, so if you know what to avoid you can enjoy Kyoto very much.
I moved to Kyoto (from Tokyo) two years ago when I had the opportunity to work remote and I absolutely love it.
I lived in the countryside and in Tokyo respectively for 3 years, and I found that Kyoto was the perfect in-between city for me. Peaceful and close to nature, but I can still enjoy most of the conveniences of a city and I don’t feel lonely or isolated. I also save significantly on rent – I used to live in a shoebox apartment in central Tokyo but in Kyoto I’m living in a (small) detached house, and the rent is still cheaper.
As others have mentioned, you’re unlikely to run into hoards of tourists in your day-to-day life. Northeast and northwest Kyoto are fantastic and cheap places to live – I live a bit more northwest and it’s great.
Main cons I can think of are:
– Far from the airports, if that matters to you
– Hot/humid summers (most of mainland Japan is screwed in the summer anyways so this doesn’t really bother me)
– Might be a bit harder to make friends if you aren’t comfortable speaking Japanese. If you are though, I think people here are a lot more chill and easy to get along with.
If you do move here, I hope you’ll enjoy it lots!
The tourists generally don’t cause a problem because they are not going to the same types of places as residents are. The only overlap I’ve noticed is coffee shops, where if you are unlucky the staff might assume your Japanese isn’t any good.
You could also look at the Shiga side of the mountains. Keep in mind that for travel to Osaka and beyond JR is much faster than Hankyu and Keihan, so as you go farther north in Kyoto it takes a lot longer to get to Osaka/Kobe. If you stay close to the main JR line these are much more convenient.