Kyoto Alternative

32 comments

1. Nara was capital before the court moved to Kyoto, the place is steeped in history and full of deer. I realise it is still a popular tourist destination because of Todaiji and the deers, but place outside the obvious tourist attractions tend to be more quiet.

   Note: do not carry paper of any sort in your pocket and do not bait the deer, they will bite and chase you.

2. I found that Kanazawa had some similar vibes as Kyoto and was much less crowded. I also loved Nara!

   Himeji didn’t feel much like Kyoto, but it’s definitely worth checking out and it’s still a day trip from the area 🙂

   My favorite places on our whole trip ended up being Miyajima and Hakone.

3. The trio of Okayama, Kurashiki and Takamatsu (in Shikoku), not far from Kyoto/Osaka are also good choices but I won’t recommend them if you’re a first timer in Japan on a tight schedule. Okayama is known for its Korakuen and Okayama Castle, Kurashiki for its old streets and Takamatsu for Ritsurin Park. All three areas are definitely less touristy and blends in more of the “local life” (more locals, less tourists) but not as much as the grandeur of Kyoto, Nara and Kanazawa. Himeji is mostly known for its castle and garden beside it and not much else. Kobe is known more of its modern urban scene and not for historic sights.

4. Kurashiki in Okayama is a beautiful canal town.
   Koyasan in Wakayama – home of Shingon Buddhism, has famous Okunoin Cemetary.

5. Kanazawa or even Takayama if you only want to spend a day or two in history.

6. Kanazawa would be the first choice as virtually the only major city in Japan that has not sustained major damage during WW2 with historical districts, temples and Kenrokuen.

   Kamakura and Nara are two cities with major complexes that were for a time *de facto* seats of power in Japan.

   Hiraizumi (in Iwate) and Dazaifu (in Fukuoka) are relatively small towns that at certain points in Japanese history were major cities, before their decline.

7. I would say this: do not miss Kyoto. One of the most impressive cities I’ve ever been to. Also, if you could make it to Iya Valley in Miyoshi, do it. (On the island south of Kyoto). Absolutely beautiful gorge that’s off the beaten path.
   A lot of people say Kyoto is touristy, and I’d disagree, as long as you’re planning your trip during the off-season. Fall (October-Nov) has much less tourists than most of the Summer and Spring.

8. Does it have to be in Kyoto? Because if you’re in Kansai, I recommend Amanohashidate, it’s like a 2.5 train ride from (shin?)Kyoto station. It’s one of the top 3 sights of Japan

9. Near Tokyo – Nikko, Kamakura
   Near Kyoto/Osaka – Nara, Koyasan

10. There are many old school towns around japan. There is one in gifu thats super famous. I liked nagama in shiga its not so famous but pretty cool. Kanazawa is super popular but its not as much as kyoto. Okayama has one near by as well.

    I like kyoto during corona because the amount of tourists ruins it when its busy. can hardly move being surrounded by screaming chinese and weeaboos.

11. Another vote for Nara – We only had a half day there but wish we had longer, it’s on our list for at least a full day when we go back.

    We loved the deer. They were savages. I read in 2018 200 tourists were injured by the deer and my actual thought was really? So few? It was a real high point of our trip.

12. You could also go to Sendai, where Date Masumune founded and ruled. Things to see: Matsushima Islands. Eat some amazingly fresh sushi/sashimi. A more low key city compared to Tokyo or Osaka.

13. I know this might sound contrary to what everyone is saying, but don’t skip Kyoto. I mean, it’s Kyoto, thousand year capital, stunning scenery, great hiking trails, lots of things to do. Especially when you have time. You won’t find anywhere in Japan quite like it.

    Kyoto requires a bit of strategy and planning to fully enjoy. Start early (like 8 am or before early), stay in the city and in areas with transport hubs, be willing to walk or cycle. In general, avoid rush hours and be flexible on transportation. All of these would get you a lot further than most travelers. Just my two cents.

    Edit: I think for first timers, Kyoto is a must. Anyone who were there before and don’t want to go back, that’s fine. Or you can be my kind of people: I’m planning my 13th trip to Kyoto, hopefully in the next two years.

14. Takayama is also a nice alternative

15. Mt Koya

16. I recommend takayama! It’s way smaller and has less sights but I think the atmosphere is very similar. I live in Kansai and go to kyoto every now and and then for food but it’s been more and more crowded. This year has been the first time for me being able to walk over the arashiyama bridge without waiting or bumping into people. 🙂 It’s a beautiful city though so you should definitely go to kyoto off season!

17. I think just travelling around in Kansai would be sufficient if lowkey is the only quality you’re after. As soon as you leave a major city there’s going to be way less people, comparably. Northern parts of Kyoto Prefecture, Southern Osaka/Northern Wakayama, all of Nara, pretty much all of Hyogo, East Coast of Mie Prefecture, etc, etc, etc. It’s really easy to find information online, or you could opt to buy a guide book of some sort. It’s very affordable to travel around Kansai as well and doesn’t take too much time.

    Same historical significance? Pretty much any other major city/prefecture.

    Same vibe? Depends on where in Kyoto you are I suppose. I honestly think any other smaller city feels more traditional than Kyoto if that’s what you’re after. Otherwise it’s pretty similar to the other major cities with traditional districts. I will admit though, that Gion *feels* more authentic than, say, Asakusa.

18. Hiroshima’s Miyajima is absolutely stunning, and strict building codes ensure that many of the shops have a historical feel to it. It isn’t big, but there’s still plenty to do if you’re staying for a couple of days, not to mention that you can travel to Hiroshima’s main city quite easily via a ferry and train link.

19. If you plan to go to Osaka, definitely go Nara. It was a great experience!

20. Koyasan (accessible by train from Osaka) is breathtaking, Nikko is beautiful and peaceful and Kamakura is nice as well (both accessible from Tokyo).

21. Firstly I would strongly advise giving yourself plenty of time in Kyoto (I consider 3 days an absolute minimum just for the urban area). Although it’s true that the city gets a lot of tourism and a few areas can get very crowded, there are absolutely tons of amazing places in the city that get much fewer visitors–some of which are almost completely deserted. This is a big part of what makes the city so amazing for just wandering around on foot or bicycle, and if you don’t give yourself ample time to explore you can really end up skipping a lot of what makes the city so special. NOTE: IF ANYONE EVER TELLS YOU THAT “EVERYWHERE IN KYOTO IS CROWDED” YOU CAN BE SURE THEY HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT.

    Now having said that, there are tons of other great beautiful places with amazing history that you can go in Japan. Takayama and Kanazawa have already been mentioned and definitely fit the bill, along with Shirakawa-go and/or Ainokura in the same general region. Nara has also been mentioned, and I would consider the Nara Park area in particular completely unskippable for anyone traveling in or around Kansai. Kamakura and Nikko around Tokyo are great options. Himeji, Hikone, Kurokabe, Omihachiman, Miyama, Sakurai, Asuka, Mt. Yoshino, Mt. Koya, and Amanohashidate are other great options around Kansai. One of my personal favorites is Onomichi, which is absolutely gorgeous. The old Nakasendo–particularly the section in the Kiso valley is a great option. And there are plenty of old castle ruins like Azuchi and old battlefields like Sekigahara if you want something more off the beaten path with a lot of historical significance but virtually no tourism.

    And those are just some of the things that come to mind in Kansai, Kanto and Hokuriku. Pick a region and you could spend weeks exploring these kinds of places.

    Edit: I also highly recommend looking into the specific dates you’re going and planning to see seasonal events (e.g., festivals, markets, special openings/exhibitions) and foliage. These things can have a big impact on your experience. And planning in such a way that you can see things at various times of the day can also be very rewarding. A place that gets very crowded in the middle of the day will often be completely empty in the early morning or evening.

22. Himeji – as someone mentioned there, they have Himeji Castle & very beautiful garden to wander around. The food there also quite nice.

    Kobe – I really love Nunobiki Garden. If you visit in autumn, it probably not very optimal and a bit deserted but I love the view from cable car & the restaurant there is quite nice. Definitely hunt for Kobe beef steak here!

23. I would obviously try to spend some days in Kyoto. You named Osaka and Tokyo, but obviously, those have a totally different vibe.

    For historical significance, it is somehow hard to beat Kyoto, that have been the capital of Japan for so long. The the things that Kyoto is the most famous fore is historical neighborhoods and temples.

    What I would propose is Nara, but not Nara city (yes, it is still worth going for one or two days). I am talking about the south of Nara prefecture in places like Asuka and Kashihara. There is a historic neighborhood in Kashihara, Asuka was the capital before Nara, so there is history museum about that period of time and there is a couple of relatively famous temples in the area. The big difference is that when I was there two years ago, there was literally no foreign tourist.

24. I also want to plan a trip to Japan in 2021, more towards the second half of the year, but does anyone know if travelers will have to quarantine for 14 days?

25. In the Kansai area, I’d recommend Mount Koya. It is incredibly beautiful up there and you can stay overnight in one of the temples.

26. My biggest recommendation would be Kanagawa, it’s about an hour from Tokyo by Shinkansen. (Kanazawa in top comment is a different city). I liked it a lot more than Kyoto because the temples were far less crowded, the city was smaller, and it’s right next to the pacific ocean so you get some great views. Also was significantly cheaper and better public transit.

    I also highly recommend Nara, which is smaller, less crowded, and the deer are awesome. I’ve seen a lot of people recommend it already so I won’t elaborate much more.

    Depending on where you go in Japan, Shirakawago is fantastic for what you describe, although pretty annoying to get to. Extremely small, isolated, historic town with lots of temples and absolutely gorgeous. Very, very touristy though. If you go to Kanazawa this is about an hour each way of bus rides away, and the bus ride is about $30 round trip. Also has some hot springs in a few of the Ryokans in town since it’s buried in the mountains. I also had the best Sake I’ve ever drank there, the old dude who sells it leaves the rice in the alcohol unfiltered so it tastes like you’re drinking rice, and they grow the rice locally in the town. I wouldn’t recommend staying more than a day here, you run out of stuff to do in town really fast because the entire town is basically like 20 buildings and 1/2 of them are shops/houses and the other 1/2 are ryokans/houses, with a few temples/shrines thrown in.

    There’s also Miyajima near Hiroshima. Has deer that are even friendlier than Nara, is a small island covered in temples you need a short ferry ride to get to, and very, very pretty. Again, unless you’re already going to Hiroshima it’s kind of a pain to get to. I would recommend doing this as a day trip and spending the night in Hiroshima if you go here, because it’s far cheaper.

27. If you like history I would definitely go to Nikko, really beautiful place too.

28. Nikko is a great place to go to – definitely should have stayed there longer than a day.

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30. Nara and Asuka. Earlier historical significance than Kyoto. Nara is a town you can stay in. Asuka is nearly a countryside village, but still a gem. We rented bikes in Asuka and rode around the land looking at kofun. Eventually landed at the Manyo bunkakan. A bit like a children’s museum but still interesting.

    Also of interest is Koyasan, and recommend staying there a night. There’s a castle on Lake Biwa not hard to get to that I would recommend. You can really enjoy Kansai on its own, without Tokyo if you like.

    If you are into day trips out then Hiroshima peace museum is worth a trip and the city has a nice feel.

31. It depends on what you meant by ‘similar to Kyoto’.

    If it’s religious meaning with shrine and temple, it must be Nara or Kamakura.

    If it’s historic architecture, it must be Kanazawa or Takayama.

    If it’s historic atmosphere, you should walk through Nakasendo around Gifu.

    If it’s geisha’s downtown, you should hire them in Asakusa, Tokyo.

32. The town of Omanko is a nice place.