Welcome to Kyoto & Osaka
Kyoto is old Japan writ large: quiet temples, sublime gardens, colourful shrines, postcard-perfect street scenes and geisha scurrying to secret liaisons. While Osakas grey concrete jungle is no match in terms of beauty, this fast-paced, brash city, cloaked in dazzling neon, packs a punch with its excellent food and nightlife scenes, and locals full of personality.
Yasaka-jinja from | GUITAR PHOTOGRAPHER/SHUTTERSTOCK
Kyoto & Osaka Top Sights
, Kyoto
Golden brilliance and stunning gardens.
THOMAS LA MELA/SHUTTERSTOCK
Kyoto & Osaka Top Sights
, Kyoto
A sprawling Shint shrine spectacle.
PATRYK KOSMIDER/SHUTTERSTOCK
Kyoto & Osaka Top Sights
, Kyoto
A temple garden paradise.
COWARDLION/SHUTTERSTOCK
Kyoto & Osaka Top Sights
, Kyoto
Glimpse the world of geisha.
JURI POZZI/SHUTTERSTOCK
Kyoto & Osaka Top Sights
, Kyoto
Pilgrimage temple buzzing with activity.
PHIL WEYMOUTH/LONELY PLANET
Kyoto & Osaka Top Sights
, Kyoto
Ancient temple overlooking the city.
SEAN PAVONE/SHUTTERSTOCK
Kyoto & Osaka Top Sights
, Osaka
Famous neon-lit night scene.
GAGLIARDIIMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK
Kyoto & Osaka Top Sights
, Kyoto
Zen temple complex with views.
SUPERJOSEPH/SHUTTERSTOCK
Kyoto & Osaka Top Sights
, Kyoto
Wonderful ingredients of Kyoto cuisine.
GREG ELMS/LONELY PLANET
Kyoto & Osaka Top Sights
, Kyoto
Japans feudal military might.
COWARDLION/SHUTTERSTOCK
Kyoto & Osaka Top Sights
, Kyoto
Exploring a world of Zen gardens.
TUPUNGATO/SHUTTERSTOCK
Kyoto & Osaka Top Sights
, Osaka
Historic castle and Osaka landmark.
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Eating
Kyoto is one of the worlds great food cities. In fact, when you consider atmo-sphere, service and quality, its hard to think of a city where you get more bang for your dining buck. You can pretty much find a great dining option in any neighbourhood, but the majority of the best spots are clustered downtown. Osaka has a rich food culture, too, which ranks as the number one reason to visit.
LOTTIE DAVIES/LONELY PLANET
Kaiseki (Kyoto)
Where ingredients, setting and presentation come together to create a refined dining experience unlike any other. Kaiseki (Japanese haute cuisine) is usually eaten in the private room of a rytei (traditional, high-class restaurant) or ryokan.
Tofu-ryri (Kyoto)
Kyoto is famed for its tofu (soybean curd), a result of the citys excellent water and large population of (theoretically) vegetarian Buddhist monks. There are many exquisite yudfu (tofu cooked in a pot) restaurants in Northern Higashiyama along the roads around Nanzen-ji, and in the Arashiyama area.
Tako-yaki (Osaka)
Doughy dumplings stuffed with octopus (tako in Japanese) often sold as street food, topped with savoury sauce, powdered aonori (seaweed), mayonnaise and bonito flakes, and eaten with toothpicks. The centre can be molten hot.
Okonomiyaki (Osaka)
Thick, savoury pancakes filled with shredded cabbage and your choice of meat, seafood or vegetables. Often prepared on a teppan (steel plate) set into your table.
Best Kaiseki
, Kyoto No-holds-barred