2 days in Kyoto

After the superfast bullet train ride from Tokyo (passing the awesome Mount Fuji in the process) first impressions aren't that great when you arrive in Kyoto. You get out a busy train terminal to be confronted by a bus terminal directly in front of you and then streets upon streets of ugly grey buildings and general urban sprawl. Only taking a little wander a bit further away and looking back do you notice how actually awesome the station is itself - an uber modern sci-fi like structure with tons of shops, bars and restaurants all through it.

We stayed right by the station in a peaceful little ryokan that was like a tranquil oasis tucked behind two more boring, ugly grey streets. Kyoto is certainly not all about the central station area but this area is a great place to stay as the Ryokan(s) make you feel like you're in a different world anyway and the access routes to the rest of the city all start here.

But, if you get out and go visit some other areas on the 'relatively' easy to use bus system then you're rewarded with all manner of sights, sounds and experiences. Over our two-and-a-bit days in Kyoto we basically did the lonely planet suggested itinerary of a Day in Higishiyama to the east, a day in Arashiyama to the west and a couple of nights in the downtown shopping strip and night life area of Gion. It was a good choice and we had an absolutely fantastic time visiting temples and shrines and walking down old-world beautiful streets Geisha spotting and marvelling at the mix of the ultra-modern, the downright ugly and the unbelievably breath-taking.

The pictures say more than I could writing any more but suffice to say that Kyoto is everything you might imagine Japan to be in one city. We've come in February - end of Winter and have already committed to coming back in Spring or Autumn time in the future when the sights would be even more colourful with the changing mountain landscape throughout the year