Landyn
& Kieren

Kokyu Spa-Wellness

Kyoto · Head Spa & Wellness

A deeply restorative head spa experience set inside a renovated Kyoto machiya. Treatments include a signature head spa (come prepared to have your hair washed - it's part of the ritual), upper body treatment, and foot bath. The space accommodates just two guests at a time, making it an ideal booking for a pair. A quiet art gallery occupies the first floor - worth a browse before or after your treatment. Book well in advance.

Spa Name

Neighbourhood · Type

Your description here - treatments, atmosphere, what to book.

Onsen Name

Neighbourhood · Public Bath

Your description here - what makes this onsen worth visiting.

@cosme Store

Kyoto · Beauty

Japan's most popular beauty retailer, built around the @cosme Best Cosmetics Awards - so everything on the shelves is ranked and vetted by Japanese consumers. Products are organised by category with their ranking clearly displayed, making it easy to find what's actually worth buying. There are locations across Japan including Kyoto, Tokyo, and inside major department stores. The in-store tester bar lets you try before you buy. A great first stop for anyone interested in Japanese skincare and makeup.

Matsumoto Kiyoshi

Kyoto · Drugstore / Skincare

Japan's most well-known pharmacy chain and the go-to for affordable Japanese skincare - Hada Labo, Senka, Anessa sun care, Saborino face masks, Melano CC, and more. Prices are significantly lower than buying the same products abroad, and the selection is far wider than anything you'll find at home. Locations are everywhere across Kyoto and Japan - you won't have to look hard to find one.

Loft

Kyoto · Lifestyle / Beauty / Stationery

A Japanese lifestyle store that spans multiple floors - skincare and beauty tools, stationery, home goods, travel accessories, and plenty of things you didn't know you needed. Great for Japanese-designed everyday items and gifts to bring home. The Kyoto location is in the Avanti mall near Kyoto Station. If you're spending time in Tokyo, Loft has several large flagship locations there too - the Shibuya and Shinjuku stores are particularly massive.

Takashimaya

Shijo · Department Store

One of Japan's most prestigious department store chains, and the best one in Kyoto. The Shijo location spans multiple floors covering fashion, homewares, beauty, Japanese crafts, and one of the best basement food halls (depachika) you'll find anywhere - worth visiting just for that. Takashimaya has locations across Japan including Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, so if you miss it in Kyoto you'll get another chance.

Nishiki Market

Downtown · Market

Kyoto's famous narrow covered market street, lined with food stalls, pickle shops, tofu vendors, and street snacks. A great introduction to Japanese ingredients and produce.

Bamboo Forest

Arashiyama · Nature

The iconic grove of towering bamboo in Arashiyama. Best visited early morning before the crowds arrive.

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Fushimi · Shrine

The shrine famous for thousands of torii gates winding up the forested hillside. You can do the full two-hour hike or just walk the lower section.

Arashiyama

West Kyoto · Neighbourhood

A scenic district on the western edge of Kyoto with temples, the Oi River, boat rentals, and the bamboo grove. Worth spending a half day here.

Eikando Temple

Higashiyama · Temple

A beautiful temple complex set in a wooded hillside, especially known for its autumn foliage. One of Kyoto's most atmospheric spots in October.

Shoseien Garden

Downtown · Garden

A lesser-visited detached villa garden near Higashi Honganji temple. Quiet, immaculately maintained, and often overlooked by tourists.

Yusai-tei Gallery

Kyoto · Gallery

A traditional art space with rotating exhibitions in an intimate setting.

Ryoan-ji

Northwest Kyoto · Temple

Home to Japan's most famous Zen rock garden - fifteen stones arranged in white gravel. Minimalist and meditative. Worth visiting early.

Kinkaku-ji

Northwest Kyoto · Temple

The Golden Pavilion - a Zen temple covered in gold leaf reflected in a still pond. One of Japan's most recognised landmarks and worth seeing in person.

Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka

Higashiyama · Street

Two preserved historic stone-paved lanes lined with traditional machiya, shops, and teahouses leading up toward Kiyomizudera. Some of the most photographed streets in Japan.

Nara

Day Trip · City

A short train ride from Kyoto, Nara is home to free-roaming deer, the giant Todai-ji temple with its massive bronze Buddha, and some of Japan's oldest streets.

Stepping Stones

Kamo River · Nature

The stone turtle and heron-shaped stepping stones across the Kamo River near Sanjo. A quiet, charming Kyoto moment - especially at dusk.

Kyoto Gyoen National Garden

Central Kyoto · Park

The expansive imperial park in the heart of the city, surrounding the old Imperial Palace. Free to enter, full of walking paths, and rarely crowded.

Ippodo Tea

Kyoto · Traditional Tea House

One of Kyoto's most beloved and storied tea houses, Ippodo has been sourcing and selling Japanese tea since 1717. Visit the Kyoto store to taste matcha, gyokuro, and sencha prepared tableside, participate in a tea ceremony or tea class, and browse an exceptional selection of teas and matcha to bring home. It's as much a cultural experience as a café - don't rush it.

Weekenders Coffee

Kyoto · Specialty Coffee

One of Kyoto's most beloved specialty coffee shops, tucked inside a renovated machiya. The space is quiet and unhurried - exactly what good coffee deserves. A must-visit for anyone who takes their coffee seriously.

Nakamura Tokichi

Kyoto · Matcha Café & Tea Experience

A renowned Kyoto matcha house with several locations worth knowing about. The main store in Uji (about 40 min from central Kyoto) is the full experience - tea ceremonies, different types of tea tastings, and a great café setting. If you're staying closer to the city and just want the café, head to Nakamura Tokichi Shijo instead. And if you happen to be passing through Tokyo, their Ginza Six location is equally worth a visit. The matcha jelly with red bean and shiratama is not to be missed.

Kurasu Coffee

Ebisugawa · Specialty Coffee

A Kyoto-born specialty coffee roaster with a well-designed retail and café space. We always go to the Kurasu Ebisugawa location - a bright, thoughtfully designed spot where you can have an exceptional cup and browse their coffee equipment and beans to take home. A great stop any morning of the trip.

Walden Woods

Kyoto · Specialty Coffee

A striking all-white concrete café that looks like it belongs in a design magazine. The aesthetic is minimal and deliberate - white walls, white equipment, white everything - but the coffee is serious. Known for their iced lattes and coffee soft serve, which has become something of a signature. A great stop for anyone who appreciates both good coffee and good design.

Gokago

Kiyomizu · Japanese Tea & Matcha

A sleek, modern Japanese tea shop near Kiyomizudera with a strong focus on high-quality matcha drinks and soft serve. The matcha soft serve topped with a scoop of matcha ice cream is the thing to get - intensely flavoured and worth every bit of the walk up to Kiyomizu. They also serve fresh-whisked matcha drinks and sell tea to take home. A great stop before or after visiting the temple.

% Arabica Arashiyama

Arashiyama · Specialty Coffee

We'll be upfront - we haven't actually been, but this one comes up constantly and the location is genuinely stunning: a small glass-fronted café right on the Oi River at the foot of the Arashiyama mountains. The coffee is well-regarded and the setting is hard to beat. That said, it's a solid 30–40 minutes from the central Kyoto districts, and the line can get very long given how popular it is with tourists. Worth it if you're already heading out to Arashiyama for the bamboo grove or Tenryu-ji - less so as a standalone trip.

Murmur Coffee Kyoto

Kyoto · Specialty Coffee & Café

A warm, dark-toned specialty coffee shop with an in-house roaster and a genuinely comfortable sit-down space - the kind of place you can settle into for an hour rather than grab and go. Good filter coffee and espresso, light food, and a relaxed atmosphere that feels very local. One of the better options in the city if you want a proper café experience rather than a quick stop.

Sticks Coffee

Kyoto · Specialty Coffee

A cool, low-key specialty coffee shop with a distinct graphic identity and genuinely good coffee. Known for their iced lattes and rotating pastries - the churro-style donut is a regular and worth getting. Compact and unpretentious, with a relaxed neighbourhood feel.

Totaro

Kyoto · Japanese Sweets & Matcha

A small, carefully considered dessert shop specialising in Japanese sweets made with seasonal ingredients. Known for their shiratama dishes - soft mochi rice dumplings served warm in sweet sauces - alongside matcha ice cream, seasonal fruit desserts, and freshly brewed green tea. Everything is made with real attention to detail and presented beautifully. A quieter, more refined alternative to the busier matcha spots in the city.

Le Labo Machiya

Nakagyō · Café & Fragrance

The Kyoto outpost of the cult fragrance brand, housed inside a restored machiya townhouse with a moss garden courtyard that feels completely removed from the city. Beyond the fragrance shop, the café serves coffee and light food in one of the most serene settings in Kyoto. Worth visiting even if you're not a Le Labo devotee - the space itself is reason enough.

Solkatt Coffee

Kyoto · Specialty Coffee

Founder Junpei renovated his father's bike shop and debuted Solkatt in September 2024 - the name is Swedish for the flicker of sunlight reflected off water. The menu is intentionally small: just five items, espressos, hot or iced lattes, and iced or pour-over coffee. The light roasts are the thing to try, complex and well-sourced. Unhurried and personal in a way that bigger spots rarely are.