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Do:
1. Go to Gion Corner between 7pm and 8pm daily (from March to November) to participate in, and imbibe local traditions and culture like tea ceremonies and court music.
2. Remember to remove your shoes before entering all shrines and temples and many tea restaurants.
3. Remember the Imperial Palace and Villas require foreign visitors to register with the Imperial Household Agency at least 30 minutes prior to a visit.
Call: 075-211-1215 Mon-Fri.
4. Schedule your visit to catch some Japanese festivals and join in the fun.
Enjoy Museums And
Movie Land
South of Nijo Castle is a comparatively new addition to the city – The Museum of Kyoto depicting the history of Kyoto. The Kyoto National Museum houses over 10,000 art works from numerous temples and shrines.
An appealing change is Toei Movie Land. An outdoor set recreating the feudal period, it is still in demand as a location for period movies. If you are lucky, you might see a film shoot in progress, with actors in costume to add to the historical ambience.
Buy Ingenious Creations
And Craft
Like all downtowns, Kyoto’s too bustles and bristles along its main streets – Shijo dori, Teramachi-dori, Kawaramachi- dori and Shinkyogoku-dori – ‘the new edge of Kyoto’. While chic boutiques offer the latest in fashion trends, department stores retail high-end
brands while globally famous Japanese electrical goods tempt you from well- stocked stores. Yet, interestingly, just off this contemporary segment lie almost
forgotten, quaint shops – still conducting their age-old trades of a not-too-distance past. Walk along the narrow bylanes
of Ponto-cho, Hanamikoji-dori and Miyagawa-cho where you will sight printing shops, book shops, tea shops
for the time-honoured tea ceremony
– and most likely spot a geisha in all her glory. Buy from a wide variety of authentic Japanese souvenirs, Japanese confectionery, clothes and fashion accessories. For silkwoven textiles, a stopover at the Nishijin Textile Center famed for its silk woven textiles and products is a must.
What The Locals Eat
Nishiki-Koji’s Food Market, popularly known as Kyoto’s Kitchen, stocks every imaginable food item, from fresh fish and meats to vegetables, fish paste, noodles, dry goods, pickled vegetables, sweets
and snacks. Find local delicacies, such as Kyo Kaiseki using fresh ingredients and seasonal vegetables cooked in a base of fish and seaweed, and Nishin Soba, a buckwheat noodle served with stewed herring. A plethora of popular dishes include tempura, Yudofu (tofu), udon noodles, shabu shabu, sushi and wagashi (sweets), which you can wash down
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