Japan is an aesthete’s dream, and nowhere more so than Kyoto. This stunning city, surrounded by hills and set along the Kamogawa River, is full of not only culture but also design goodness on every corner. Merely walking the backstreets of any given neighbourhood here is pure joy and a photographer’s dream! Then, of course, there are the sights. So many amazing sights!

The enormity of the number of corners to wander and discover, and the sheer volume of sights to be seen means you will need as many days as you can possibly spare in Kyoto. We spent five and feel like we barely scratched the surface! And you’ll need to break the city down into areas suitable for a day’s sightseeing (of course travelling with a toddler means that everything is done at a much slower pace, and it is probably best to plan to do about half of what you would if you were sans tiny traveller/s!). We visited with our then 21 month old toddler and tried to make sure there were plenty of opportunities for her to stretch her legs and burn off some energy. Keeping her to the set paths at the temples and making sure she was not touching anything she shouldn’t was a bit of a challenge … I will never forget the very nervous look on the faces of two security guards as she made a run towards the immaculately groomed zen garden at one temple! Luckily I was quick enough to divert the potential drama from occurring!

For this blog I will focus on the Southern Higashiyama district which contains a lot of Kyoto’s most famous and unmissable sights.

WHERE TO STAY

As much as I would have loved to stay in a traditional ryokan in Japan, the truth of travelling with a toddler means that Air BNB is usually a much better option for us. They are affordable, more spacious (who wants to go to bed at 7pm when your little one does!) and usually have a kitchen for preparing meals when going out at night is just not possible. We stayed close to Downtown Kyoto and were so happy with the location. We could walk most places and were close to the river, the Gion District, Nishiki Market and some gorgeous streets with luxury hotels for wandering and peaking in, making note for next time! There were lots of little restaurants and supermarkets nearby, and the lovely Len Kyoto Kawaramachi hostel which had a great downstairs restaurant for my morning coffee (essential!).

TRAVELLING WITH TODDLER TIPS

If you are travelling with a stroller (which we were) be prepared in some areas (such as around Nine-zaka & Sannen-zaka) to carry the pram up multiple flights of stairs, there are often not ramps or any other pram friendly options. Also at many of the temples you will need to leave the stroller at the front gate (useful to know if you are planning a nap in the pram!).

KAMOGAWA RIVER

WANDERING THE BACKSTREETS TO SANJUSANGEN-DO TEMPLE

We began our first day at the Sanjusangen-do Buddhist Temple after wandering the pretty little backstreets of Kyoto. It’s famous for its 1001 wooden statues of Kannon (the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy). No photos are allowed inside, but that just adds to the intrigue, right? And there was a pretty little lake with koi to keep Layla happy!

KIYOMIZU-DERA – KYOTO’S MOST POPULAR TEMPLE

Next up we wandered along the by-now crowded Chawan-zaka (or Teapot Lane) slowly climbing upwards towards the steps which would bring us to Kiyomizu-Dera, a very busy and popular temple perched on the top of a hill with great views of Kyoto. Teapot Lane is lined with lovely souvenir stalls, handicraft stalls and snack spots, but we decided to peruse on the way back as getting to the temple as early as possible is recommended! Kiyomizu-Dera is a great place for Layla to explore as there was not only so much going on, but it was not somewhere she needed to be really quiet or where we had to watch her like a hawk!

At every shrine and temple we visited Layla loved looking at the different shaped emas, or ‘wishing plates’. Coming in all sorts of shapes and sizes, including hearts, foxes, teddy bears and just your usual rectangles, these plaques contain wishes penned by devotees visiting the temples.

SANNEN-ZAKA & NINEN-ZAKA (TRADITIONAL KYOTO NEIGHBOURHOOD STREETS)

After leaving Kiyomizu-Dera we headed back down Teapot Lane and then made our way to these two stunning traditional streets. They are super touristy and very busy during the middle of the day … we came back both earlier and later in the day on other occasions and I would recommend doing that if you can. That said, they are well worth the visit at any time of the day! Leave plenty of time for shopping, window shopping, wandering, taking photos, eating and drinking!

In this area and the surrounding temples it is really popular to hire kimono for the day to dress up and take selfies/travel portraits. Some people even seemed to hire a professional photographer for the day. It looked like something really fun and unique (okay, maybe a bit clique!) to do and if we are ever lucky enough to travel to Kyoto again I would love a little family portrait!

ISHIBEI-KOJI – KYOTO’S PRETTIEST STREET

On our way to the next temple we stopped off for a wander around what is known as the prettiest street in Kyoto. I may even have to agree! It is perfectly manicured, perfectly clean and perfectly serene.

KODAI-JI TEMPLE

After visiting the busy and bustling Kiyomizu-Dera ascending the many stairs to the serene and simple Kodai-ji Temple was a lovely contrast. The vast gardens of this temple were beautiful, especially as we visited in autumn so the trees were bursting with flame coloured leaves.

KOI & DUCK SPOTTING AT MARUYAMA-KOEN

Although the area around us was teeming with more temples and sights to see, it had been a long day for this little family, and with dusk o’clock (and the witching hour!) soon to descend we decided to make Maruyama-Koen, Kyoto’s most famous park, our last stop. It was a great place for Layla to stretch her legs, to look for koi and watch the ducks in the pond (and to try to avoid the Chinese tourists who wanted to pick her up, squeeze her cheeks and take photos with her!). The park has a nice little cafe if you are in need of ice-cream, tea, coffee or perhaps a beer!