Kyoto had been on my list for years. I was imagining geishas strolling around pagodas admist the mountains, and while it is this in some sense, it is also a huge bustling city. Once again I underestimated the density of these Japanese cities. We spent five days in Kyoto and it was a highlight of our trip because Grant’s brother, aka Tio Mason, met up with us, and our friends Steiny and Allie from Atlanta happened to be there at the same time!
Fun fact: Tokyo is an anagram of Kyoto, a nod to the country’s former capital.
Getting to Kyoto with Toddlers
We took a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto and then switched to a bus that took us up to Ohara. This was admittingly more complicated than I imagined and it required a lot of asking strangers for help, but eventually we made it to our ryokan!
Where to Stay in Kyoto with Toddlers
We spent one night at a Ryokan north of the city (one night was enough!) and four nights in an Airbnb in the Higashiyama district of Kyoto.
Staying at a Ryokan with Toddlers
A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn where you sleep on tatami-mats, enjoy communal onsens, and walk around in traditional robes. I wanted to stay at one while in Japan, but I was having a hard time finding a kid-friendly one.
We stayed at Ryokan Kyo no Minshuku Ohara no Sato, and while they welcomed kids it was definitely in need of a little love and upkeep. It didn’t feel very clean (not what you’re looking for in a shared onsen), and the staff seemed annoyed that we were there. I indicated on the booking that we were a family of four and I included the kids’ ages, but for some reason they only supplied us with two sets of adult bedding / towels. When I asked for more, they charged me! Would I recommend a ryokan? Yes! Would I recommend this one? No!
The ryokan experience was still cool and I am glad we did it. The indoor onsen baths weren’t luxurious but they had one outdoor one that you could stargaze from which was nice. And we had a fun hot pot dinner that was delicious!
The best part of staying at the ryokan was the surrounding town of Ohara. From the beautiful Sanzen-in Temple to the winding roads of cute boutiques, this was the Kyoto I had imagined!
Our Airbnb in Higashiyama was perfect. It had one real bed and one room of tatami mats, but we were used to that from the ryokan and we didn’t have to worry about Hobie rolling off the bed! The best part was the bathtub. Man, the Japanese have their bathroom technology down to a science! You’ve likely heard of the famous Japanese toilets with a million buttons, but this tub would fill to precision with the push of a button and then maintain it’s perfect temperature. I took a bath every day!
What to Do in Kyoto with Toddlers
Nishiki Market
Visiting a market is one of my favorite things to do when traveling and I loved trying as many different foods as possible at the Nishiki Market. We tried tako tamago (baby octopus stuffed with a quail egg), kobe beef, mochi, uni, and more!
Visit Pontocho
This is a small alley packed with great bars and restaurants! We went for dinner at Yakiniku Yamakawa. (Yakiniku is like the Japanese version of Korean BBQ and it is so good!) After snacking at the Niskiki Market all afternoon and eating multiple rounds of yakiniku, I still couldn’t say no the street stall takoyaki for an after dinner snack!
Gion and Higashiyama District
The Gion and Higashiyama District is beautiful, classic Kyoto! You will see women dressed as geishas, cute tea shops, and impressive pagodas!
Start at Hokan-ji Temple (Yasaka Pagoda), and then check out Yasaka Koshindo which I affectionately referred to as the “puff ball pagoda”. Wrap it up with a visit to the impressive Kiyomizu-dera Temple.
After all this temple hopping you will work up an appetite. I recommend the conveyor belt sushi at Kaiten Sushi. It was amazing quality and the kids thought it was so fun!
You can also do a picnic by the Kamo River with 7-11 finds. (Don’t ask me why but 7-11 is a thing in Japan!)
Arashiyama’s Bamboo Forest and Monkey Park
Grab a coffee at Walden Woods before catching the JR train to Arashiyama. We first visited the Bamboo forest and it was underwhelming. It was smaller and more crowded than we expected! I thought the bamboo was still cool but Grant was cringing at tourists running into each other to get the perfect selfie. (It was almost as bad as Santorini in the summer!)
After the Bamboo Forest head to the Monkey Park. Now this we were pleasantly surprised with. The hike up “monkey mountain” as Marin called it is pretty steep, especially if you are carrying little ones, but it’s so worth it! The monkeys are completely wild and running around everywhere! The city view from the top is great too.
Living in Costa Rica, we see monkeys often, but the Japanese macaques look completely different. There’s even a playground and a slide for adults and kids alike to expedite your hike down!
The town of Arashiyama is nice too and there are some cute shops and soba restaurants. I wish I could remember the name of the one we ate at.
Fushimi Inari
The red gates of this shinto shrine are iconic in Kyoto and while they had a similar crowd to the Bamboo Forest, it was much more impressive. And it is big! We stayed for a couple of hours and still didn’t see it all! Afterwards, snag a burger and a beer at nearby Dragon Burger.
Eat everything! Especially Sushitetsu
The food in Kyoto is so good! In addition to everything I’ve already mentioned, don’t miss Sushitetsu. This place is popular so get there right when they open to get in the queue. This was probably my favorite sushi of our entire Japan trip. (Yep, even more than omakase in Tokyo!) We tried a little bit of everything and it was inexpensive! Tio Mason even got in on the whale action!
Get a Massage
Okay well this is more for the adults! Grant and I try to give each other a little kid free time now and then. He went for a nightcap (or many) on Pontocho with his brother while I stayed with the boys so the next day I got a traditional Japanese massage at Hiyoshido Massage. It was interesting in that I had to lay on the hard floor (on a tatami of course!) and keep a robe on the entire time. There were strict rules on this and even a poster sharing exactly how to wear it! So while it wasn’t the best, I’ve never really met a massage I don’t like and it was a cool experience.
Visit Osaka and Nara
Osaka and Nara are only about an hour away from Kyoto and many people take a day trip. We decided to spend one night there on our way to Fukuoka instead of going round trip to Kyoto. Read all of our Osaka and Nara recommendations here.
Kids in Kyoto,
– Ray