Our last morning in Kyoto and we’re headed to the airport. As we looked forward to this trip, we imagined a long leisurely time here in the city. Looking back, I feel like we packed our days full and we could have spent longer here if we’d had the time. I’m still hoping to do the longer posts that I mentioned before about goshuinchō and travel journals, but in the meantime, I have a few impressions of the city I’d like to share and a few recommendations I’d like to share.

Kyoto is (of course) known for its beauty. We were hoping to see some cherry blossoms on this trip. We were lucky enough to catch some early blossoms, but it seems like the peak will likely be next week. We enjoyed the beauty of them now and can only imagine how beautiful the city will be once the abundance of trees are all in blossom.

Kyoto is such an old city with an amazing depth of history. But it also manages to feel youthful and vibrant simultaneously. I had also never realized how central water is to the city – between the canals and riverscapes and hills surrounding the city, the urban fabric feels tightly interwoven with nature. The trees and plants are thoughtfully cultivated to feel natural.

I have three recommendations to anyone thinking of traveling to the Kyoto, especially if you have kids.

1. Take a cooking class. Particularly Haru’s cooking class. Even though I’ve been eating and enjoying Japanese food for years now, Taro’s class gave me a new appreciation for Japanese culture through it’s food. It was also just plain fun and delicious. We can get you more contact information if you let us know.
2. At your first temple, buy a goshuinchō. They are beautiful keepsakes and offer a deeper way to experience the temples and shrines and experience the culture.
3. If you’re traveling with children, buy them a step counter watch. We bought some for Amelia and Duke early in the trip. Every day we topped 25,000 steps and instead of complaining about how tired they were, they were excited about how many steps they’d taken. And looking for opportunities to walk more. I’m joking about this, but only a little. I wish I could say we planned this, but it was entirely accidental.