Kyoto City Hall
Kyoto City Hall
3.5
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: City Center
No district of Kyoto is quite as representative of its blended nature as the City Center. By day, the covered shopping arcades along Kawaramachi and Shijo Street bring deal hunters and fashionistas out in droves to peruse the clothing, accessories, gifts, and home goods offerings. When it grows dark, the City Center is a hip spot for nightlife, alive with bars and clubs. A trendy culinary scene and an abundance of local watering holes give the Center its youthful vibrancy. In contrast, the quieter areas of the City Center seem a world away, shielded from noise by the foliage of the public gardens and zen spaces surrounding the area's shrines, castles, and the Imperial Palace. These ancient and sacred spots are seamlessly folded into the scenery, providing a respite from the energy of the city, but close enough to put you directly back onto the pulse of the city when you're ready.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
3.5
25 reviews
Excellent
7
Very good
7
Average
9
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Mike N
New York City, NY1,480 contributions
Sep 2017 • Friends
Stop by and get a glimpse of where history was made with the Kyoto accord. The building itself has some architectural merit. It does take visitors. Not a must see but if in the area. . .
Written September 25, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hoosainnarker
Cape Town Central, South Africa6,163 contributions
Nov 2016 • Friends
Kyoto City Hall is the city hall for the city of Kyoto. We had to meet a friend there and whilst waiting went to have a look just to be surprised that tourists are actually allowed inside. It is a western-styled building and houses many government offices.
Written November 16, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GlennDTorres
Manila, Philippines83 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
While Tokyo and Osaka are like restless twin, Kyoto is like a lazy child, which makes it a lot better. Life here seems on a calmer pace. It is not less energetic, it is also crowded on some areas like Gion, Nishiki Market, Arayashima Bamboo Forest but somehow, things move less frantic. It has a less electric jive buy still sets you up in a groove. Easily,the first place I'll visit again in the Kansai region.
Written May 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
arupbansal
Mumbai, India31 contributions
Sep 2017 • Family
Reaching Kyoto-
It took us around 4 hours to reach from Narita International Airport to Kyoto station.
We had taken JR voucher from JTB travel agent before arriving at Narita. Therefore, it was pretty straight forward to go to the JR counter to get the JR pass. We realised that if we are OK then 3 year old can sit on our lap and we don't need to covert the JR voucher to pass (kids upto 6 years can travel for free as long as they don't want a seat for themselves). Since we already has the JR voucher we were told that we can get a refund from the JTB agent we bought. As we had the green JR pass it was very easy and the cabin was empty. We got the nEX fast train. Also, as it was low season so a ordinary pass would have been as good. At the counter you get the ticket for the entire journey till Kyoto. However, there was only a 15 minute window to transfer from nEX train station to Shinkansen. Instead of Tokyo station we took the transfer from Shinagawa station. It is 8 minutes from Tokyo station but not as complicated as Tokyo station. Highly advisable to take this transfer. It is incredibly easy to transfer and in less than 7 minutes we reached the Shinkansen. The Shinkansen stops for only 2 minutes at the station. The trains are super efficient and have exact timings.
Narita to Shinagawa- 15:44 to 16:55
Shinagawa to Kyoto- 17:10 to 19:45
It is advisable to pack a bento box or Starbucks for the journey as there is very little you get on the Shinkansen. We did buy wine and chips on the Shinkansen (4$ for 2 small bottles).
From Kyoto station take the central exit and you immediately reach "foreigner friendly" taxi stand. The drivers can speak English and you can take in the vintage Toyota Crown experience. Kyoto is a small city and anywhere will be less than $25; therefore better to take taxi instead of bus/train. However, bus/train are also extremely convenient as long as you still have the patience and energy to stay alert and find your way. We took taxi; it took around $15 and it was worth it. We were staying in an AirBnB and reached a very pretty and clean house.
After settling we immediately went out for dinner and found an amazing neighbourhood restaurant. We had Kirin beer and enjoyed very tasty food.
Day 2- it was a full of activity and started the day with a cab ride till Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine. We were staying in the south and shrine was in the North. We did not check the train/bus connections and we found it easier to just hail a taxi. It was a 10 km ride and approx $25. If we would have seen the bus/train connection then it would have been cheaper to reach the shrine but we would have lost a lot of time. The shrine is serene and beautiful. It is a lot of walking and the road to the shrine has lot of souvenir shops. We ate at a little tempura restaurant. The best tempuras we ever had. It didn't feel oily and with the rice and noodles they tasted really nice. I wanted to eat ramen but the owner refused to make only 1 batch and therefore I had to give-in and eat the tempura meal but it was worth it. There is also a lot of street food option as well on the way to the shrine.
From the shrine we went to the Kiyomiso-dera temple. This time we took the train from the Fuisimi Nari station and then walked for about half an hour to reach the beautiful pure water temple. It was beautiful and a sip of the pure water is a must to do. Also, you can walk into a pitch dark cave, womb of Buddha, to ask for a wish. It's a beautiful walk with a lot of souvenir shops.
After this we walked to the cxx market. It was a 45 minute walk but a good experience to see the city. On the walk we also spotted some Gieshas. The market was a long stretch with shops on both sides. Did not like any of the shops also did not find a cool nice place for dinner. So we headed back to our airbnb and decided to venture out nearby.
We ate dinner at another local neighbourhood Japanese restaurant. This time it was noodles, Japanese sate, etc. I experienced the suntory ball whiskey for the 1st time. It looks like lemon soda but is nice an refreshing.
Day 3- We are not so much into sight seeing and had done enough of the temples. So we decided to go to the bamboo forest walk and boat ride in river near the Arashiyama temple. We changed 2 buses to reach the area; it was similar to Fushimi-Inari shrine with lot of eating options and gift shops. This time we ate soba noodles. The food was very delicious and the broth uniquely cooked. However, when we asked for more noodles they said that we cannot. The process is if you order noodle dish then you can order additional rice serving to fill your stomach. And if you order rice dish then you can order additional noodles serving to fill your stomach. But if it is noodle and noodles then CANNOT. This was little annoying but that is what it is. After eating we went to the bamboo forest walk; it ok and can be avoided. Anyways the river looked nice but we did not want to go for a boat ride.
After this we took a direct bus to Nishiki market. To our surprise Nishiki market is the same area as Cxx market. We had heard a lot about Nishiki market but it wasn't anything special just a lot of marinated and dried sea food shops. Nothing much to do here.
From Nishiki market we walked to the Gion market area. It is about 15 minutes walk and this is the most crowded area in Kyoto. The Gion market area looks very traditional. However the shops and restaurants inside are very classy and new. This is also the area where there is maximum concentration of ghishas. We spotted a couple. We took a small alley and entered a traditional looking bar. In the inside it was as modern as any other up-market bar in the world. Had couple of drinks and headed back to the hustle and bustle. We walked a little but then decided to come back and eat dinner in our neighbourhood.
For dinner we went to the same restaurant as we went on the first night. The beef curry was one of the best I have ever eaten. My wife played some music in the recorder and we had a good time with the lovely owners of the restaurant.
Day 4- took the bus to Kyoto station and then Shinkansen to Tokyo.
Things to note-
1. There are very few garbage bins so one has to carry the rubbish with them
2. The people are very polite and hospitable
3. People go by the rule so if you want any change in the process then it is not easy
4. The population is ageing and a lot of old people
5. It's a small and beautiful city. There are lot of very clean and fancy toilets; including in the train.
6. It's important to carry exact change for the bus, if you don't have a pass. Every ride, no matter distance, is about 2$.
7. A meal for 2 without alcohol is around 35$. And with alcohol is around 60$.
It took us around 4 hours to reach from Narita International Airport to Kyoto station.
We had taken JR voucher from JTB travel agent before arriving at Narita. Therefore, it was pretty straight forward to go to the JR counter to get the JR pass. We realised that if we are OK then 3 year old can sit on our lap and we don't need to covert the JR voucher to pass (kids upto 6 years can travel for free as long as they don't want a seat for themselves). Since we already has the JR voucher we were told that we can get a refund from the JTB agent we bought. As we had the green JR pass it was very easy and the cabin was empty. We got the nEX fast train. Also, as it was low season so a ordinary pass would have been as good. At the counter you get the ticket for the entire journey till Kyoto. However, there was only a 15 minute window to transfer from nEX train station to Shinkansen. Instead of Tokyo station we took the transfer from Shinagawa station. It is 8 minutes from Tokyo station but not as complicated as Tokyo station. Highly advisable to take this transfer. It is incredibly easy to transfer and in less than 7 minutes we reached the Shinkansen. The Shinkansen stops for only 2 minutes at the station. The trains are super efficient and have exact timings.
Narita to Shinagawa- 15:44 to 16:55
Shinagawa to Kyoto- 17:10 to 19:45
It is advisable to pack a bento box or Starbucks for the journey as there is very little you get on the Shinkansen. We did buy wine and chips on the Shinkansen (4$ for 2 small bottles).
From Kyoto station take the central exit and you immediately reach "foreigner friendly" taxi stand. The drivers can speak English and you can take in the vintage Toyota Crown experience. Kyoto is a small city and anywhere will be less than $25; therefore better to take taxi instead of bus/train. However, bus/train are also extremely convenient as long as you still have the patience and energy to stay alert and find your way. We took taxi; it took around $15 and it was worth it. We were staying in an AirBnB and reached a very pretty and clean house.
After settling we immediately went out for dinner and found an amazing neighbourhood restaurant. We had Kirin beer and enjoyed very tasty food.
Day 2- it was a full of activity and started the day with a cab ride till Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine. We were staying in the south and shrine was in the North. We did not check the train/bus connections and we found it easier to just hail a taxi. It was a 10 km ride and approx $25. If we would have seen the bus/train connection then it would have been cheaper to reach the shrine but we would have lost a lot of time. The shrine is serene and beautiful. It is a lot of walking and the road to the shrine has lot of souvenir shops. We ate at a little tempura restaurant. The best tempuras we ever had. It didn't feel oily and with the rice and noodles they tasted really nice. I wanted to eat ramen but the owner refused to make only 1 batch and therefore I had to give-in and eat the tempura meal but it was worth it. There is also a lot of street food option as well on the way to the shrine.
From the shrine we went to the Kiyomiso-dera temple. This time we took the train from the Fuisimi Nari station and then walked for about half an hour to reach the beautiful pure water temple. It was beautiful and a sip of the pure water is a must to do. Also, you can walk into a pitch dark cave, womb of Buddha, to ask for a wish. It's a beautiful walk with a lot of souvenir shops.
After this we walked to the cxx market. It was a 45 minute walk but a good experience to see the city. On the walk we also spotted some Gieshas. The market was a long stretch with shops on both sides. Did not like any of the shops also did not find a cool nice place for dinner. So we headed back to our airbnb and decided to venture out nearby.
We ate dinner at another local neighbourhood Japanese restaurant. This time it was noodles, Japanese sate, etc. I experienced the suntory ball whiskey for the 1st time. It looks like lemon soda but is nice an refreshing.
Day 3- We are not so much into sight seeing and had done enough of the temples. So we decided to go to the bamboo forest walk and boat ride in river near the Arashiyama temple. We changed 2 buses to reach the area; it was similar to Fushimi-Inari shrine with lot of eating options and gift shops. This time we ate soba noodles. The food was very delicious and the broth uniquely cooked. However, when we asked for more noodles they said that we cannot. The process is if you order noodle dish then you can order additional rice serving to fill your stomach. And if you order rice dish then you can order additional noodles serving to fill your stomach. But if it is noodle and noodles then CANNOT. This was little annoying but that is what it is. After eating we went to the bamboo forest walk; it ok and can be avoided. Anyways the river looked nice but we did not want to go for a boat ride.
After this we took a direct bus to Nishiki market. To our surprise Nishiki market is the same area as Cxx market. We had heard a lot about Nishiki market but it wasn't anything special just a lot of marinated and dried sea food shops. Nothing much to do here.
From Nishiki market we walked to the Gion market area. It is about 15 minutes walk and this is the most crowded area in Kyoto. The Gion market area looks very traditional. However the shops and restaurants inside are very classy and new. This is also the area where there is maximum concentration of ghishas. We spotted a couple. We took a small alley and entered a traditional looking bar. In the inside it was as modern as any other up-market bar in the world. Had couple of drinks and headed back to the hustle and bustle. We walked a little but then decided to come back and eat dinner in our neighbourhood.
For dinner we went to the same restaurant as we went on the first night. The beef curry was one of the best I have ever eaten. My wife played some music in the recorder and we had a good time with the lovely owners of the restaurant.
Day 4- took the bus to Kyoto station and then Shinkansen to Tokyo.
Things to note-
1. There are very few garbage bins so one has to carry the rubbish with them
2. The people are very polite and hospitable
3. People go by the rule so if you want any change in the process then it is not easy
4. The population is ageing and a lot of old people
5. It's a small and beautiful city. There are lot of very clean and fancy toilets; including in the train.
6. It's important to carry exact change for the bus, if you don't have a pass. Every ride, no matter distance, is about 2$.
7. A meal for 2 without alcohol is around 35$. And with alcohol is around 60$.
Written February 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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