[Music]
home to some of japan's most beautiful
sightseeing spots
the city of kyoto also has a reputation
as the cultural heart of the country
in this two-part video i'm taking a look
at some of the wide range of things to
see
do and experience here from stylish
cuisine and cafes
to galleries museums and historic sites
so join me matt evans staff writer at
japanguide.com
for part two of kyoto city of culture
here's the plan from kyoto station
we'll take the train to tofokuji and the
kehan line to sanjo
where we'll take a look at some
interesting examples of modern
architecture
visit a museum dedicated to kyoto's
history and check
out a performance at the gear theatre
from there we'll make our way to our
hotel
the next day we'll start with breakfast
at inoda coffee one of kyoto's best
loved coffee chains
then take a 20 minute walk to nijo
castle from there
we'll take the subway back to kyoto
station and walk to a stylish cafe
run by kyoto's oldest maker of artisanal
tea caddies
finally it's just a 10 minute walk to
our final stop at the kyoto national
museum
day one
after arriving into kyoto station we
take the train to tofukugi
and change there to the kehan line for
sanjo
[Music]
now i can't show this to you because
there's no filming allowed inside but
just down this tiny side street is one
of kyoto's
oldest businesses a family-owned
business that's been selling
handmade artisanal sewing needles for
360 years
[Music]
think of kyoto and what probably comes
to mind is
temples gardens traditional architecture
but here on sanjyodori
you can see some fascinating art deco
inspired buildings like this one
from the 1850s to 1930s
kyoto has had a very special place right
at the heart of traditional japanese
culture for well over a thousand years
one of the best places to learn more
about the city itself is right here at
the museum of kyoto on sanjo-dori
let's take a look inside
[Music]
once the kyoto branch of the bank of
japan the museum's distinctive
western-style annex building
is full of interesting architectural
details
over in the main building visitors can
take in a permanent collection covering
the city's history from ancient times
[Music]
and temporary exhibitions with a focus
on art and culture
located in another interesting period
building that was once the kyoto bureau
of the mainichi shimbun newspaper
gear is an innovative non-verbal theater
show for the whole family
set in a broken down toy factory in the
far future
gear tells the story of four robot
workers whose simple existence is
changed forever
with the sudden arrival of a living
female doll in a performance combining
dance
mime juggling and sleight of hand
after enjoying the show i check into my
hotel next to kyoto station
the thousand kyoto is a stylish new
hotel with a modern design
built around an open light filled atrium
one of two restaurants at the hotel
scala is an elegant but cozy space
offering an innovative take on italian
cuisine made with healthy local
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
ingredients
[Music]
day two
[Music]
we're starting the day at the main
branch of inode coffee a popular coffee
chain that started right here in kyoto
in 1947
[Music]
from inoda coffee we make our way to
nijo castle one of just a handful of
castles with an intact
original palace building after his rise
to power
the first tokugawa shogun ieyasu moved
the nation's capital from kyoto to edo
today known as tokyo but kyoto remained
an important political
center so he built nijo castle to serve
as a residence
headquarters and a symbol of his power
on visits to the city
[Music]
behind me you can see the tulsa murai
which served as waiting rooms for
visitors to the palace
now on these beautifully elaborately
decorated screens you can see pictures
of great big fierce tigers and bamboo
which showed the power of the tokugawa
and intimidated the visitors
behind me are the shikidai noma or
reception rooms
this is where we start to see these
images of large
pine trees pine trees are a symbol of
power because of their height
and also because they're green all year
round
[Music]
this is the second room of the ohiroma
or great hall
now here the decoration reaches a peak
and those
tall pine trees we saw before seem to
curl protectively
towards that raised stage at the back of
the room where the shogun would have sat
to receive daimyo or feudal lords
[Music]
after visiting nijo castle we make a
stop at the kaikadu cafe
a beautifully designed spot near kyoto
station run by a well-known local
artisan
kai-kado is kyoto's oldest manufacturer
of tea caddies
they've been making beautifully made
metal cylinders just like this one since
1875.
here at the very stylish caicado cafe
you can enjoy tea
coffee cake or with a definite
cylindrical thing
[Music]
a short walk from the cafe visitors can
check out a range of these same
cylinders at the kaikado store
each one expertly handmade with the
design virtually unchanged since the
company began
from the kaikado cafe we take a 15
minute walk across the river to the
kyoto national museum
one of only four national museums in
japan this is one of the best places to
see outstanding exhibitions about
kyoto's
and japan's history and culture
with renovation work ongoing on the
classically styled old building
exhibitions from the museum's permanent
collection and special visiting
exhibitions can both be found in the new
building
and that concludes our two-day trip
exploring some of kyoto's cultural
highlights
thanks for joining me i hope this video
has inspired some ideas for your future
travels
for more information about this trip or
to watch another video
click the links on the screen now or
head over to japanguy.com
your comprehensive up-to-date travel
guide first-hand from japan
thanks for watching be sure to subscribe
and click the notification bell for more
videos about japan
happy travels