Kyoto

Where to shoot

• Fushimi Inari Taisha — thousands of vermilion torii gates climbing a wooded mountainside; arrive at dawn to walk the tunnels before the crowds.
• Kinkaku-ji — the Golden Pavilion, a gold-leafed temple mirrored in its reflecting pond, at its finest under snow or autumn foliage.
• Arashiyama Bamboo Grove — a towering corridor of green stalks on the city's western edge, hushed in the soft early hours.
• Gion — the historic geisha district of wooden teahouses and lantern-lit lanes, at its most evocative at dusk along Hanamikoji Street.
• Fushimi Inari Shrine — thousands of vermilion torii gates forming tunnels up a wooded hillside
• Kinkaku-ji — a gold-leafed pavilion mirrored in a pond at the edge of its garden
• Arashiyama Bamboo Grove — tall green corridors of bamboo on the western edge of the city
• Kiyomizu-dera — a hillside temple with a broad wooden terrace looking out over Kyoto
• Kiyomizu-dera's wooden stage in first light
• The Yasaka Pagoda framed down Yasaka-dori
• The stepped lanes of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka
• Maruyama Park's great weeping cherry
• The Bamboo Grove path before 8am
• Tenryu-ji's borrowed-scenery pond garden
• Togetsukyo Bridge over the Katsura River
• The view from Iwatayama over the basin
• Hanami-koji's wooden machiya at dusk
• Pontocho alley's lanterns after dark
• The Kamo River banks at golden hour
• Nishiki Market's covered stalls
• The Senbon Torii tunnels at first light
• The quiet upper trail past the crowds
• Tofuku-ji's maple valley in autumn
• The fox guardians and stacked votive gates
• Southern Higashiyama at first light
• Fushimi Inari beyond the crowded lower gates
• Arashiyama paired with quieter western temples
• Todai-ji, Nara Park, and Kasuga Taisha

When to go

Visit in spring (late March–April) for sakura or November for fiery maple colors, but book early as these are peak periods with heavy crowds.

What to eat

Kaiseki multi-course dining, yudofu (hot tofu) near the temples, and matcha sweets in Higashiyama teahouses.

Where to stay

Base in central Kyoto near the Kawaramachi or Kyoto Station areas for transit links, or in Higashiyama to stay among the temples.