
Visiting Kyoto in an Age of Overtourism
defiling legendary temples
and generally treating the ancient capital like a theme park or a mere backdrop for Instagram photos.
By now, the phenomenon is known throughout the world, having been documented in nearly every major media outlet. Kyoto and Tokyo
both made Fodor's 'No List'
this year, and
a recent
New York
magazine article
detailed at length the current state of affairs: swarms of disrespectful tourists treating the historic city like 'an amusement park' or 'a safari.'
As a traveler with good intentions and a sense of respect, overtourism creates a difficult conundrum. After all, overtouristed places are heavily visited for a reason — they're beautiful, unique and rich in history. It's hard to fault visitors for wanting to experience the ancient capital's magic; truthfully, when my friends visit Japan, I still highly recommend Kyoto to them.
So what's the best way to address this problem? According to locals and insiders, it's still quite possible to plan a trip to Kyoto in a way that honors local culture and doesn't cause a disturbance. You just have to be mindful, conscientious and prepared to forgo some of the most raved-about sites.
List of Contents:
The Overtourism Problem in Kyoto
The Tourist Dilemma
The Problem of 'Must-See' Places
Traveling With Intention
Related Posts
The Area Surrounding Kiyomizu-dera
The Overtourism Problem in Kyoto
I've lived a large chunk of my life in Japan, but I've only gone to Kyoto a handful of times. Admittedly, I find that the packed crowds — particularly in the areas surrounding Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari Taisha and Arashiyama Bamboo Forest — detract from the serene energy these sites are known for. Ironically, though, when I went on a trip to Kyoto with my college friends who were visiting from the States, these were the very spots I took them to — because, well, 'you just have to.'
The city of Kyoto has a population of about 1.4 million, and in 2024, Kyoto drew 10.88 million foreign visitors. According to
New York
, roughly 150,000 people visit the city every day. Most of these visitors crowd the same few places — the ones I mentioned above, plus a few others (Kinkaku-ji, Nijo Castle, etc.).
For Kyoto residents, the constant influx of tourists can be incredibly disruptive. Daily life is often affected by overcrowded public transport and large groups of inconsiderate visitors, particularly in popular districts like Higashiyama and Arashiyama, which can feel nearly impassable at peak times. In
a survey
conducted by
Yomiuri Shimbun
in fall 2023, around 90% of 5,500 local respondents expressed frustration with the congestion on buses and trains caused by tourism.
And it's not just in public places that the disruptions occur.
New York
describes a phenomenon
of clueless tourists 'opening the sliding doors into unmarked
machiya
on the presumption that anything inside was meant for their entertainment, only to end up walking into someone's living room.'
Fushimi Inari Taisha Torii
The Tourist Dilemma
On a rainy June day, I was visiting the Tokyo National Museum with a friend from the US, catching the temporary special exhibition of modern-day
ukiyo-e
paintings. As I was struggling to get my umbrella out of its locked holder, my friend offhandedly mentioned that seeing other, conspicuously American tourists — inappropriately dressed, loud and pushy, acting with little regard for Japanese cultural norms — makes him feel embarrassed about his country. 'Tourism inevitably dilutes a place, especially somewhere like Japan,' he said.
I hadn't really thought much about tourists in that way. I didn't think much about them at all, beyond being mildly annoyed by the masses filming videos at Shibuya Crossing when
I have places to be, dammit
. Like a true Tokyoite, I generally have tunnel vision as I walk and think of the people in my path not by country of origin but obstacles I must avoid.
I didn't really understand what my friend was trying to say until I went to Milan for vacation the following week. Suddenly, my role was reversed. The ongoing joke is that everyone and their mothers are either going to Japan or Italy right now, but there's some truth to it. I heard more English than Italian on the streets. When I visited Lake Como, I was stunned by its beauty — but also heartbroken by how gentrified it felt. Many longtime residents
have been pushed out
by soaring prices, their homes replaced by tourists and millionaires.
My Japanese instinct for
kizukai
(consideration for others) kicked in as a tourist in Italy. I was extremely aware of the fact that I was a visitor, taking up space in a city that wasn't mine. I felt bad about my limited Italian vocabulary, stammering my lunch order to a waiter who smiled generously and responded in fluent English. I instantly felt more sympathetic towards foreigners in Japan, where it's much harder to get by with just English.
I couldn't help but feel strong parallels between Milan and Kyoto. Both cities draw massive crowds largely because of their deep, tangible histories — steeped into the architecture and embedded in the land itself. The shrines and temples of Kyoto evoke a similar awe to Italy's grand cathedrals. In my mind, the Duomo di Milano and Kiyomizu-dera feel like two sides of the same coin.
As a tourist, I felt surprisingly guilty. Guilty for potentially, in a however minute way, changing the landscape of a country with so much history. For being one of the thousands of people visiting the Duomo, contributing to an already packed place that's supposed to be a spiritual refuge.
Kinkaku-ji Temple
The Problem of 'Must-See' Places
Overtourism is, in many ways, fueled by the collective desire to check out a select few 'must-see' spots. It doesn't help that so much of travel has become performative nowadays, fueled by a desire for bragging rights and perfectly posed and filtered Instagram posts. On TikTok, influencers tout 'must-eat' and 'must-visit' items, which their followers bookmark in order to create content of their own. I'm not criticizing this phenomenon — I understand that this is what it is to travel in the modern world. I do the same things myself: When I'm getting ready for a trip, I bookmark travel TikToks and reels, and I commemorate my international adventures with curated photo dumps.
But it's important to remember there's much more of a city than what one sees on the Explore Page, and that travel isn't meant to be effortless. It requires thought and planning. 'The thing that gets me is that Kyoto is huge, and there are so many places that are still almost empty,' Joshua Lassman-Watts, CEO of luxury travel company
Untold Japan
, says. 'The problem seems to be that tourists only want to go to the same spots. What happened to curiosity and adventure?'
As
we've written before
, it's an oversimplification to say that Japan is plagued by overtourism. The real issue is the concentration of visitors in just a handful of well-known spots. As Lassman-Watts points out, even within Kyoto, there are countless historic neighborhoods, shrines, temples and traditional cafes that remain largely untouched by overseas tourists — often just minutes away from the city's most crowded landmarks.
Take, for instance,
Maru Sankaku Shikaku no Toku
, a cafe-gallery located in a renovated 100-year-old house in Enmachi, a quaint neighborhood within walking distance of Kinkaku-ji. The owner, Yoko Tokuji, says she genuinely wants more tourists to stop by, and even tries to advertise to English speakers online. 'Once visitors arrive in Japan, many don't know where to go, so they end up heading to the famous spots by default, leading to severe overcrowding,' she explains. 'We need more people to learn about historical areas like Enmachi, which are not as well-known.'
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
Traveling With Intention
When traveling to a heavily touristed location, changing the narrative about what you 'have' to see in order to truly experience a city is a good first step. 'The vast majority of people visiting Kyoto for the first time are going to visit the top spots,' Jordan McChesney, a tour guide at Untold Japan, says. 'We typically encourage our guests to explore Kyoto off the beaten path. Kyoto is a lot bigger than people might think, so there is no shortage of sights to see and stories to tell if you know where to look.'
It falls on travelers to do their research properly — or enlist the help of expert local guides. It falls on you to anticipate cultural differences, and to properly prepare for them. 'Our network of local guides, comprising both Japanese and long-term international residents, actively helps our guests navigate local customs and etiquette,' says Laura Abril, a project manager at
Kyoto Daily Tours.
'This includes speaking softly in public spaces, properly announcing themselves in restaurants, responsibly disposing of garbage and facilitating clear communication through translation of menus and local guidelines.'
It's important to remember that, above all, you're a guest in someone else's home, and that calls for humility and flexibility. Being an outsider doesn't exempt you from local rules or etiquette, and not every business will cater to Western tastes. You may come across places without English menus, or staff who can't accommodate non-Japanese speakers. Travelers hoping for a 'truly authentic' Kyoto experience without speaking the language — or doing proper research or hiring a local guide — are likely to be disappointed. Travel can be full of surprises and serendipitous encounters, but stumbling into the perfect hole-in-the-wall with no reservation and a warm welcome isn't a given. This is Kyoto, not Narnia.
That said, one of the great joys of visiting Japan is noticing the subtle thoughtfulness and quiet generosity of the people. Locals are often kind, and many are genuinely pleased that their culture is receiving so much interest from abroad. Emulating and understanding culture is a huge part of travel — and leading with respect and consideration is probably the most Japanese thing you could do.
Related Posts
A Kyoto Itinerary That Skips the Crowds, Not the Culture
Alternative, Less Crowded Temples and Shrines in Kyoto
Drunk American Tourist Damages Kyoto Temple Tied to Samurai Legend

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Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Induction of Ichiro has Cooperstown fretfully preparing
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"I know we all have phones, and you can do Google Translate, but it's just easier in person if someone wants to talk about a certain piece.' Cooperstown is not home to a sizable Japanese American population. Across from Carfagno's store on Main Street is the only sushi restaurant in town. To find interpreters, Carfagno took to Facebook. "A couple of my friends knew some people,' he said. "There's a Japanese teacher and her husband that have never been here, and wanted to come anyway.' Cassandra Harrington, president of an organization that promotes tourism in the area, is printing 3,000 village and museum maps that are translated into Japanese. But she said that as far as other planned changes for new clientele, business owners do not want to make too many assumptions about what foreign visitors may seek. A confectioner was considering making fudge with sake in it, but was not sure how that would be received. "They're trying to remain culturally sensitive,' Harrington said. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum two years ago started preparing for Ichiro's induction, said the institution's president, Josh Rawitch. That work culminated this month when the Hall opened an exhibit celebrating the ways Japanese and American baseball are intertwined. Displays in "Yakyu / Baseball: The Transpacific Exchange of the Game' honor not only Ichiro, but pitcher Hideo Nomo — the second Japanese player to reach the majors — and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the most prominent player in either country today. With a budget of roughly $2.5 million, it is one of the most expensive exhibits that the nonprofit has created, Rawitch said. On a bronze cast of a baseball, fans can place their hand on the same spots that Nomo would grip the ball when throwing his signature forkball. A video-and-audio installment later shows what it is like to be in the stands for games in both countries. 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After landing at one of the major airports in the New York metropolitan area, a four-hour-or-so drive awaits, some of it on back roads. "The opportunity of having the first-ever Japanese baseball player and somebody who was just so uber-popular in Japan is going to drive people here,' Rawitch said. "But I also think we have to be realistic about the fact that it is not easy to get from Tokyo to Cooperstown. And so do I imagine there's going to be tens of thousands of Japanese fans here? Probably not. But there's going to be tens of thousands of fans here, and we want to make sure that we're welcoming regardless of where they're coming from.' Most identified with the Seattle Mariners, Ichiro is not the only attraction this year. He is going into the Hall as part of a five-player class that includes CC Sabathia, a longtime New York Yankees pitcher who should attract plenty of visitors. But other forces are at play. This year's inductees were revealed Jan. 21, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump was inaugurated. That is significant because while everyone long expected Ichiro would receive enough votes to be inducted, most induction weekend reservations come after the announcement, according to Jay Smith, whose company Sports Travel and Tours sells licensed packages through the Hall. U.S. tourism has dropped this year, a topic at a tourism conference Smith recently attended. "The international markets that I had meetings with, they are very well aware of the downward trend of interest for people coming to the U.S. at this point,' Smith said. In the final week of June, Smith said he had about 75 people signed up for an induction package from Japan. "We thought that there would be more,' he said. The National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum in Coopesrtown, New York | USA TODAY / via Reuters Meanwhile, the Hall of Fame expects more than 60 media members representing about 20 Japanese news outlets to cover Ichiro's induction. But even when the Hall is trying to figure out how many U.S. attendees will arrive, a lot of guesswork is involved. The induction ceremony is not a ticketed event, and plenty of people book their trips independent of travel agencies. The Japanese American Association of New York and Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York offer a one-day tour bus from New York City on induction day at a cost of $305. But that amount, too, can be hefty, said Koji Sato, president of the association. "Because Ichiro is being inducted, that makes it very desirable to go,' said Sato, who plans to attend. "The average Japanese, let's say restaurant worker, in New York might not want to spend that much money for a day. But it all depends.' Induction weekend is not the only game in town for local businesses, which have a busy summer season with youth baseball teams playing tournaments there. But they do feel the impact of turnout, and the induction weekend headliner genuinely matters. Russo said that the year Cal Ripken Jr., the Baltimore Orioles great, went into the Hall, about 8% of his annual revenue came from induction weekend. Last year, when Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer led the class, it was under 5%. Shopkeepers here still talk about Derek Jeter's ceremony, which was supposed to be in 2020 but was delayed by the pandemic until after Labor Day in 2021. In a typical summer setting, a Yankees superstar like Jeter would have driven eye-popping sales. COVID-19 made that a painful missed opportunity. Mickey's Place has not moved many Ichiro caps yet, but Russo expects that will change over induction weekend. The greater question, he said, is how many Ichiro caps will sell after that. Will Ichiro's enshrinement draw new fans to the area? A new development nearby might help. In a few years, Hoshino Resorts, a Japanese hospitality company, is planning to open its first continental U.S. location in Sharon Springs, New York, about a half-hour away. The Hall is hoping that dovetails with its own efforts; Rawitch expects the Hall will display its new exhibit for at least five years. "Regardless of how many people show up this July, whoever does is going to go back home and say, 'Man, did you see that incredible exhibit they did in Cooperstown, and you can go see Ichiro's plaque, and there's this town that's just for baseball?'' Rawitch said. "All of that is a five- to 10-year play. It's not just about July 27.' This article originally appeared in The New York Times © 2025 The New York Times Company


Japan Times
3 days ago
- Japan Times
U.S. airlines reap rewards from premium travel strategy amid demand slump
U.S. airlines doubled down on high-end travel after the COVID-19 pandemic to drive up profits and reduce their vulnerability to economic swings. The strategy is paying off as the margins of carriers selling premium seats have held up despite a slump in overall travel demand. Strong demand from affluent travelers is helping airlines offset a pullback in spending by price-sensitive customers. Delta Air Lines last week reported a 5% year-on-year jump in its second-quarter premium ticket revenue, compared to a 5% decline in main cabin revenue. The 10-percentage-point gap was the widest since the pandemic, helping it post a double-digit margin in the April-June quarter. Similarly, premium cabin revenue helped United Airlines mitigate the financial hit from operational constraints at Newark airport near New York City — one of its largest hubs — and increase its earnings in the latest quarter. United's premium revenue rose 5.6% in the June quarter from a year ago. Its overall passenger revenue grew just 1.1%. The industry saw a similar trend in the first quarter when President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs raised the specter of an economic recession, hammering airline bookings. "Premium capacity remains resilient," said United's Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella. Airline executives have attributed the resilient demand for premium travel to the healthy financial conditions of U.S. households with earnings of $100,000, which account for 75% of air travel spending. While an April selloff in financial markets after Trump announced tariffs raised the risk of undermining that demand, a sharp rebound in U.S. stocks since then has eased those concerns. "Our core consumer is in good shape and continues to prioritize travel," Delta CEO Ed Bastian said last week. Trouble in the main cabin In contrast, lingering uncertainty about the broader economy and rising living costs have taken a toll on demand from less-affluent customers. Bank of America data shows, while spending by middle- and higher-income households held up in June, lower-income household spending turned negative. Low-fare carrier JetBlue Airways last month told staff that it was planning new cost-cutting measures as soft demand made achieving a breakeven operating margin in 2025 "unlikely," according to an internal memo. Summer travel season tends to be the most profitable for carriers. But weak demand for main cabin seats has forced airlines to offer sales to fill planes. Discount carriers such as Frontier and Spirit Airlines are aggressively slashing flights to prevent more discounting pressure. Airline executives say premium cabins have become "the profit differentiator" in the industry. Since premium travelers tend to be less price-sensitive, carriers expect them to be less affected by economic shifts, making their spending more stable and offering a buffer in a downturn. At Delta, premium revenue accounted for 43% of passenger revenue in the June quarter, up from 35% in 2019. It has helped the Atlanta-based carrier become a pre-tax margin leader post-pandemic. The company expects its revenue from premium cabins to surpass that from main cabins in 2027. Diversified revenues, including from premium cabins, have helped shares of Delta and United outperform the broader industry in the past two years. Encouraged by the payoff, carriers are further ramping up investments to make their premium offerings more attractive. United has unveiled new premium suites with privacy doors on its new Boeing 787-9 planes. The suites will have 27-inch screens, luxury skincare amenities, and caviar and wine pairings. Alaska Airlines is on track to increase the share of premium seats on its flights to 29% by next summer from 26% currently. Risk of supply glut Faced with weak margins, budget airlines are now also trying to tap into the high-end market. JetBlue, which has reported a profit in just two of its last nine quarters, is putting first-class seats on domestic flights and opening its first airport lounges in New York and Boston. Frontier is retrofitting the first two rows of its aircraft with first-class seats. Spirit, long known for its no-frills service, is seeking to rebrand itself as a premium airline to turn around its business. The number of premium seats in the U.S. domestic market has increased by 14% since 2019, more than three times the growth in main cabin seats, according to data from Visual Approach Analytics. The rush to add premium seats is hampering aircraft deliveries. It also risks causing a supply glut, hurting pricing power. But Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci downplayed those concerns, saying premium travel is more about an experience than a seat. "We see it as an end-to-end premium experience that people will pay for and people expect," Minicucci said in an interview.


Tokyo Weekender
5 days ago
- Tokyo Weekender
Visiting Kyoto in an Age of Overtourism
In recent years, as Japan has seen a steady surge in overseas visitors, the issue of overtourism has come to the fore. Kyoto, in particular, is bearing the brunt of it: reports tell of disrespectful tourists crowding streets, hounding apprentice geisha, defiling legendary temples and generally treating the ancient capital like a theme park or a mere backdrop for Instagram photos. By now, the phenomenon is known throughout the world, having been documented in nearly every major media outlet. Kyoto and Tokyo both made Fodor's 'No List' this year, and a recent New York magazine article detailed at length the current state of affairs: swarms of disrespectful tourists treating the historic city like 'an amusement park' or 'a safari.' As a traveler with good intentions and a sense of respect, overtourism creates a difficult conundrum. After all, overtouristed places are heavily visited for a reason — they're beautiful, unique and rich in history. It's hard to fault visitors for wanting to experience the ancient capital's magic; truthfully, when my friends visit Japan, I still highly recommend Kyoto to them. So what's the best way to address this problem? According to locals and insiders, it's still quite possible to plan a trip to Kyoto in a way that honors local culture and doesn't cause a disturbance. You just have to be mindful, conscientious and prepared to forgo some of the most raved-about sites. List of Contents: The Overtourism Problem in Kyoto The Tourist Dilemma The Problem of 'Must-See' Places Traveling With Intention Related Posts The Area Surrounding Kiyomizu-dera The Overtourism Problem in Kyoto I've lived a large chunk of my life in Japan, but I've only gone to Kyoto a handful of times. Admittedly, I find that the packed crowds — particularly in the areas surrounding Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari Taisha and Arashiyama Bamboo Forest — detract from the serene energy these sites are known for. Ironically, though, when I went on a trip to Kyoto with my college friends who were visiting from the States, these were the very spots I took them to — because, well, 'you just have to.' The city of Kyoto has a population of about 1.4 million, and in 2024, Kyoto drew 10.88 million foreign visitors. According to New York , roughly 150,000 people visit the city every day. Most of these visitors crowd the same few places — the ones I mentioned above, plus a few others (Kinkaku-ji, Nijo Castle, etc.). For Kyoto residents, the constant influx of tourists can be incredibly disruptive. Daily life is often affected by overcrowded public transport and large groups of inconsiderate visitors, particularly in popular districts like Higashiyama and Arashiyama, which can feel nearly impassable at peak times. In a survey conducted by Yomiuri Shimbun in fall 2023, around 90% of 5,500 local respondents expressed frustration with the congestion on buses and trains caused by tourism. And it's not just in public places that the disruptions occur. New York describes a phenomenon of clueless tourists 'opening the sliding doors into unmarked machiya on the presumption that anything inside was meant for their entertainment, only to end up walking into someone's living room.' Fushimi Inari Taisha Torii The Tourist Dilemma On a rainy June day, I was visiting the Tokyo National Museum with a friend from the US, catching the temporary special exhibition of modern-day ukiyo-e paintings. As I was struggling to get my umbrella out of its locked holder, my friend offhandedly mentioned that seeing other, conspicuously American tourists — inappropriately dressed, loud and pushy, acting with little regard for Japanese cultural norms — makes him feel embarrassed about his country. 'Tourism inevitably dilutes a place, especially somewhere like Japan,' he said. I hadn't really thought much about tourists in that way. I didn't think much about them at all, beyond being mildly annoyed by the masses filming videos at Shibuya Crossing when I have places to be, dammit . Like a true Tokyoite, I generally have tunnel vision as I walk and think of the people in my path not by country of origin but obstacles I must avoid. I didn't really understand what my friend was trying to say until I went to Milan for vacation the following week. Suddenly, my role was reversed. The ongoing joke is that everyone and their mothers are either going to Japan or Italy right now, but there's some truth to it. I heard more English than Italian on the streets. When I visited Lake Como, I was stunned by its beauty — but also heartbroken by how gentrified it felt. Many longtime residents have been pushed out by soaring prices, their homes replaced by tourists and millionaires. My Japanese instinct for kizukai (consideration for others) kicked in as a tourist in Italy. I was extremely aware of the fact that I was a visitor, taking up space in a city that wasn't mine. I felt bad about my limited Italian vocabulary, stammering my lunch order to a waiter who smiled generously and responded in fluent English. I instantly felt more sympathetic towards foreigners in Japan, where it's much harder to get by with just English. I couldn't help but feel strong parallels between Milan and Kyoto. Both cities draw massive crowds largely because of their deep, tangible histories — steeped into the architecture and embedded in the land itself. The shrines and temples of Kyoto evoke a similar awe to Italy's grand cathedrals. In my mind, the Duomo di Milano and Kiyomizu-dera feel like two sides of the same coin. As a tourist, I felt surprisingly guilty. Guilty for potentially, in a however minute way, changing the landscape of a country with so much history. For being one of the thousands of people visiting the Duomo, contributing to an already packed place that's supposed to be a spiritual refuge. Kinkaku-ji Temple The Problem of 'Must-See' Places Overtourism is, in many ways, fueled by the collective desire to check out a select few 'must-see' spots. It doesn't help that so much of travel has become performative nowadays, fueled by a desire for bragging rights and perfectly posed and filtered Instagram posts. On TikTok, influencers tout 'must-eat' and 'must-visit' items, which their followers bookmark in order to create content of their own. I'm not criticizing this phenomenon — I understand that this is what it is to travel in the modern world. I do the same things myself: When I'm getting ready for a trip, I bookmark travel TikToks and reels, and I commemorate my international adventures with curated photo dumps. But it's important to remember there's much more of a city than what one sees on the Explore Page, and that travel isn't meant to be effortless. It requires thought and planning. 'The thing that gets me is that Kyoto is huge, and there are so many places that are still almost empty,' Joshua Lassman-Watts, CEO of luxury travel company Untold Japan , says. 'The problem seems to be that tourists only want to go to the same spots. What happened to curiosity and adventure?' As we've written before , it's an oversimplification to say that Japan is plagued by overtourism. The real issue is the concentration of visitors in just a handful of well-known spots. As Lassman-Watts points out, even within Kyoto, there are countless historic neighborhoods, shrines, temples and traditional cafes that remain largely untouched by overseas tourists — often just minutes away from the city's most crowded landmarks. Take, for instance, Maru Sankaku Shikaku no Toku , a cafe-gallery located in a renovated 100-year-old house in Enmachi, a quaint neighborhood within walking distance of Kinkaku-ji. The owner, Yoko Tokuji, says she genuinely wants more tourists to stop by, and even tries to advertise to English speakers online. 'Once visitors arrive in Japan, many don't know where to go, so they end up heading to the famous spots by default, leading to severe overcrowding,' she explains. 'We need more people to learn about historical areas like Enmachi, which are not as well-known.' Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Traveling With Intention When traveling to a heavily touristed location, changing the narrative about what you 'have' to see in order to truly experience a city is a good first step. 'The vast majority of people visiting Kyoto for the first time are going to visit the top spots,' Jordan McChesney, a tour guide at Untold Japan, says. 'We typically encourage our guests to explore Kyoto off the beaten path. Kyoto is a lot bigger than people might think, so there is no shortage of sights to see and stories to tell if you know where to look.' It falls on travelers to do their research properly — or enlist the help of expert local guides. It falls on you to anticipate cultural differences, and to properly prepare for them. 'Our network of local guides, comprising both Japanese and long-term international residents, actively helps our guests navigate local customs and etiquette,' says Laura Abril, a project manager at Kyoto Daily Tours. 'This includes speaking softly in public spaces, properly announcing themselves in restaurants, responsibly disposing of garbage and facilitating clear communication through translation of menus and local guidelines.' It's important to remember that, above all, you're a guest in someone else's home, and that calls for humility and flexibility. Being an outsider doesn't exempt you from local rules or etiquette, and not every business will cater to Western tastes. You may come across places without English menus, or staff who can't accommodate non-Japanese speakers. Travelers hoping for a 'truly authentic' Kyoto experience without speaking the language — or doing proper research or hiring a local guide — are likely to be disappointed. Travel can be full of surprises and serendipitous encounters, but stumbling into the perfect hole-in-the-wall with no reservation and a warm welcome isn't a given. This is Kyoto, not Narnia. That said, one of the great joys of visiting Japan is noticing the subtle thoughtfulness and quiet generosity of the people. Locals are often kind, and many are genuinely pleased that their culture is receiving so much interest from abroad. Emulating and understanding culture is a huge part of travel — and leading with respect and consideration is probably the most Japanese thing you could do. Related Posts A Kyoto Itinerary That Skips the Crowds, Not the Culture Alternative, Less Crowded Temples and Shrines in Kyoto Drunk American Tourist Damages Kyoto Temple Tied to Samurai Legend