Fushimi Inari is a Kyoto must see. We’ve never visited anywhere else like it—thousands of bright orange torii gates snake up through the forest into the mountains.

It’s as much of a hike as a temple visit (and quite steep in parts), although you do pass many small shrines with stone fox statues and miniature toriis. The fox is considered the messenger of Inari, the Shinto god of rice.

Gion is Kyoto’s geisha district, with hostesses in colorful kimonos often sighted on the wooden Tatsumi Bridge, or amid upscale Japanese restaurants and boutiques on Hanamikoji Street. Gion Corner hosts traditional Kyomai dances, while Kennin-ji Temple is known for its Zen garden and Yasaka Shrine has seasonal festivals in a lantern-lit courtyard. Nightlife ranges from quiet sake bars to buzzing, pub-like izakayas.

Nishiki Market is a marketplace in downtown Kyoto, located on the east end of Nishikikōji Street, one block north and parallel to Shijō Street and west of Teramachi Street. Rich with history and tradition, the market is renowned as the place to obtain many of Kyoto's famous foods and goods.

The iconic Arashiyama Bamboo Forest in Kyoto is one of the most beautiful and serene places we visited during our travels through Japan.