Kyoto is my favorite city in Japan. It always has been. I’ve visited many cities and prefectures through the years but Kyoto remains my favorite destination in the country. Tokyo and Osaka are more exciting but Kyoto has everything I love about this fascinating country. Slower and more deliberate in pace, it’s an atmospheric city that makes you feel like you were in a different time in Japan.Kyoto is a city of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, of geishas and landscaped gardens far removed from the sensory overload of Harajuku and Akihabara. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy video games and otaru culture too. But when I imagine all the things I love most about Japan – atmosphere, tradition, culture, and food – I see Kyoto.There is so much to see and experience in this city long regarded as the historical and cultural heart of Japan. If you’re visiting Kyoto for the first time, then I hope this travel guide helps you fall in love with this city as much as I have.