When you are searching street foods in Kyoto, you’ll find Nishiki-Ichiba (錦市場) market. That’s true, but it has a crucial weak point. They close at night.
Sujin-Shinmachi (崇仁新町), which we introduce in this page, opens at night. Both the local people and tourists gather and enjoy eating, drinking and chatting together. Why not join the community?

Find a deep Kyoto at Sujin-Shinmachi area

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Just a 5-minute Kyoto trip takes you to Sujin-Shinmachi, a street food area. There are various kinds of food stalls like hamburgers, oden, gyoza, tempura and more! Of course, they don’t forget drinks either! From wine to beer, you’ll get a perfect Kyoto night with alcohol.

The fun point is not only street foods, but also the people you’ll meet there. Share your travel plan, share your story and share your food!

Open:
5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on weekdays
12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays
Access:
A 5-minute trip from

Popular spots near Sujin-Shinmachi area

Sujin-Shinmachi is located in Kyoto station area. There are several sightseeing spots around here. Visit there before you go to the Sujin-Shinmachi street food area!

Toji temple (東寺)

A temple with an over 1200-year history. You’ll get there around 10-minute walk from Kyoto station. The five-story pagoda is its symbol and one of the most famous buildings in Japan.
Open:
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Last entry by 4:30 p.m.)
Entrance fee:
800yen / adult

Kyoto Tower (京都タワー)

Kyoto Tower is a modern symbol of Kyoto, though Toji temple is one of the historical symbols of Kyoto. You’ll enjoy the unique panorama from the tallest tower in Kyoto. The shape is based on a candle.
Open:
9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Last entry by 8:40 p.m.)
Entrance fee:
770yen / adult

Kyoto Tower Sando (京都タワーサンド)

This is an all-in-one place where you’ll have restaurants, souvenir shops, and experiences. Actually, Kyoto tower stands on this building. So, it is a recommended plan to eat, buy, and watch Kyoto from here!

Open:
9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (souvenir shops and experiences floor)
11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (restaurants area)
Entrance fee:
Free

Kyoto Aquarium (京都水族館)

If you are a penguin lover, don’t miss here! You can watch them walking around and swimming, as well as their feeding time. It is recommended to visit here when you want a quiet place because of the crowded sightseeing.

Open:
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Entrance fee:
2050yen / adult

Kyoto Railway Museum (京都鉄道博物館)

Have you been surprised at the comfortable trip by Shinkansen or the safe and precise system of Japanese trains? Then, find and enjoy the secret of attractive Japanese railways at this museum.

Open:
10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Last entry by 5:00 p.m.)
* Closed on every Wednesday except for holiday and December 30th to January 1st
Entrance fee:
1200yen / adult

Umekoji Park (梅小路公園)

The aquarium and museum is a part of this park, but the park itself is popular among local people. Illuminations are held in summer and winter, so it will be a nice relaxing time to have a stroll here.

Open:
No closed hours
Entrance fee:
Free

Enjoy a unique Kyoto night!

A country has two types of culture, modern vs. traditional. Manga is representative of modern Japanese culture, and on the other hand, Ukiyo-e painting is popular traditional culture.

Which do you like better? This page shows two museums in Kyoto for Manga and Ukiyo-e.

Kyoto International Manga Museum (京都国際マンガミュージアム)

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Needless to say, Manga is the most popular modern Japanese culture. This museum actually has two functions, the library and museum. There is “The Wall of Manga” consisting of 50000 manga books inside, and you can take and read them freely in the site. The reading area is not only inside, but also the grass garden. The gift shop offers about 1000 products related to Manga.

When you want a rest, there is a café available. Or you can go out and in again because the ticket permits multiple re-entries throughout the day. Have a good Manga day!

Entrance fee:
800yen / adult
Open:
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Entry by 5:30 p.m)
Access:
2-minute walk from Kyoto Subway Karasuma-Oike station

Kyoto Ukiyo-e Museum (京都浮世絵美術館)

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Manga is modern culture, and Ukiyo-e is traditional which has around a 300-year-history.

This cozy, small museum exhibits works of Japanese famous Ukiyo-e painters like Hokusai, Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi and Kunisada. However, not only the exhibition but also the various souvenirs are another attraction. From postcards to the real Ukiyo-e, what do you want to bring back for your Ukiyo-e memory?

Kyoto Ukiyo-e Museum has good access at the center of Kyoto city. It is recommended to enjoy the relaxing Ukiyo-e world during your sightseeing adventure.

* The Ukiyo-e painting above is just an example. You may not see it in the museum.

Entrance fee:
1000yen / adult
Open:
10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Entry by 6:00 p.m)
Access:
A few-minute walk from Hankyu Kawaramachi station

What is Ukiyo-e?

Some say that Ukiyo-e culture began at Edo era around the 17^th century. It is a genre painting and mainly shows a scene of theater play and a prostitute. The most common way of painting is wood print. It influenced the works of Van Gogh and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has held a special Ukiyo-e exhibition. People all over the world and from any era recognize the value of Ukiyo-e.

These two museums stand closely as the map below shows. Why not schedule next weekend for a Kyoto trip and enjoy different types of Japanese art?

For other Kyoto attractions, check out all-you-can-eat tsukemono restaurants and Kodaiji temple, for example.

Samurai warriors’ mythical toughness was a result of intense physical and mental workouts. They sat under ice-cold waterfalls for days, and went without food for weeks. Their noble lifestyle kept them fit and healthy except for scars from fierce battles. They followed the ethic code called “Bushido” which is the way of the warrior similar to knights’ Chivalry. It guided them to be a noble being in the society.

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” according to WHO. Although their traditional training and way of life were a little too extreme for us modern people, Samurai had the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. There should be many wellness and health tips we can learn from them. For example, here are a few examples of what we can learn from Samurai.

100% natural diet with a steady sleep cycle

Samurai had 2 meals a day, 8 hours of sleep every day. Especially, natural diet was a very important aspect of Samurai’s life. Eating healthy was necessary to maintain their body to fight well in the battle fields. Their diet consisted mainly of brown rice, miso soup, fish and fresh vegetables.

Rice still is the staple food in Japan. However, in the past, 100% natural white rice brought an epidemic beriberi which is caused by nutritional deficiency of thiamin, or vitamin B1. At the time, polished rice, or white rice, was something of a luxury. People of the time just didn’t realize that polishing rice removes the most nutritious part of rice. You might be surprised to know that even the small process can cause the epidemic disease. Now, it’s easy to assume the negative impact of processed foods. It is for sure that no Samurai was eating GM food. Pesticides and genetically modified foods are the curses of modern life that did not exist at that time.

Making your diet as plain as possible is one of the key factors of maintaining your health. Samurai always ate for nutrition and never for the taste. Luckily, we can strive for both. There are a lot of healthy food options that are available to us today which were not available to Samurai warriors. You can create your own healthy tasty diet according to your personal preferences using natural and organic food. You are what you eat. Let’s borrow Samurai’s strengths, discipline and commitment, and start the healthy diet from today. You will feel the difference soon enough.

Fitness and Zen Meditation

The road to Samurai starts as early as childhood and continued until the end of life. Samurai could not afford to get fumbled or tired in the battleground despite the fact that they had to wear heavy armors and weapons for days. Practicality was valued in training. They spent hours and hours to practice sword strokes and sparring in order to develop strengths and stamina at the same time.

Instead of spending the whole day or week just to do the training, we should take more efficient scientific approach to shorten the time. High-Intensity Interval Training routines, with a little bit of Samurai spirit in mind, will transform your body in a way you probably never imagined. You should train each muscle group of your body by doing individual or complex workouts. For great stamina, you should spend more time sprinting than jogging. Perfect conditioning and flexibility are necessary for Samurai like fitness. For that, you should engage in activities like yoga. In addition to the physical fitness, samurai began to practice Zen meditation to pursuit of inner peace. Zen not only helps you empty your mind, but also improves control of your breathing. It will help you calm your mind, temper and senses.

Bushido code of ethics to a noble being in the society

Samurai chose the Bushido code of ethics, the samurai way of life, as their compass. They valued eight basic virtues: Justice, Courage, Mercy, Politeness, Honesty, Honor, Loyalty, and Self-Control. The word “samurai” originally meant “one who serves”. In the sense, loyalty to one’s master is the ultimate goal in life and keeping their honor by achieving the goal should have been the most important core value to samurai. What do you value the most in your life? Bushido doesn’t have to be the only way of noble life. It can be “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” compiled by Dr. Stephen Covey, “The Four Agreements” suggested by Mr. Don Miguel Ruiz, or your own philosophy of life you’ve been compiling throughout your life. The philosophy becomes your ruler to make consistent decisions especially when difficult situations arise.

Samurai Experience in Kyoto

There is a unique place in Kyoto where you can learn and practice real sword, Bushido and Zen. Take a look if you live in Kyoto or planning a trip to Kyoto.

http://waraku-kyoto.com/en/

There are many other interesting places in Kyoto such as staying and meditating at a temple. Sing up for our free weekly newsletter from the top bar. We’ll deliver weekend plan suggestions to your inbox. Also, don’t hesitate to tell us what you are interested. We’ll do the research for you and add it to our newsletter!