🇯🇵 Kyoto

When to Go

Mid-October to mid-November for autumn foliage — maples peak at Tofuku-ji and Eikan-do between late October and mid-November, crowds are large but manageable on weekdays. Second choice is late May, after cherry blossom crowds clear and before the June-July rainy season begins. Avoid late March through mid-April at all costs: hotel prices triple, the city is gridlocked on weekends, and every Instagram spot has a queue.

Watch Out

Kyoto's buses become genuinely unusable during peak season — standing room only heading to major sights, with multiple buses passing full without stopping. Rent a bicycle or walk; the city is more compact than it looks on a map. Many 'geisha encounters' in Gion at dusk are tourists in paid kimono rentals, not actual maiko or geiko — worth knowing before you chase someone with a camera. Nishiki Market is photogenic but overpriced; head one block north to local supermarkets for the actual ingredients.