Issue #2

Kyoto Mini Guide, hotels making headlines and bookmarking some far away places.

Sep 29, 2024

Welcome to Next Vacay issue #2! Thank you for joining the journey with us as our very first subscribers. Here is a preview of Kyoto from our trip earlier this year. 🍵

Tenryu-ji temple, just outside the Arashiyama bamboo forest.

Mini Guide: Kyoto, Japan

Perfect for: Anyone who is up for a long-haul flight to Japan of about 12-14 hours, depending on where in the US you depart from. Also for matcha lovers - Kyoto (Uji specifically) is known as the matcha capital of Japan.

One of the most unique places in the world, Kyoto is filled with Japanese history and culture and lots to do no matter what your interests are. Being there feels like you’re being transported to another century in a time capsule— or to the set of Shogun.
This city wasn’t the main part of our trip but a quick break in between our Tokyo visit and a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the city life. We stayed for 2 nights and were able to see a lot. Ideally, 3 nights would have been perfect.

Best Time to Visit: Peak season is spring for sakura season (when the cherry blossom trees are in full bloom) from March to May, as well as fall for the turning of the leaves and moderate temps from September to November.

Spring will have the highest rates and lots of visitors. We went in late February which meant leather jacket weather with some rain, but we got to see the start of the sakura blooming.
Since a lot of the sights are outdoors with walking, the winter months don’t bring as many visitors, but if you don’t mind the cold, it’s a good off-peak option. Summer can be a bit more rainy and humid in June and July.
Best to aim for a shoulder season in late February to early March to get some blossoms, or September for end of summer.

Budget Meter: $$$ = fairly affordable with options for high/low.

Aside from the flight to Japan, Kyoto’s best hotels and ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) can get pricey, depending on the time of year. If you want to go for sakura season, expect to splurge. Otherwise, there are some very affordable options for hotels and dining, it just depends on the type of experience you want to have.
It also helps that the Japanese Yen has been much weaker this year to the US Dollar, which has resulted in a tourism surge to Japan. We did a mix of both high-end and casual, which puts this somewhere in the middle of ‘very affordable’ and ‘splurge vacay’.

Sustainability Meter: Green.

The Japanese are mindful about everything, including their relationship to the planet and how they consume.
Plastics are sorted from garbage for recycling, and everyone takes their trash with them wherever they go, so there aren’t many public trash cans on the streets.
Almost every transaction can be handled through ApplePay.

Getting Around: Taking the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto is pretty easy once you have your bearings at the train stations, but can be a bit confusing without a game plan (we’ll detail all this in our full guide).

In Kyoto, depending on where you stay, walking around is the best way to explore the city. Ubers are also available, or your hotel can arrange a taxi. There can be a language barrier to navigate at times, but being able to request an Uber to a specific location takes most of the friction out of it.
The local JR train can also be an easy way to get around within Kyoto and functions similarly to our subway systems.

If this sounds like your next vacay, we’ve got you covered with all the details of how to navigate the trains, where to stay, what to eat and do in our Full Guide to Kyoto that will land in your inbox next Sunday.

Traditional Japanese breakfast (for one person) and first time trying jellyfish.

Making Headlines:

The World’s 50 Best Hotels rankings for 2024 revealed (Worlds50Best): After opening during a global pandemic, Capella Bangkok has defied the odds and now stands as the World’s Best Hotel for 2024, offering riverside luxury in the heart of a historic district.

TimeOut releases the cool kids travel guide (TimeOut): From quirky museums to hidden jazz clubs, these 38 neighborhoods are deemed the coolest around the world— where culture, community, and local flavor create one-of-a-kind vibes.

US passports can now be renewed online (NPR): International travel just became a bit easier. The State Department now lets you renew your passport online, streamlining the process and cutting wait times.

Self-help guru teams up with hospitality mogul for a new wellness hotel brand (NYTimes): Tony Robbins is joining forces with hotelier Sam Nazarian (founder of sbe, formerly of the SLS hotels) to create a new brand of luxury resorts focused on preventive health.

Everyone gets a hotel brand! Next up, Celebrity Chef José Andrés announces The Bazaar House (Washingtonian): If the way to your heart is through your stomach, then this foodie hotel is perfect for you. Opening in Washington, D.C. in 2027.