Kyoto

One compass direction a day around Kyoto's edges, with Nara or Uji

The great sights ring the edge of the city, so give each day one compass direction. Three days is the minimum for a first visit; four leaves room for Nara or Uji without rushing. Whatever the season, reach Fushimi Inari and the Arashiyama bamboo grove soon after dawn, before the tour groups.

• East: Kiyomizu-dera first, then the stone lanes of Higashiyama downhill to Gion, finishing by the Kamo River at dusk. Ginkaku-ji and the canal-side Philosopher's Path fill a second eastern morning.
• North and west: The Golden Pavilion of Kinkaku-ji pairs with the rock garden of Ryōan-ji and with Ninna-ji, all World Heritage temples. Arashiyama deserves a day to itself: Tenryū-ji, the bamboo grove and a slow ride home on the Randen tram.
• Centre and south: Nijō Castle and Nishiki Market downtown. Further south come the torii tunnels of Fushimi Inari and the sake district of Fushimi, where Gekkeikan runs brewery tours.
• Out of town: Nara is about 45 minutes by train. Uji, a matcha town with the Byōdō-in temple, is around 20 minutes on the JR Nara Line.

Some visits need paperwork. Katsura Imperial Villa, Shūgakuin Imperial Villa and the Sentō Palace can only be seen by reservation through the Imperial Household Agency, so apply before you travel. Kaiseki restaurants rarely accept bookings from foreigners directly; ask your hotel well ahead. In blossom and maple season rooms vanish, and sleeping in Osaka, 30 minutes away by train, is a sensible fallback.

The shinkansen from Tokyo takes about 2 hr 15 min, and Hiroshima is a straight run west.

Sticky Augusts, a June rainy season and cold winters in the Kyoto basin

Mountains wrap the city on three sides, and the basin traps heat in summer and cold air in winter. August is the hardest month. Average highs reach 34°C and nights stay near 25°C. The rainy season runs from about mid-June to the end of July, and July alone collects around 224 mm.

July also brings the biggest event of the year. The Gion Matsuri lasts the whole month, but the days to plan around are the float processions on 17 and 24 July. On the three yoiyama evenings before each parade (14 to 16 and 21 to 23 July), the towering floats stand lit with lanterns in the downtown streets and food stalls line the way.

On 16 August, as Obon ends, five huge bonfires shaped as characters and symbols are lit on the surrounding hills from 20:00. The Jidai Matsuri on 22 October sends around 2,000 people in period costume through the city to Heian Shrine.

Spring and autumn are glorious and packed. Plum blossom opens in March, cherry blossom follows into early April, and maple colour usually peaks late in November, when highs settle around 17°C. Winter is the quiet option. January highs sit near 9°C with the odd dusting of snow, but you can photograph a temple garden without a crowd in front of it.

Kaiseki dinners and the quieter seasonal cooking of Kyoto

Kyoto cooking is quieter and more seasonal than its neighbour's. The city is the spiritual home of kaiseki, a long sequence of small courses served, ideally, in a private tatami room. Many kaiseki houses only take guests introduced by regulars, so the realistic routes in are a luxury hotel concierge or a night at a ryokan known for its dinners.

Everyday tastes are easier. Nishiki Market, the covered lane one block north of Shijō-dōri, is the place to graze on pickles, grilled skewers and sweets. Matcha flavours ice cream and cakes as well as tea, and the finest leaf is grown in nearby Uji. The sweet to take home is yatsuhashi: either the crisp cinnamon biscuit or the soft raw version folded around red bean paste, sold in seasonal flavours such as sakura in spring. If you arrive hungry, the Isetan store at Kyoto Station has a cluster of ramen counters on its upper floors (the tenth and eleventh).

For a drink, Kiyamachi between Shijō and Sanjō has the densest run of bars. Whisky drinkers can visit Yamazaki, Japan's oldest distillery, just over the prefectural border; book its tours ahead.

In temple gardens, keep voices low and never step on the raked gravel.