Kyoto March events & insider tips when low, and Kyoto fairytale essay

Kyoto's public transportation network has a new "luxury" tram, which will definitely find a huge fan base among the trendy Japanese domestic tourists (remember: Kyoto receives nearly 50 million Japanese domestic tourists annually; and only about 2.5 million foreign visitors). The Kyotram streetcar began operating on the Randen tram line that connects Omiya Station to Arashiyama Station. The Randen trains are owned and operated by the private Keifuku Electric Railroad corporation.

I have long loved the ride on the Keifuku tram lines that operate between Hakubaicho Station (just south of the Golden Pavilion) and Arashiyama Station. In the 1990s these "old" streetcars were very popular because you felt like you had time traveled to the 1950s. And for that reason, the ride "seemed" more relaxing and experiential. Japan's professional soccer craze of the early 1990s resulted in Kyo-Purple colored trains in honor of Kyoto's Purple Sanga soccer team.

The new Kyotram streetcar, which is also heavily purple themed, went into operation on the last day of February 2025. There is only one Kyotram train running now but six more are on the way.

The so-called “people-friendly streetcar” also features surveillance cameras and photoelectric sensors to increase passenger safety whence boarding and disembarking. And the multilingual LED destination screen at the front of the train is easier to see, and easier to understand for foreigners who are English, Chinese, and Korean literate.

The Kyotram seating is more modern and more comfortable. And the curved vertical handrails make it even easier for standing passengers to hang on.

So the next time you head to Arashiyama on the Randen Main Line (from Omiya to Arashiyama) try to time your journey, going or coming, to enjoy the new Kyotram streetcar experience.

The rest of this post covers:

• March 2025 Kyoto event highlights
• Insider tips for the Old Capital of Kyoto
• Kyoto City as a fairytale world essay

Content by Ian Martin Ropke, owner of Your Japan Private Tours (est. 1990). I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. I work closely with Japan private tour clients and have worked for all kinds of families, companies, and individuals since 1990. Clients find me mostly via organic search, and I advertise my custom Japan private tours & travel services on www.japan-guide.com, which has the best all-Japan English content & maps in Japan! If you are going to Japan and you understand the advantages of private travel, consider my services for your next trip. And thank you for reading my content. I, Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search), am also a serious nonfiction and fiction writer, a startup founder (NexussPlus.com), and a spiritual wood sculptor. Learn more!

March 2025 Kyoto event highlights

Kyogen theater: comedy between Noh tragedies: To have a sense of humor is one of life's most valuable things. And Kyogen — more than any other traditional Japanese theater form — makes this point brilliantly clear. Where Noh examines the mysteries of the spirit and the Gods, Kyogen is an outright celebration of everything human, and the Gods are no exception. Kyogen is not sublime or bound up with mystery — it's simple, and easy to understand. For example, in the play Kane no Ne, the master sends his servant to Kamakura to find the best price for gold (kane no ne). The servant, however, thinks his master means the sound of bells (also kane no ne), so he goes around and listens to the bells at many temples. When he returns, he reports to his master that the bell at Kencho-ji Temple was best. The master gets really angry and explains what he really wanted. The play ends with the servant performing a song and dance about his mistake, which the master overhears. In the end he is forgiven. This is the stuff of Kyogen. This month and next, there will be several excellent Kyogen performances. Try and see one. You won't regret it.

Along with Noh, Kyogen rose to prominence and was perfected in the Muromachi Period (1380 - 1466), under the patronage of the first Ashikaga shogun. In the beginning, it was performed solely as a form of comic relief between Noh plays. Over time it also established itself as an independent theater form, though it is still strongly linked with Noh. The well known Shigeyama Kyogen family (Okura School) has been connected with the prestigious Kyoto Kongo Noh School from the early Muromachi Period. The present head of the Shigeyama Gosho family, Chuzaburo Shigeyama (4th generation), was designated as an Intangible Cultural Asset in 1987. His son, Yoshinobu (13 years old), ranks as one of the youngest Kyogen actors in Japanese history, and in his career to date he has performed all over the country. He can be said to be the vanguard of a growing trend, as in recent decades the average age of kyogen actors has been decreasing steadily. As a father and son team they are continuing a tradition that dates back nearly 500 years.

Dainembutsu Kyogen at Seiryo-ji Temple (3/15): at 15:00, 16:30, and 18:00, there will be performances of nembutsu kyogen, a Buddhist pantomime morality play dating from medieval times. The temple is located northeast of Rakushisha in Saga, western Kyoto. Tel: 861-0343. Mibu Kyogen (4/21-29): Mibu Kyogen is held April 21-29, from 13:00 to 17:30, and on April 29 from 13:00 to 22:00 Mibu Temple is just west of the downtown area (southwest of Shijo Omiya). Tel. 841-3381.

Kibune Amagoisai ceremony honors Japan's water god: In ancient times, Japanese people believed that the dragon god controlled the rain. This dragon was believed to live in a cave behind the original altar of Kibune Shrine. And thus, the God of Water—Takaokami-no-kami—came to be enshrined in the haunting, lush surroundings of Kibune Shrine. Takaokami-no-kami literally translated means "the dragon who is from a higher world." Since the 8th century the emperor had dispatched special ceremonial messengers to Kibune to either entreat the water deity for rain with a braid of black horsehair, or to ask that the rains cease by sending a red or white braid. Kibune's Amagoisai Ceremony is just one of the important water-related rituals that take place in Kibune. The ritual was originally held at the three waterfalls behind the shrine, with Shinto priests pouring sake into the falls, while chanting, drumming, and praying for the perfect amount of rain for that year's harvest. Today, the ceremony is undertaken at the shrine's main altar. The ceremony begins by drawing sacred water from the shrine's well and offering it to the god at the altar. After reciting Shinto prayers, the priest pours sacred sake and a handful of salt into the water. Then the same priest faces to the south and solemnly throws the water into the air while the other priests chant, sing, or drum. The Kibune Amagoisai is held on the second Sunday in March from 10:00 at Kibune Shrine, a 20-min walk from Kibune Stn, on the Eizan Railway Kurama Line (28 min from Demachiyanagi Stn). Tel: 741-2016.

Romantic Train Ride in Sagano (3/1-12/29): This wonderful train trip, which was not running in the winter season (12/30-late Feb.), will start running again in the fresh spring air. It is about a 25-minute ride from Saga to Kameoka along a section of track that was the original track of JR line. The run is 7.3 km and passes along fine gorge through 8 old tunnels. The sunlight, lush green panoramic views along the gorge are superb in spring. Admission: \600 (\300 for children); on some Wednesdays the train does not run; to get to the start of the run . Take JR from Kyoto to Saga Arashiyama station; Tel: 861-7444.

Special Spring Dolls Exhibition at Hokyoji Temple (3/1-4/3): Hokyoji Temple was built in the Muromachi period as temple for nuns. It was headed by an imperial princess for generations. The temple is famous for its huge collection of dolls and ceremonies related to them; it is also known as the “doll temple”. Every spring and autumn, an excellent doll exhibition is held here. Famous dolls include Emperor Komei’s (1831-1866) dolls: childlike, dignified imperial dolls; Hinaningyo (dolls displayed on the Girl’s Day: 3/3) and others. These beautiful dolls will certainly give people nostalgic memories of their childhood. The temple’s attractions also include a wooden statue of Ashikaga Yoshimasa’s (1436-1490) wife, Hino Tomiko (1440-1496), elegant sliding door paintings, and a fine garden. A doll festival will be held on the first day of the exhibition, and maiko dance will be featured. Admission: \500; . Take city bus #9 to Horikawa Teranouchi stop; Tel: 451-1550.

Hina Matsuri: Since the beginning of Japanese history , dolls have been used in rituals to cure illness and protect the young. The Kyoto doll style is generally referred to as kyo ningyo. Japan’s most famous day for dolls is the Hina Matsuri, March 3rd. This day is considered as a girls’ day, and some families which have daughters display Hina dolls in their houses. The dolls are arranged on a series of stepped shelves (representing different social classes), they are dressed in exquisite traditional clothing from the Heian period (794-1185). At the very top stands the Hina pair, representing the Emperor and Empress. In the past, elaborate household meals were eaten in the presence of the dolls. Hina Matsuri is not just a spectacle the fantasy and beauty, but an expression of hope for the health and happiness of young girls in the year to come. Note: Hina Matsuri is traditionally celebrated and observed in the home. However, you can see those beautiful dolls on display at department stores or dolls shops.

Insider tips for the Old Capital of Kyoto

As a tourist or a resident of Kyoto, you are lucky. Did you know that? After all you’re in a city that is considered by many to be one of the top 10 wonders of the world. It would be hard to argue this point, and yet there you are walking down Shijo street looking for magic. You’re not alone. Most tourists, like most people, like most animals, will stick to the places where everyone is or where everyone is supposed to go. It’s a fairly safe strategy, but when you get home, and you will go home sooner or later, you will find that you will have very few magical memories if you behave like a sheep.

One of the least talked about and yet most apparent things about Kyoto is that it is a walled city. You can walk around any neighborhood and find yourself facing walls wherever you look: temple walls, shrine walls, schools walls, the walls of private homes, the walls of privacy, walls and yet more walls. This can put you off at first: it’s supposed to. But on closer examination, and this is the point where all the fun begins, you will find that many of these apparently impenetrable walls have doors in them, and that the doors are open. This is your chance: go for it. If it’s a temple, shrine or school, no problem. Go on in and have a look around. Be careful. Be polite. But don’t be bashful. You might find yourself in a serene, almost fairy-tale like garden, or looking at an old abandoned well, or a sleeping dog that belongs to the priest's family, or a flowering bush like you’ve never imagined before. Take a picture if you like. But by all means have a cautious look around.

If it’s a house, and those are usually the most intriguing places, then turn your adventure dial up a notch and begin with the “peek-around-the-corner look.” No one’s going to shoot you for that. If you feel really confident and just as sure that it’s all right, then by all means take one step in and take in the unimaginable possibilities of the front yard. Just make sure that your body language is saying: “I’m just looking!”

So now that we have the walls part out of the way, let’s think about other ways to experience something that’s probably not in the guidebooks or online. Here’s a short list of things you can do in Kyoto to substantially increase the magic and the improbable encounter with humans, beast or fowl.

1) Follow your heart; go to the end of the road; get thoroughly lost and take the way you think is the least travelled. Kyoto may seem to have an overabundance of cars, but it's still one of the few cities in the world that has countless places where cars simply can't get too. Go there!

2) Explore the edge of town, which in the Old Capital is where the hills begin. Kyoto has an incredible range of hillside walking paths to choose from. The hike to Daimon-ji, which begins behind the Silver Pavilion (Ginkakuji Temple) takes only 30 minutes and offers priceless views of Kyoto Or explore the haunting lost worlds of Mount Yoshida, just east of prestigious Kyoto University, where you will find serene graveyards, fine old villas, quiet laneways, and an innumerable array of unimaginable little things. The walks south from Shugaku-in Imperial Villa along the eastern Higashiyama ridge past Manshu-in Temple, or from Tofuku-ji Temple to Mount Inari above Fushimi Inari Grand Shrine are also very rewarding, and, as always, quiet and generally undisturbed by the rush of late 20th century time.

3) Daylight comes and daylight goes. Before the sheer luxury of electricity, and still today, people's daily rhythms centered around early morning and late afternoon. Throughout Asia and other parts of the world, this is the best time for people watching. In Kyoto, the mornings (before 9 especially) and then again around 5 or 6, go to the Old Imperial Palace grounds; walk along the Kamogawa River between Imadegawa and Kitayama; or explore the inner lanes and parks of off-the-main-street residential areas. Here you are sure t o find a lot of people out for a stroll or walking the dog (in the Old Imperial Palace ground and along the river there are places where dogs and their owners meet and commune twice a day!). A particularly heart-warming sight, is an old woman dressed in mute colors taking in the sunlit splendor of day; many appear on the street for their twice-daily passage through the neighborhood (pay your respects to the elderly with a respectful nod, konnichiwa, or konbanwa).

4) Savor breakfast in the old-world luxury of the All Day Dining RAQOU restaurant on the 3rd floor of the old wing of Westin Miyako Hotel. For a little more than a few thousand yen you can enjoy a fabulous view of most of Kyoto, including magnificent Hieizan to the north, the tile-roofed slopes of Yoshidayama and so much more. In the rainy season, this is the place to watch the mists rise. Open from 6:30.

Tips for those feeling low, ill or homesick

For foreigners who find themselves in Kyoto and who are feeling lonely or homesick, here are a few simple things you can do to get through the day with a smile.

1) Try to get to know as many dogs as you can. When you can't get human affection, you can always count on a dog! It's also an easy way to meet people. If the dog likes you the owner will too.

2) Go to the Kyoto International Community House, where you will always find a friendly foreign face or two for a chance encounter.

3) Watch a funny film like Doctor Strangelove, A Day at the Opera (the Marx brothers), Mr. Bean (seat belt recommended!). Or watch your favorite comedian on your smartphone.

4) Call home or a dear friend; forget about how much it will cost: a good conversation is priceless.

5) Write down what you are feeling in your journal or in a letter to someone you love. When's it out and on paper, you'll feel lighter for sure.

6) Take a walk without any idea about where you are going (see above).

7) Go to sleep: often when you are feeling down all you really need is a good night's sleep. Remember: your subconscious is your friend.

8) Go a local sento public bath or the outdoor baths at the Kurama Onsen hot springs and soak away the cold, the sad, and the feeling that you are alone.

9) If you're finding that none of these things are working, then maybe you should make an appointment at the Aoibashi Family Clinic with a professional English-speaking counsellor. Details: https://kyoto-afc.jp/ .

Kyoto City as a fairytale world essay

The idea of a city conjures up a thousand images. There are enormous cities of power and wealth. There are dying cities. There are living cities. And yet behind all these adjectives shimmers the idea of the city, the ideal city, the dream of humankind, the showcase for all our best achievements. The city can and should be a symbiotic balance between our wild, unbound nature and the many ways human beings shape the world around us. One might say that a good city is a celebration of the sentient spirit, a place that symbolizes and actualizes to its best ability all there is to love about life. A great city is a great place to live. And living in a great city must, by definition, be somehow akin to living in a dream, or inhabiting a fairy tale like landscape of existence. Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, is such a city: a dream, an endless moment of fantastic magic. Kyoto is a place that remains host to nearly 1200 years of civilization. It is timeless. It is modern. It is sophisticated. It is serene. It is green. It is still a living rendition of heaven on earth.

Kyoto was envisioned as a work of art, and, today, some 1200 years later, the inspiration of those early grand design artists lives on within nearly every quarter of the city's earliest boundaries. According to fenshui, or Chinese geomantic principles (the correct spatial and directional relation between heaven and earth, interior design, etc.), the north-south valley of Kyoto, surrounded on three sides by an unbroken ridge of mountain-like green hills, represents the ideal site for a city. It is bisected by two large rivers, which provide a flow of constant energy through the city, keeping it fresh and somehow pulsating with vitality and spiritual power. To the northeast, at the point known as the Devil's or Tiger's gate, from which evil or negative energy is most likely to enter, stands a high mountain, which serves to guard the city from any untoward invasion from other realms. For the Chinese, Kyoto was the perfect place to build a capital city. You can still feel the power today with a little meditative mindlessness.

Some people maintain that the world, like the body, has seven spiritual chakras or places that seem especially charged with a unique kind of energy and synchronicity. Kyoto has been widely agreed upon to be one of those planetary chakras. In living here for so many years, I too can confirm that there is something magical contained in the physical environment that serves as the host to the cities' physical and spiritual needs.

I have been to many great world cities and the only other ones I have experienced that compare in some ways are Benares and Jerusalem. It cannot be a coincidence that all three are major religious centers. Kyoto is soaked in spiritual energy, and it is no wonder that so many artists, seekers, and mystics have journeyed here and lived here over the centuries. In Kyoto one cannot help but think of the meaning of life or wonder about the existence of god or the spirit world.

For many, who call Kyoto home, the city is a metaphysical experience, a highly poetic reality. Here we live in a sea of antiquity and ancient wisdom that lives on in the trees, the gardens, the innumerable temple and shrine sanctuaries, and countless living traditions. And yet in a sense Kyoto belongs to herself and not to those who live there. It is a living thing and few cities can claim this distinction. It is at once a matrix of living creations and long forgotten life forms. One feels a sense of gratitude just to be here, where we are indeed here at all.

In Kyoto one cannot help but be aware that human existence is a dream, a sublime illusion, a gift of God. At four pm and ten pm we often hear the distant ring of the temple bells, and we are reminded that life is short and that death is certain. Kyoto is a city where introspection and anonymity can be perfectly lived out. The people of this city leave others alone, do not show their curiosity, do not enquire about mundane things. This leaves us with much space. In Kyoto, one lives at home and is left alone should one choose it that way. Kyoto is an ideal place to enjoy the pleasures of life — food, good company, cultural expression, etc. But most of all Kyoto feeds the soul.

Miyako in the mist by Ian Martin Ropke

mist rising from my eyes

and I know there's more

as when I see mists

twisting across the slopes way above Ginkakuji

drifting in a haunted motion between the red pines

and I imagine brontosaurus feeding calmly in the dawn

mists beckoning from a mile away

you capture me as easily

as when I am having breakfast

at the Westin Miyako Hotel in the rainy season

and I slowly forget the luxury and the servants

as I'm caught up in the ineffable magic of Kyoto beyond the north windows

mists in the distance

moving towards heaven

I followed a mist dragon years ago

in the steep mountain folds beyond Arashiyama

moving south with the grace of 10,000 years

towards the rising dawn of a perfect May morning

mist in my eyes

when I feel too much inside

mist from the hazy abandon of your careless youth

rising from silent ponds, mingling with the deer’s screaming call

piercing the Heian dawn and electrifying the few hopeful sleepers

that still long for magic with one open ear.

• March 2025 Kyoto event highlights
• Insider tips for the Old Capital of Kyoto
• Kyoto City as a fairytale world essay

Content by Japan travel specialist & designer Ian Martin Ropke, founder & owner of Your Japan Private Tours (YJPT, est. 1990). I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. I work closely with all of YJPT's Japan private tour clients and have a great team behind me. I promote YJPT through this content and only advertise at www.japan-guide.com, which has the best all-Japan English content & maps! If you are going to Japan and you understand the advantages of private travel, consider my services for your next trip to save time & have a better time. Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search) is also a serious nonfiction and fiction writer, a startup founder (NexussPlus.com), and a spiritual wood sculptor. Learn more!