Kyoto City named as top place to visit in Japan

The city was given the gold medal by the travel website The World Bucket List, finishing in first spot on their ‘Japan Bucket List', a compilation of the ten best things to do in The Land of the Rising Suns.

The Japan Bucket List

The Japan Bucket List pulls together the very best of what Japan has to offer, and ranks them in order from tenth place to first. While any bucket list is subjective, there is no doubt that any one of these ten choices would find a place on all similar itineraries.

The article regards Japan as the “cultural capital of the East” and “one of Asia's most notable nations”, a claim hard to dispute considering the country's pulling weight in tourism; around 31 million people visit, making it Asia's third most visited country after Thailand and China.

Throughout the list, The World Bucket List puts forth its ardent reasons as to why each attraction or location occupies the slot it does, and for the benefit of future visitors it includes the relevant address of each.

Who are The World Bucket List?

The World Bucket List regards itself as an inspirational global travel website that puts together bucket lists of the top things to do in the world's uppermost cities and countries.

Travelling can be tough and selecting the best attractions to visit is a difficult endeavour, but the aim of The World Bucket List is to minimise the impact and help you to arrange the best possible trip.

The website has stretched its tentacles across the globe, compiling itineraries for the likes of Thailand, Ireland, the UK, the United States of America and Europe, providing the eager traveller with obvious destinations.

The city of Kyoto

Described as Japan's “cultural utopia”, the city of Kyoto is a place buttressed by history and attracts millions of visitors each year. It is home to over 4,000 ancient historical monuments, and in 794 it was chosen as the new seat of Japan's imperial court.

When visiting Kyoto, make sure to see the numerous Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and palaces, many of whom have earned the status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are well-worth your trip.

The World Bucket List, in justifying its decision, notably mentions the Fushimi Inari Taisha, “arguably Japan's most spectacular site”, as one of the best places to visit in the city, a Shrinto shrine dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice.

Elsewhere, the article refers to Kinkau-Ji and Ginkaku-Ji as “peaceful escapes for tourists”, while the cultural experiences of geisha and tea ceremonies “return us to a humbler world untouched by modern technology.”

With a population of 1.5 million, Kyoto is amongst Japan's ten largest cities, and is a splendid fusion of an imperfect past and a promising future, each of which can be accessed from the moving car that is the modern day.

Who is on the Japan Bucket List?

In tenth place, The World Bucket List lists Hiroshima, much of which has been rebuilt since its destruction during World War II, while in ninth lies Tokyo's world-famous izakaya, a “laid-back culinary experience” cherished by the locals.

Experiencing the Otaku culture is eighth, a dream come true for fans of manga, anime and video games. The website urges its readers to eat the ramen in seventh place, a “delectable Japanese dish” and an essential exercise to get the best out of your trip.

Cherry Blossoms bloom during springtime in Japan, and The World Bucket List recommends we take advantage of that by celebrating the Hanami festival at sixth. In fifth, we are asked to attend a kabuki performance, while at the magnificent Sapporo Snow Festival ranks at fourth.

Kicking off the top three is the beautiful Nara Park where deer run free, while in second place and just missing out on the top prize is Shibuya Crossing, the world's busiest pedestrian crossing that sits beneath the rising skyline of Tokyo city.