Thank you for the link to the article by Pico Iyer. I have heard from people in great detail that Kyoto is filled with intagrammers, tiktok, large groups, tourists (from all countries) behaving badly, right down to teens lamenting "why are we heeeere?" to the point I considered we should cut our 5 nights there. I won't don't that. Thanks to progol and others on the forum I have determined we can avoid the most crowded times and sites as necessary by venturing to the many quieter places that are "discovered" but not impossible. And coming from the West Coast like the author, and being one who is awake at odd hours anyway, will take advantage of the pre-dawn hours to walk through those streets like Pico Iyer did. We are going to Japan in November, I'm really excited.

What a great report, thank you for taking the time to post it.

Thank you very much for taking time to write this report. It was a pleasure to read.

francebound - I am finding it harder and harder to decide what to choose to see for any given trip as the likelihood of being able to return is unknown. There are still so many places that we wish to visit and never enough time. I do think that as we get older we are becoming more intentional about our choices and learning how to control our FOMO tendencies. I did learn something though - I was really convinced that I did NOT want to battle the crowds to see the Golden Pavilion and my husband was adamant about making the effort to see it. I really am glad as well as surprised by how much I enjoyed visiting it. It was just so beautiful! I hope your upcoming trip to Japan is full of wonderful moments.

tripplanner001 and millie2112 - so glad you enjoyed the report. I know that sometimes the details can be tedious to wade through. Hoping that there are some pieces of info that are helpful.