okoshi2002

Hello

Are there sites in Kyoto which require reservations for a visit or are they all on a walk-in basis ?

Are there any recommended English-speaking tours which might be interesting to teenagers (or adults )?

Thank you.

emd

I know that the Imperial Palace and Katsura Villa both require that you reserve online before going.

I took a teen boy to Kyoto last spring and am taking a teen girl there next week, but have no idea about the tours. We do our touring independently, with a "walking guide". I think my teens would get pretty bored w/an organized tour, even for a day. They both like to have the freedom to break away and explore a bit on the side (shop a little, eat a little, etc.) between the sights, and Kyoto is great for that kind of exploring on your own.

I know JTB (Japan Travel Bureau) has many organized tours in Kyoto; you might want to take a look at their website.

http://www.jtb.co.jp/sunrisetour/agent

and click on Kyoto tours.

Some people also take the Johnny Hillwalker tour:

http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/h-s-love/

The following are not things you asked about but are offered from a parent who has teens:

Have you considered a day trip to Hiroshima to see the Peace Park, Museum, and Atomic Bomb site? My teen son was extremely interested and quite moved by that day. After awhile the temples in Kyoto start to run together, esp. for the kids.

One thing which keep my son interested (after he had seen enough temples, etc.) are the many craft workshops available in Kyoto. We did a fabric stenciling workshop and both brought home a piece we did, plus we got to see kimono fabric being hand painted at the center we did this at. He loved it. My daughter and I will be doing a traditional Japanese sweet-making workshop on our upcoming trip, and possibly another workshop which we haven't chosen yet. There are literally dozens of these types of hands on workshops in Kyoto, washi paper-making, jewelry making, on and on.

okoshi2002

Hello EMD

Those classes sound interesting- how do you sign-up for one ?

emd

I am having the concierge at the hotel I am staying at make the call to sign us up. Last trip I had the concierge sign us up the same day we went to the class. At some places, like the Kyoto Handicraft Center, you can call them yourself if need be, because they speak English. The people at the fabric center we went to did not speak English, but it didn't matter because it was all about following the steps that the instructor showed us visually.

Here is a great link to a very extensive site of many handicraft/workshop opportunities. Click on each one for a full description of the workshop, times, place, how to sign up, etc.

http://www.pref.kyoto.jp/visitkyoto/...ltural/crafts/

(We went to the Yuzen Museum, Kodai Yuzen'en last time.)

And the Kyoto Handicraft Center is here:

http://www.khc-kyoto.jp/index-e.html#school

Click on each of the "Handicraft School" icons. I thought my daughter would like the incense making one, and we both want to do the woodblock printing. They also have doll making and cloisonne.

okoshi2002

How old is your daughter emd ? Thank you for these links.

okoshi2002

emd

I have not been able to find an online site to make reservations you mention for Katsura villa and the Imperial Palace. Do you recall where I might find this ?

KimJapan

For the Kyoto Imperial properties, I believe reservations must be made in person with passport. In Tokyo, online reservations are possible, though. Both the Palace and the Villa in Kyoto are reserved through the same office noted in the links below.

http://www.pref.kyoto.jp/visitkyoto/...ace/index.html

http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e17/ed17-03.html

emd

She is 13. My son was 14 when we went.

I honestly can't recall about the info, but Kim Japan replied. I thought I actually had made reservatios for the Imperial Palace in Kyoto though (and then we ended up not going). I know I tried for Katsura but it was all booked up. I got the info from the forum at www.japan-guide.com

I will double check on the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. I am pretty certain that I made resevations to go there online. Maybe that has changed since last year.

emd

The second link Kim gave says that the imperial Palace and Katusra and a few others take appliactions from 3 months before the tour date. It says to acquire a written application before the date (I did this online; it says you can't do it by phone or mail) and then bring a passport w/you. That is what we did- filled out application online, got confirmation we were "in", then we planned to show up early w/our passports and our application and confirmation which we had done online.

I will see if I can find the link we used to apply online.

emd

well, duh emd. The link is at the top of that second page Kim linked. At top of the page it says "application avaialable online" or somethign like that, and you click there. I did that, and it goes to a screen saying the site is down righ tnow- and I immediately recalled that there are only certain hours you can apply online. This is how we applied to visit Imperial Palace in Kyoto. I think i had to apply in the evening in the U.S. online in order to get the hours that the application process was open online.

Good Luck!

emd

I found another traditional Kyoto craft that looks good for teens; my daughter and I might try this one as she can make a T-shirt. Takes 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. Roketsu dyeing.

http://www.roketsu.com/

KimJapan

Great find...I didn't click through the link for internet reservations because it just seemed to be for Tokyo...but sure enough, Kyoto is possible too. So in spite of what they say on page 1 and making reservations in person, you can make res. in advance and for the English tour as well. This is a very good thing to know about! Thanks emd.

okoshi2002

KimJapan

Thank you for those links- would have never founf them myself. I have applied online and have a reservation for a tour at the palace.Thank you