We found Kyoto too full of tourists - and we didn't even go to Arashiyama, Higashiyama or the Golden temple! One thing I did love about the city though is its back streets. The city is very easy to navigate - it's built on a grid system, with mountains to the west, north and east, and the main river in the city centre to the east too. Once you have a fair idea where you are in relation to these, you can leave the main streets and criss-cross the little back alleys and minor roads - and leave the noise and the tourists behind. You will find a different world, full of little shops, workshops and residents' houses, all with plenty of overhead wires and vending machines at regular intervals!
Walking through the maze of side streets, I felt strangely free, but also felt like I belonged - no longer a tourist, but someone who knew the city well enough to take turns without having to check my map!
This little shop was a lantern maker, and I actually saw the artist with a brush, hard at work.
No tourists here, just businessmen, mothers on their way to the market, overhead wires (lots and lots of them) and a vending machine
Watch out for bicycles!
It wasn't the brightest of days, but I would have loved to go back on a better day at sunset, turn to the West and take photos of a beautiful urban sunset!
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