Hi, I’m Sho — and yes, I actually live here.
I was born and raised in Kyoto City. My family moved to Tokyo for a few years when I was a kid, thanks to my dad’s job, but Kyoto pulled me back as an adult, and I’ve been here ever since. I’ve watched the cherry blossoms come and go along the Kamo River more times than I can count, and I still duck into a different backstreet every few months and find something I hadn’t noticed before.
I started Kyoto Journey between jobs, when I finally had the time to sit down and write out everything I’d tell a friend before their first trip here — where to stay, which temples are actually worth the wait, what nobody mentions until you’ve already landed.
Why this site is different from a typical travel blog
A lot of Kyoto guides get written after a four-day trip. Mine don’t. I’m not commuting between hotels trying to see everything in one visit — I’m walking these same streets on an ordinary Tuesday. That means the advice here comes from repetition, not a single impression: which neighborhoods actually go quiet at night, which “hidden gem” spots stopped being hidden years ago, and which ones genuinely still are.
I also try to write things that hold up. You won’t find “the best cafes this month” here — you’ll find guides built around what actually stays true: how a neighborhood feels, how a temple’s crowds behave by time of day, what a fair price for a ryokan room looks like. That kind of information doesn’t go stale in six months.
What I do here
I’m in a bit of a career transition right now, which is honestly how this site happened — I had time on my hands for the first time in years, and Kyoto Journey is what I did with it.
When I’m not writing, you’ll usually find me down at the Kamo River with my three daughters. Some of my favorite hours in this city are just the four of us on the riverbank, not doing much of anything.
What you’ll find on Kyoto Journey
Practical, specific guides: neighborhood comparisons, temple-by-temple advice, phrases that actually help, and honest notes on what’s worth your time and what isn’t. No hype, no “must-see” lists copied from ten other sites. Just what I’d tell a friend before their trip.
Get in touch
Got a question about your trip, or notice something on the site that’s out of date? Email me at sho.maizuru@gmail.com — I read everything and try to reply personally.
A note on how this site earns money: some links on Kyoto Journey are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you. I only link to places and services I’d actually recommend to a friend.