Kyoto & the worldRead before you go (in English)
- Kyoto: A Cultural HistoryA Kyoto-based British scholar traces the city's culture from the Heian court to the present. The best single gift for a friend heading to Kyoto.
- Kyoto: A Contemplative GuideA classic guide to savouring temples and gardens slowly, still read more than half a century on.
- Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai CorpsA full-length English history of the Shinsengumi.
Up closeStories set in Kyoto
- The Old CapitalTwin sisters separated at birth, against the seasons of 1960s Kyoto — the Gion Festival, Kitayama cedars, Nishijin weaving. By Japan's first Nobel laureate in literature.
- Rashōmon and Seventeen Other StoriesIncludes the story of the ruined Rajōmon gate that inspired Kurosawa's film.
Butterfly effectFor Japanese readers
- 『京都ぎらい』 Kyoto-giraiA humorous bestseller on who counts as a "real" Kyotoite — by an author from Saga, on the city's western fringe.
- 『応仁の乱』 Ōnin no RanA surprise bestseller making sense of Japan's most confusing war.
- 『京都インクライン物語』A novel about Tanabe Sakurō and the Lake Biwa Canal.
- 『燃えよ剣』 Moeyo KenThe novel of Hijikata Toshizō that defined the Shinsengumi's popular image.
Reading the landSmall museums the tourists miss
| Museum | Why go |
|---|---|
| Heian-kyō Sōsei-kan | Inside Kyoto Asny (Nakagyō). A 1:1000 model of Heian-kyō: see the grand avenue and the western half from above. |
| Lake Biwa Canal Museum | At Keage. Tanabe Sakurō's plans and construction records; pair it with the Incline. |
| Kyoto Municipal Museum of School History | Shimogyō. The story of the Bangumi schools and art townspeople donated to them. |
| Kyoto City Archaeological Museum | Kamigyō. Finds from subway digs and other excavations beneath the city. |
| The Museum of Kyoto | Sanjō-Takakura. Kyoto's history from start to finish; the old Bank of Japan building is a sight in itself. |
| Shimadzu Foundation Memorial Hall | Kiyamachi-Nijō. Meiji-era scientific instruments — where "made in Kyoto" technology began. |
Opening days and hours change; please check each museum's official information before visiting.