Finding a place

Hiya. My name’s Laurie. I’m a proud member of the College Student Life team and the Custom Program coordinator. I’ve been working with CIEE Kyoto for a little over a year now, and thinking about moving to Kyoto pretty much the whole time. My current home is near Umeda Station in Osaka, which means I’m always guaranteed a seat on the commuter train from there, but it’s still a little over an hour door to door. I’m not getting nearly as much reading done as I promised myself I would on the commute, and I’d really rather be walking or cycling. Just recently I made my first appointment to view a property in town—a big step. And it’s really got me thinking about where I would like to live in Kyoto and why. I’ve been asking my colleagues about their perfect Kyoto neighborhoods (not where they live so much as where they wish they did-- or think I should). Here are some of their responses: a little introduction to some of the city's many unique neighborhoods.

Arashiyama: home of Togetsu Bridge, Tenryuji, Otagi Nenbutsuji and the famous bamboo grove--  

A beautiful part of the city, but you have to get out a little ways from the center to have any space to yourself

Okazaki: Kyoto University, Heian Jingu, Nanzenji, museums and libraries... – 

The meeting of the rivers at Demachiyanagi is a great place for wading in summer

Kyo-Tanabe: a smaller city just south of Kyoto– 

A little bit of farming, large fields… but it’s close to the Costco—and there's a sort of academic feel with the Doshisha University campus nearby

Nijo: the area around Nijo Castle and Sanjo-kai shopping arcade – 

Convenient for JR and everything else, plenty of shopping options for anything you might need 

Omiya: start of the Randen tram line to Arashiyama and convenient to Hankyu trains as well– 

Central but also relatively inexpensive, not so touristy, but convenient for escapes to Arashiyama by cable car or an easy walk to the Sanjo shopping arcade

Horikawa Dori: just west of the Imperial Palace park, through the historic textile district of Nishijin– 

A good central location, a good mix of the ancient and modern aspects of the city

Fushimi: home to Fushimi Inari Grand Shrine (the one with all the torii gates), the Fushimi sake breweries, with Tofukuji and Toji Temples nearby (great gardens and monthly flea market respectively-- and of course cultural treasures)-- So many walking trails through the mountains there's always something new to discover

Ayabe: a rural city in a district encompassing traditional craft treasures Kurotani papermaking village (but at an hour away from Kyoto city by train, probably not within the current remit)--

Away from the hustle and bustle, with rice fields all around 

Mukomachi: a Kyoto 'bedtown' suburb just to the southwest– 

A nice residential area and an easy commute

Marutamachi: the Kamogawa riverside area with the largest selection of vegan eateries and zero waste shops in walking distance- Seems like you'd like it there 

My aim now is to move in the autumn—to enjoy the bright foliage while looking into ways to keep a little tiny old machiya townhouse nice and cozy through the winter. If you’re ever looking for a place of your own here, old and wooden or not, I’d love to hear about it.