One of the best ways to unwind in Kyoto is by walking along the Kamo River. While many always associate Kyoto with the bustling tourist crowds of Higashiyama, Gion, and the temples across Kyoto, walking down the Kamo River bring a nice, quaint change of pace.
Along the large Kamo River the cuts through Kyoto, you can find the Kamogawa Noryo-Yuka (鴨川納涼床), a dirt path, that runs alongside the river, just outside the bustling restaurants of Pontocho. The path also has a grassy slope that leads down to the riverbank, and is faintly illuminated by the lights of the nearby restaurants. There’s a certain sense of calm to be had in the area, with lies just outside the bustle of the nearby restaurants in the area. It’s typically quiet, and you’ll often find friends or couples sitting along the grassy slopes, staring across the river, or up into the starry sky.
As you walk further down the river, away from the hustle and bustle, the lighting gets more faint, and the area becomes quieter, and is a great place to be as the gentle river breeze blows through your hair. There are also often cranes in the area, giving you a sense of peaceful nature in this old capital. While the lighting might be dim, the path is generally a straight, flat dirt path, illuminated well enough by the surrounding buildings, and the safety of Japan means that it’s perfectly safe to just stroll along.
