Moss gardens, craft and markets in Kyoto

The moss garden that I still think about
Moss gardens, craft and markets in Kyoto

Learning natural dyes in the mountains

Moss gardens, craft and markets in Kyoto

Secretive doorways
Moss gardens, craft and markets in Kyoto

Doughnuts with seasonal fruit at Ronmadur

“Our day in the mountains with my daughter learning how to dye with locally foraged plants will be forever etched in my memory."
5 days

Moss gardens, craft and markets in Kyoto

Moss gardens, craft and markets in Kyoto

By Lucy, founder of Souvenir

We swerved the shrine-hopping and geisha-gawping and sought a more well-rounded experience of Kyoto. On this trip we learned about natural plant dyes at a studio in the mountains, drank excellent pour-over coffee, dined on home-cooked Kyoto cuisine, and focused on just a couple of utterly jaw-dropping temples and gardens that still live rent free in my head. Weave your way through Kyoto's secretive alleyways and you'll glimpse the presence of old-fashioned tea houses and dimly lit bars behind discreet wooden doorways.

Expect to fall in love!

WHAT THE KIDS WILL LOVE

  • Learning how to dye with plants at a workshop in the mountains
  • Walking through japan's streets is a sensory experience and always something fun to see
  • The Nishiki food market and seeing all the 'weird' and wonderful things to eat
  • Playground time
  • The prettiest doughnuts (so good we went twice)

WHAT YOU'LL LOVE

  • Eating home-cooked Kyoto cuisine
  • A couple of utterly jaw-dropping temples and a spectacular garden that still lives rent-free in my head
  • An uber-chic hidden coffee house 
  • The Thousand Red Gates - touristy but worth it
  • Independent shops and inspiring artisan studios

The Essentials

Trip length: 4 full days in Kyoto plus a travel half-day.

Getting there: You'll likely be arriving from Tokyo by flight or shinkansen.

Getting around: On foot, metro and taxis where needed.

Stay: An apart-hotel in central Kyoto near Gojo metro, with a double bed plus a tatami area with futons for the kids, separated by sliding screens. This Trip Kit will work from any accommodation in the central Kyoto area.

When to go: We went in April. This Trip Kit will work for any time of year.

Best for: kids around 1-12.

HOW WE DID IT

The apartment was about £100 per night (details in the Trip Kit). It has a small kitchenette so we ate breakfasts there, prepped snacks and ate out for lunch and dinners.

You can choose to eat cheaply or expensively in Kyoto and the trip kit features a mix of both.

Most of our activities were free or low cost. The most expensive activity was entry to one of the temple gardens at around £25 per adult.

We spent about £10 per day on metro. Taxis were £10-£20.

WHAT YOU'LL GET

You’ll receive:

  • our recommended plan for each day, built with the realities of travelling with young kids in mind
  • where we stayed, how we got around and what you shouldn't miss
  • what we spent
  • a pre-pinned Google map with a layer for each day
  • feeding little eaters in Japan
  • Japan etiquette notes to help this trip go smoothly
  • rainy day ideas

Every family has different preferences and requirements. The Trip Kit allows you to recreate our exact trip or you can easily adapt it for your family's needs. See here for FAQs.

Saves hours of research, no AI, designed by parents.

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