Things to See in Kyoto

Nij Jinya is an interesting attraction, although it's not really geared to foreign visitors. This former merchant's home was built in the mid-1600s and served as an inn for provincial feudal lords visiting the capital. What appears to be an average Edo-period mansion, however, is no ordinary dwelling.

The house contains fire-resistant earthen walls and a warren of 24 rooms, and was ingeniously designed to protect the daimy against possible surprise attacks.

The Imperial Palace is surrounded by a spacious park with a welcome landscape of trees and open lawn - it's Kyoto's very own Central Park. It's perfect for picnics, strolls and just about any sport that doesn't require retrieving balls over walls. Best of all, it's free. Take some time to visit the pond at the park's southern end, with its gaping carp. The park is most beautiful in the plum- and cherry-blossom seasons (early March and early April, respectively).

The Nanzen-ji Temple is one of Kyoto's most pleasant temples, with expansive grounds and numerous sub-temples. It began as a retirement villa for Emperor Kameyama but was dedicated as a Zen temple on his death in 1291. Civil war in the 15th century destroyed most of it; the present buildings date from the 17th century.

Shimabara, a district northwest of Kyoto Station, was Kyoto's original pleasure quarters. At its peak during the Edo period (1600-1867) the area flourished, with more than 20 enormous ageya - magnificent banquet halls where artists, writers and statesmen gathered in a 'floating world' ambience of conversation, art and fornication. Geisha were often sent from their okiya (living quarters) to entertain patrons at these restaurant-cum-brothels.

This is a good place to try unagi, that most sublime of Japanese dishes. You can sit downstairs with a nice view of the waterfall, or upstairs on the tatami. The kane-yo donburi (eel over rice; around 890) set is great value. Look for the barrels of live eels outside and the wooden façade.

This is Kyoto's most famous beef restaurant. It serves excellent sukiyaki and shabu-shabu in traditional tatami rooms, some overlooking the Kamo-gawa. The meat comes from the restaurant's own farm. Reservations are essential.

Located on one of the most beautiful streets in Gion - Shirakawa-minami-dri (also known as Shimbashi) - this charming little restaurant offers excellent tempura in refined Japanese surroundings. Unless you choose a private tatami room, you'll sit at the counter and watch as the chef prepares each piece of tempura individually right before your eyes.

Tadg's is our favourite bar in Kyoto. It's a delightfully convivial spot which plays host to a good crowd of expats and Japanese every night of the week. This is an easy spot for solo travellers to enter - you'll soon be drawn into the conversation. Some evenings there are open-mike nights and live Irish music.

Gion Corner presents regularly scheduled shows that include a bit of tea ceremony, koto (Japanese zither) music, ikebana (flower arrangement), gagaku (court music), kygen (ancient comic plays), kymai (Kyoto-style dance) and bunraku (classical puppet theatre). It's geared to a tourist market and is fairly pricey for what you get.

The oldest kabuki theatre in Japan is the Minami-za theatre in Gion. The major event of the year is the Kaomise festival (1 to 26 December), which features Japan's finest kabuki actors. Other performances take place on an irregular basis. Those interested should check with the TIC. The most likely months for performances are May, June and September.

Nishiki Market (Nishiki-kji Ichiba in Japanese) is one of Kyoto's real highlights, especially if you have an interest in cooking and eating (and we guess that you do). If you want to see all the weird and wonderful foods that go into Kyoto cuisine, this is the place. It's in the centre of town, one block north of Shij-dri, running west from Teramachi- dri.