If I had to live in Japan, I would live in Kyoto. A city of temples, shrines, and imperialism, the ancient Japanese capital is a beauty with culture and history. I spent 3 days in Kyoto exploring the city. It was my first time in the city, and I did not expect how much I would fall in love with this cultural gem.

The quiet streets of Kyoto has a way of drawing you in, inviting you into the street front sushi shops, tempting you to try a local-favorite ebisu, greeting you to a tea ceremony accompanied by a Geisha or a Maiko, or walking you through the gates of the imperial palace.

The appeal of Kyoto is entirely in its rich but somehow understated array of cultural offerings.  Most first time guests arrive in Kyoto without expecting to spend hours hiking up the mountain at Fushimi-Inari shrine. They don’t expect to find a real life Geisha in the Ginza neighborhood of Kyoto. They don’t expect to spend all their cash on matcha products. They don’t expect to get lost on their way to the next temple, and some hours walking the quiet quaint streets of Kyoto that has the feel of a traditional Japanese town. Yet, they do.