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Judith Clancy

Exploring Kyoto: On Foot in the Ancient Capital Paperback – April 1, 2008

by Judith Clancy (Author)

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"Exploring Kyoto by long-term resident Judith Clancy is an excellent guide to exploring Kyoto on foot." —Lonely Planet Japan

Among the world’s most cherished ancient cities, Kyoto, Japan, is perfect for exploring on foot. Richly detailed and small enough to fit in a jacket pocket, Exploring Kyoto is an essential guide to becoming an enlightened pedestrian in the area once known as Yamashiro (“the back of the mountains”).

Thoroughly revised and updated, this edition of Exploring Kyoto offers two new routes and spans a spectrum of geographical and cultural topography, from bustling downtown quarters to remote mountaintops, hip eateries to ancient shrines. Included are:

•Thirty explorations, including the well-known—Mt. Hiei, Arashiyama, Heian Shrine, Ryoanji, Philosopher’s Walk—and many hidden corners

•Detailed maps tracing each route

•Over thirty descriptive photos

Essential tips on etiquette and behavior

•Full index to all sites and attractions

•In-depth information on local history, arts, and festivals

Print length

296 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Stone Bridge Press
Publication date

April 1, 2008
Dimensions

5 x 0.8 x 7 inches
ISBN-10

1933330643
ISBN-13

978-1933330648
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Exploring Kyoto, by long-term Kyoto resident Judith Clancy, is an excellent guide to exploring Kyoto on foot." - Chris Rowthorne, Lonely Planet Japan, 2003

About the Author

Judith Clancy has lived in Kyoto since 1970, and her interest in the traditions of the ancient capital has led her to study and write about traditional music, the tea ceremony, and Ikebana. While acting as the guide and interpreter for various groups, she established ties with many dedicated traditional artists and teachers.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stone Bridge Press; 2nd edition (April 1, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 296 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1933330643
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1933330648
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.8 x 7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,817,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,345 in General Japan Travel Guides
- #2,048 in General Asia Travel Books

Customer Reviews:
34 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		44%
4 star		19%
3 star		7%
2 star		16%
1 star		14%

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Jim H.

A great way to explore Kyoto

Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2014

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Got this book from the library before our last trip to Kyoto and it was wonderful. My Japanese wife wasn't too interested in exploring temples, so I only had one afternoon on my own. I photocopied about 10 pages covering what looked like the most interesting itinerary and took them along.

After accompanying the Mrs to some shops near Kyomizu, which was about as jammed as Disneyland on a summer day, I struck out on my own.

The bus directions were impeccable and I got to the starting point with no problems. I spent the next four hours strolling from amazing temple to amazing temple and got through about half the itinerary. During that time I probably saw 25 people and maybe three of them were tourists. Quite a contrast to the big-name temples that are on everyone's must-see list.

We're heading back this fall and I see the library doesn't have the book anymore. So I've ordered my own copy and am already looking forward to a few more walks that will make for lifelong memories.

3 people found this helpful

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mydianne

A scholarly look at ancient Kyoto

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2002

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The author does not try and hide her distaste for the modern aspects of Japanese cities, her focus is on the historical background of the sights and the tone of her writing is dry and almost textbook. If you are the type of person who reads all of the written information available on the plaques in museums and you love to learn about the history of the places you visit you will enjoy reading this book. The information has much more depth than what you will find in a typical tour book but not all of the major sights are covered.
My problem with 'Exploring Kyoto' is that it is tries to be a collection of walking tours that you would carry and use as a guide but it does not work well in that way. For one the book is cumbersome and not organised in a way that is easy to follow on the fly. The maps are poor and the descriptions of the routes are not always clear. Sometimes it is not even clear where you need to start the walk. The text is more suitable to reading in a comfortable location before or after you head out.
On the positive side, I had a really great time exploring the western outskirts of Kyoto with this book, and it gave me a look at the Goin district that was richer than I found elsewhere. It covers some of the 'must see' sights of Kyoto but I found its' strength to be in the lesser known sights in the outskirts of the city. If you plan to be in Kyoto only a couple of days this book may be unnecessary, there is a free pamphlet available at the tourist office called 'Kyoto Walks' that covers the main sights. If you will be in Kyoto a week or longer and want to visit some lesser known, historically fascinating sights, 'Exploring Kyoto' may be of value to you.

75 people found this helpful

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Product Reviewer

This book deserves five stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2013

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There is no other guide book that will take you to several off the beaten path places along with the major attractions. In all fairness, if you want a Fodor-type book to guide you around the big ten attractions, and nothing else, especially no wlaking around, then by all means look elsewhere. If you've visited Kyoto before, then some of the chapters in this book will take you up a notch.I never had difficulty making out where to go but sometimes you'll need to ask, as always.

One person found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

good book, useful with other books

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2011

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I used this book quite a lot on a recent trip to Kyoto - I found the in-depth descriptions of the historical and cultural relevance of the sites to be extremely interesting and added a lot to my trip. I found the maps more helpful than those in my other guidebooks once I was in the neighborhood of interest - but there are a lot of streets not named in the book, and a lot of instructions along the lines of "go two blocks north, then left at the little store, then west until you see the sign in Japanese". Those are not very useful if you don't read Japanese, and I often found myself using my other guidebooks to get me to the general locale, and then used this book to help me orient myself within the neighborhood. The other thing is that every trip within the book reads as though it is equally interesting and beautiful, whereas there were clear indications in my other guidebooks that certain temples/shrines were only worth seeing if you were in the area. There is way too much to see in Kyoto even if you're there for a week or more, so a little more discerning eye towards what to prioritize would have been nice. Overall though, a really great book to explore Kyoto on foot.

5 people found this helpful

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T. Carleton

Better than Lonely Planet?....

Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2009

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I am preparing for a seven day holiday in Kyoto and needed a book that cited in detail the sites and attractions Kyoto has to offer.

Clancy's book is comprehensive, containing some 290 pages and over 30 images to support the descriptions of 30 walking routes covering Kyoto's sites and attractions. These routes cover all the major attractions, such as Kiyomizudera, Ginkakuji and Daisen'in, just to name a few. It also covers 'other' attractions such as the Kyoto Handicraft Museum and Umekoji Locomotive Museum.

The text is difficult to fault, given the detailed nature of the walking routes Clancy describes. Clancy's text is thoroughly researched, supported by the knowledge and information gleaned from her own lengthy stay in Kyoto and that of her colleagues, fellow tourist writer/s, local residents and local commerce operators.

The walking tour maps are simple line drawings, the use of which is integrated with the text. For example, turn right here, walk toward 'x' and similar instructions. No other comments can be made here; the usefulness of the maps will be disclosed when they are used walking the various routes in Kyoto shortly.

The images are all black and white, and the greatest criticism of the book. They often illustrate more obscure attractions referred to in the text, and thus they do not support the text and are of limited use (hence only giving the book four stars). I find that use of the internet to source pictures of the various attractions you are reading about alleviated these shortcomings though.

In closing, I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking at doing sightseeing in Kyoto. Overall this book is infinately better than Lonely Planet Japan/ Kyoto in identifying the attractions and the history beind them. Make sure you source your own pictures though!

6 people found this helpful

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Griff

Good but...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2007

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If you want to spend all your time in Kyoto exploring temples and shrines then this is the book for you. The walks are well thought out and the commentary is very interesting. However, there is more to this city than torii and stone lanterns (they are fantastic though)! Use this book alongside others to give you a more rounded feel for the place. Kyoto is a very interesting city, but there's more to it than ancient monuments. It's a modern lively town with some great bars, restaurants etc - and one or two oddities.

I can recommend this book, but not as your sole guidebook.

Enjoy your trip - with luck you'll fall in love with Kyoto like I did.

7 people found this helpful

Furzehill

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2016

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The walkers guide

EDLUND HENRIK

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2015

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Absolutely fabulous book about walking in Kyoto.

Johnny Darkness

Kyoto is marvellous

Reviewed in Canada on December 4, 2010

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I recently used this book as a guide for about 2/3 of my destinations during a 3 week trip to Kyoto - the choice of temples, gardens and historical sites is excellent. (I also recommend just wandering about, using a Kyoto City map with temples and World Heritage Sites marked.) The sites/sights chosen are varied, including the different types of gardens -- stroll, Chinese-style lakeview, dry landscape, zen rock etc -- Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, a castle, some World Heritage Sites (there are so many!) and are well-described; those that require a bit of physical fitness (the 88 Shrine walk, upper Daigo, Fushimi Inari etc) are duly noted (if you are reasonably fit, nothing is onerous; the 'mountains' are only about a 600 - 1000' climb.) Entry prices were accurate.
If you simply chose destinations from this book for your trip, you would have an incredible experience.
(NB This book does not deal with where to stay or to eat - it is truly a guide to exploration.)
The only weakness I found were in a few of the maps; they could have been more specific in some cases, such as having more street names or the names of bus stops - once we alighted at the wrong bus stop (only to find that we were near the gates of a temple-garden complex not mentioned in this book, which turned out to be a great find); another time I had a little apprehension of finding the route quickly from the bus terminus using the map, but found it much easier upon arrival; another time we had to use the street map to find our way accurately, and another I just had to use my sense of direction and some reasoning - so, I just suggest having a good street map and not being afraid of making a mistake: stop and ask someone -- the people are polite and helpful and will point you in the right direction hearing just the name of your destination. Despite this small shortcoming, I was very pleased with how this book helped focus our trip.
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