Since 1995, “Travel & Leisure” magazine has done an annual survey of travelers to find the best city in the world for tourists.
And, for the second year in-a-row, Kyoto, Japan has been ranked the world’s best city.
Last May, my family and I went there again, (Click here to see my post and photos from that trip), and we agree – Kyoto is a very lovely city!
(This photo of geisha near Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto is from “allworldtowns.com”)
Personally though, I think that Tokyo is the best city in the world…but maybe that’s because I’ve lived here most of my life and I know my way around Tokyo very well. Either way, I can understand why Kyoto is so popular with tourists!
The Travel & Leisure top-ten cities for 2015 are:
1. Kyoto, Japan
2. Charleston, South Carolina
3. Siem Reap, Cambodia
4. Florence, Italy
5. Rome, Italy
6. Bangkok, Thailand
7. Krakow, Poland
8. Barcelona, Spain
9. Cape Town, South Africa
10. Jerusalem, Israel
(Click here to see a news article about the list).
What do you think about this list?
Have you ever been to Kyoto?
Leave a comment!
Tokyo Five 
So I liked Kyoto but not as much as Tokyo or Osaka. I think I need more time in Kyoto to thoroughly evaluate my opinion though. : ) I wonder if people like it so much as a tourist destination because Kyoto tends to emphasize the things that make up the traditional cultural heritage of Japan–that seems to be their goal as a city, more so than other cities in Japan that I have been to. So for a tourist, Kyoto is sort of catering directly to the experience that they want to have.
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Yes, Kyoto is famous for remaining a very traditional area with a lot of history and famous, beautiful landmarks.
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I’ve spent the best year of my life in London, so it grew to my heart. Also, I love the vibe city has, the fact that there is a lot of things happening all the time (exhibitions, sports events, concerts, etc.), the after-work beer culture and architecture. Last but not least, I adore London museums.
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I know that it’s not easy to explain why you love a particular city.
I tried to explain why I stay in Tokyo, here:
https://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/why-japan/
I think, though, that that survey was the “best cities for tourists”…based on such things as hospitality, places to sight-see, food, how easy it is for visitors to get around, etc.
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You know that feeling when you visit one city and you instantly feel like you belong there? I got it was when I first visit London as a tourist. I simply loved it. And that feeling just haven’t changed.
I guess the survey looked on those things important for tourists. In that sense, I agree Kyoto is in the top, still the best city in the world? I don’t think so. To me the best city in the world has to have something… I cannot explain what exactly. To me Kyoto lacked this ingredient. It was nice city, but didn’t impress me as much as some other cities do. Except of amazing temples it was very much like other Japanese cities I had a chance to visit.
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I guess it’s because I’ve lived in Japan so long, but I can see uniqueness in different areas of Japan.
Anyways, of course not everyone will agree with the survey, but Kyoto got the most votes two years in a row.
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I liked Kyoto a lot, but is the best city in the world? No. There are plenty of cities I liked better.
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Which cities are your favorites?
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In Japan or in general?
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Just like the survey … any city in the world.
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London is by far my favourite city in the world. Then I also love Tokyo, Budapest, Amsterdam, Bern, Paris, Lucerne. But there are still so many cities I haven’t visit yet, so I might change my favourites soon. 🙂
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What about London makes it your favorite?
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We’ve been to most of those cities and enjoyed them. We always love going to Kyoto. But Charleston? Really? And gosh! We’ve never been there. We’ll have to add that to our bucket list.
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I’ve never been to any of those cities except Kyoto.
Charleston, South Carolina has been in the news recently for the tragic shooting that occurred there.
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Charleston is actually a really nice city to visit, especially if you are interested in the 1700-1860s time period of American history. There are a lot of good restaurants, a lovely “old town” area, beach spots not too far away, and about 20 min outside the city, there’s America’s only tea plantation, now owned by Bigelow, but the tea is still processed separately and sold under the Charleston name. Worth a visit if you’re interested in tea and how it’s grown. I also highly recommend the mule/horse carriage tours–I know it sounds really cheesy, but the guides are full of interesting historical and architectural information, and it’s a great introduction to the city’s history.
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>There are a lot of good restaurants, a lovely “old town” area, beach spots not too far away, and about 20 min outside the city, there’s America’s only tea plantation
Sounds nice!
>I also highly recommend the mule/horse carriage tours–I know it sounds really cheesy
I don’t think it sounds “cheesy”. I bet it’s fun.
In some areas of Japan, such as Kyoto, Kamakura, Yokohama, Asakusa, etc, you can take a 人力車 (rickshaw) ride.
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Kyoto is definitely at the top of my list of places to visit! It has been sitting up there on that list for a very loooong time. 🙂
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How long will you stay in Japan? You should definitely visit Kyoto at least once!
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3 years! I’ll have plenty of time 🙂
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You can see many parts of Japan in that time, if you want.
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I absolutely love Kyoto! I lived there for a year as an exchange student and lived in Kobe while I was a JET and I can’t think of a place I’d like to return to more. The Philosopher’s Walk from Ginkakuji down to Kiyomizu makes for a wonderful day’s walk.
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How long were you in Japan? Which years? What country are you from?
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