I was lucky enough to be invited to visit Kyoto recently by Kyoto Luxury Tours. Part of the Kyoto Tourism Council, it offers luxury tours of the City of Kyoto and represents traditional upmarket  boutique accommodation, mostly in the form of traditional ryokans.  While Tokyo is fast-paced, industrialised, and represents the modern face of Japan, Kyoto is slower-paced. It is also the best place to see and experience traditional Japanese culture. Omotenashi, the Japanese tradition of hospitality is alive and well here.

Over 2,000 shrines and temples are dotted around the city, and as Kyoto was spared the destruction that other cities suffered during the Second World War, it remains home to around 20% of Japan’s national treasures, as well as a wealth of world heritage.

In upcoming posts I’ll be covering what to do in Kyoto whether you’ve got 24 hours or a week, and why I love the food here.  Amongst other topics, I’ll be covering:

• Great places to stay such as Japanese ryokans and machiya houses with Luxury Kyoto

• Hoshinoya resort and its Michelin star restaurant

• Great places to eat in Kyoto or kaiseki cuisine

• The art of zen

• Japanese toilets

• The art of the Japanese Tea ceremony

• 16 things to do in Kyoto including visiting an ethereal bamboo forest

In the meantime for more information, visit http://www.luxurykyoto.jp