Kyoto is an amazing city, quite possibly my favorite in Japan. It is one of those places you can picture yourself living if you had to move abroad. There is little else that can be said to generalize the place better than that.
Although Kyoto has well over a million residents, it is hard to tell except for the southern end of town near JR's Kyoto terminal which has a constant exchange of both locals and tourists alike.
Unlike smaller towns in Japan, such as Nagano and Nagoya, the city of Kyoto has the benefit of having large town attractions as well, making it rather unique in the tightly packed country of Japan. However, like all big cities, some of the tourist attractions fall short, especially when compared to other, more unique options that are available.
The following is my take on some of my favorite things to do in Kyoto that I have visited in the previous 48 hours.
I must stress that this is my views after two weeks of travel in the country. If Kyoto was the first stop on a trip, the sites may have been perceived differently.