Kyoto

Mongolian citizens need a Japanese visa. Residents of Mongolia apply online for a JAPAN eVISA through VFS Global: a single-entry tourist visa for up to 90 days, fee 357,000₮ since 29 June 2026, five times the old rate (multiple-entry 714,000₮), plus a 55,000₮ VFS service charge, about 5 working days. Your passport must be valid for more than 6 months beyond the trip; attach a return ticket and hotel booking.

Tip: The direct flight runs only twice a week — get the visa first, then buy the ticket, and nothing is at risk.

Before flying, enter your passport, flight and hotel on Visit Japan Web and fill in the immigration and customs declarations. On arrival you only scan the QR code — no paper forms.

Hospitals in Japan are very expensive, so travel insurance is a must. Kyoto is Japan's busiest tourist city, yet many small temples, markets and restaurants still take cash only — get yen in Ulaanbaatar or from a 7-Eleven ATM after landing.

Tip: For cherry blossom (early April), autumn leaves (late November) and Golden Week, book hotels 2–3 months ahead.

The JR Haruka limited express takes about 75 minutes from Kansai Airport to Kyoto Station with no change. The Haruka one-way ticket for foreign visitors costs ¥2,200, cheaper than the regular fare; buy it on the JR West site in advance or at the JR ticket office in the airport.

A direct scheduled bus runs from Kansai Airport to Kyoto Station; it has seats and a luggage hold, so it is easier with big suitcases or children. A little slower than the train.

Japan's 'takkyubin' luggage delivery: hand your suitcase over at the airport counter, travel hands-free and collect it at your Kyoto hotel the next day. Kyoto Station and the big hotels offer the same service for the way back.

If your phone supports eSIM, buy and install one from Airalo, Ubigi or Japan Wireless before the flight: a 7-day 1–3 GB plan costs about $4–8, a 30-day 10 GB plan about $16–18. It works the moment you land, with no airport queue.

Tip: Download Kyoto in Google Maps and Japanese in Google Translate for offline use.

The arrivals hall at Kansai has SIM counters and vending machines: a tourist SIM with a few GB for 7–14 days costs about ¥3,000–5,000. Contract SIMs need a passport and tourist SIMs with a phone number are rare — a data SIM is all you need.

Unlimited rides for a day on the city subway, city buses, Kyoto Bus, Keihan Bus and JR Bus for ¥1,100 (children ¥550). Worth it from the third bus ride of the day; sold at subway stations and bus information centres.

A rechargeable tap card for every train, bus and convenience store. Buy an ICOCA from a JR machine at the airport for ¥2,000 (¥500 of it is a deposit, ¥1,500 is credit). On an iPhone you can add a Suica to Wallet and skip the card.

Kyoto city buses: get on through the rear door and pay when you get off at the front, tapping your card or dropping cash into the machine by the driver. Most routes are a flat fare in the centre. Buses in the tourist districts (Gion, Kiyomizu) get packed — walking one or two stops is often faster.

Seven Bank ATMs inside 7-Eleven stores are the most reliable for foreign cards: open 24 hours, English menus. Cards work in most shops, hotels and train ticket machines; small temples, markets and older restaurants take cash only.

Kyoto raised its accommodation tax on 1 March 2026: per person per night, depending on the room rate, ¥200 (under ¥6,000) → ¥400 → ¥1,000 → ¥4,000 → ¥10,000 (¥100,000 and above). Hotels collect it separately, so it may not be in your booking price.

Tourists spending over ¥5,000 in one shop on one day are exempt from the 10% consumption tax — show your passport or the Visit Japan Web QR code. From 1 November 2026 the rules change: you pay the full price in the shop and claim the refund at the airport before departure.

A 400-year-old food street in the city centre: pickles, dashimaki omelette, tamagoyaki, matcha ice cream, tofu for vegetarians. Most shops open at 9–11 in the morning and close at 17–18; some rest on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Tip: Eating while walking is rude in Kyoto; stand by the stall, eat, and hand the rubbish back.

Obanzai — Kyoto home-style small plates; yudofu — hot tofu (around Arashiyama and Nanzen-ji); kaiseki — the multi-course ceremonial dinner (expensive, reservation needed); nishin soba — noodles with herring; matcha in every form. With children, okonomiyaki, tempura and ramen are everywhere.

Tip: No tipping in restaurants; you pay at the counter, placing the money on the tray.

Onigiri, sandwiches and ready meals from 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart are fresh, good and cheap — perfect for breakfast. Department-store basement food halls (depachika) discount before closing. Teahouses by the temples are known for matcha with wagashi sweets.

Police 110, ambulance and fire 119 — free, 24 hours. The JNTO Japan Visitor Hotline 050-3816-2787 (24 hours, English) tells you where to turn in case of illness, accident or earthquake.

Japan is the best-prepared country in the world; official phone alerts sound loudly — get under a table, protect your head, trains stop automatically. During typhoons (August–September) flights and trains may be suspended, so install JNTO's Safety tips app.

Koseikai Takeda Hospital next to Kyoto Station is JMIP-accredited for foreign patients, with English interpreters and an emergency department. For serious cases, Kyoto University Hospital's international patient centre. Call your insurer's assistance line first and they will direct you to a hospital that bills them directly.

Gion's narrow private lanes are marked closed to tourists — stay out. Geisha and maiko are hurrying to work: don't block them, touch them or photograph them without permission. The city fines violations.

Take your shoes off at temple buildings and put them in the shelf provided; keep quiet inside, and some halls forbid photos. At an onsen (hot spring) you bathe naked, wash fully before entering and keep your towel out of the water; with tattoos choose a private onsen or one that allows them.

There are almost no bins on the street: carry rubbish back to your hotel or use the bin of the shop you bought from. No phone calls on trains and buses, voices down. Queueing and letting passengers off the train first are strict rules. Smoke only in marked areas.

Google Maps shows train and bus times and platforms precisely in Japan — the app you will use most. For train fares and limited-express timetables, Japan Transit Planner (Jorudan) is more detailed.

Google Translate's camera mode translates menus, signs and train notices on the spot; download the Japanese pack for offline use. Showing your phone in a restaurant is normal and people are used to it.

Visit Japan Web — the immigration and customs QR code. Safety tips — earthquake and weather alerts. The Kyoto Official Travel Guide site — special temple openings, festivals and crowd timing.

The Haruka from Kyoto Station to Kansai Airport takes about 75 minutes; plan to be at the airport 3 hours before an international flight (more during typhoons or snow). Haruka seats can be reserved in advance; with luggage head for the front car on the platform.

From 1 November 2026 the tax-free refund is collected at the airport before the flight — keep receipts and carry the goods unopened. The ICOCA deposit can be refunded at a JR ticket office, or keep the card for your next trip (valid 10 years).