Has Overtourism Ruined Kyoto? (Part 1) 🇯🇵

With all the apocalyptic headlines warning that Kyoto has been completely ruined by overtourism, my expectations were modest before visiting the place. I was prepared for crowds but also did my research to see how crowds can be avoided. Some places, like the Golden Pavilion, keep limited hours (9-5) and are crowded all day long. Others, like Kiyomizu-dera, open at 6 a.m., so if you don't mind getting up early, you can escape the crowds. As you'll see in this vlog and parts 2 and 3 of this series, there are still interesting places you can visit in Kyoto that have very few, if any, tourists.