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Kyoto top 10

• Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavilion)
  Some people find Kinkaku-ji way over the top, but I love its gilded extravagance. However many times I visit, and despite the unceasing crowds, the first glimpse of the pavilion still takes my breath away.
  
  
• Pontocho & Gion at night
  Next thing I do is stroll down Pontocho or Gion at night. Pontocho is a narrow, lantern-lit lane of dark wooden facades hiding lively bars and restaurants. Gion, on the other hand, is home to traditional teahouses, where geisha still entertain wealthy patrons. This is an even more secretive world, but if you're lucky you might glimpse a gorgeously bedecked geisha on her way to some assignation.
  
  
• Nijo-jinya
  Secrecy is the key to Nijo-jinya as well. This old inn, where daimyo used to stay, is riddled with trap doors, hidden staircases and dead-ends. It's like walking into the set of a samurai movie.
  
  
• Konchi-in
  Kyoto is full of famous gardens, but this dry-garden in a sub-temple of Nanzen-ji is one of my favourites. The beautiful tableau of rocks, gravel and shrubs was created by Kobori Enshu, but for some reason Konchi-in receives fewer visitors than its rivals. On occasion I've had the place to myself. (See also Top 10 gardens.)
  
  
• Shojin ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine)
  Last autumn I went to another sub-temple near Nanzen-ji for a lunch of yudofu (tofu simmered in kelp stock) and fu no dengaku (wheat-gluten cakes). Though it doesn't sound hugely appetising, the end result was an absolutely delicious, melt-in-the-mouth meal. And to cap it all, I was sitting on a little balcony overlooking a classic Japanese garden complete with carp-filled pond, water dripper and stone lanterns.
  
  
• A night in a Kyoto ryokan
  It's worth scrimping and saving to spend at least one night in a proper Kyoto ryokan where meals are served in your room. This is an experience not to be missed.
  
  
• Fureaikan (Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts)
  Not only is this museum free, but it's also well-designed and exceptionally informative. A must for anyone interested in Japanese crafts.
  
  
• Nishi-Hongan-ji
  The inner rooms of this temple hide some of Kyoto's finest Momoyama-period screen paintings, all liberally sprinkled with gold.
  
  
• Sanjusangen-do
  Kyoto boasts some marvellous statues, notably the delicate carving of Miroku Bosatsu at Koryu-ji. But the massed ranks of 1001 gilded figures of Sanjusangen-do make for a truly awe-inspiring sight.
  
  
• Kyoto Station
  Unlike most people, it seems, I do like the new Kyoto Station! It's hell to find your way around (particularly the basements), but the vast, airy concourse is spectacular.