Best neighborhoods for hiking, sightseeing, & beauty in Kyoto?

Hi Taylor, there are some fantastic neighbourhoods around Kyoto, but also so much to do in the city itself.

Around Kyoto:

- Hikone a big castle north of Kyoto. Not much else to see apart from the castle, but worth going to if you haven't seen many other castles in Japan

- Uji is well know for green tea and there are plenty of green tea fields here and you can even get green tea noodles

- Kibune Shrine Kibune was one of my favourite places around Kyoto. Lots of nice walks and a restaurant on top of a waterfall

If you want to travel a bit further afield, more towards Osaka, then these places are also worth visiting:

- One personal favourite is Nara which is a beautiful town full of roaming deer and a cool temple. This has a big countryside feel to it so there any plenty of walks to do

- Minoh is also really beautiful and is perfect to visit in Autumn as the trees are full of bright and beautiful maple leaves

- Kobe is a bit further south, but still easy to get to from Kyoto, and that is where you can try the world famous Kobe beef