No district of Kyoto is quite as representative of its blended nature as the City Center. By day, the covered shopping arcades along Kawaramachi and Shijo Street bring deal hunters and fashionistas out in droves to peruse the clothing, accessories, gifts, and home goods offerings. When it grows dark, the City Center is a hip spot for nightlife, alive with bars and clubs. A trendy culinary scene and an abundance of local watering holes give the Center its youthful vibrancy. In contrast, the quieter areas of the City Center seem a world away, shielded from noise by the foliage of the public gardens and zen spaces surrounding the area's shrines, castles, and the Imperial Palace. These ancient and sacred spots are seamlessly folded into the scenery, providing a respite from the energy of the city, but close enough to put you directly back onto the pulse of the city when you're ready.

Shimogyo-ku is centered around the busy train hub, Kyoto Station. A nexus for commerce, shopping, dining, and hotels, the Shimogyo-ku area is infused with tourists and local business travelers, making it a competitive location for ever-new commercial structures. The shops and cafes here are chic and trendy, as a result, with many recognizable chains. Commuters flood the Shimogyo-ku area twice a day, and with Kyoto Station itself being a modern mega-complex and an architectural marvel, this neighborhood is one of the most contemporary and energetic areas that the city has to offer. Buildings here look futuristic, and huge department stores, shopping arcades, and public meeting spaces provide every possible convenience. It is also nearly the only place in Kyoto where rooftop dining and socializing is available, completing its modern tone.

Southern Kyoto has a reserved air. Though the Fushimi Inari Shrine is one of Kyoto's major tourist attractions, the surrounding nature, parks, gardens, temples, and shrines provide less-visited spaces for strolling and reflection. The Fushimi Inari Shrine itself is made up of 32,000 sub-shrines, and the mountain they are dotted across beckons hikers, picnickers, and lovers of the outdoors. Many of the mountain's off-set paths aren't frequented by tourists, and the mountain's serenity can be enjoyed at a leisurely pace. Southern Kyoto is the place to enjoy being outside, and to pay your respects to the ancient architecture and gods of the land that are celebrated here.

Hot springs and historic temples characterize the leafy landscapes of Northern Kyoto. Acres of tranquil residential streets are interrupted by some of Kyoto's most gorgeous architectural gems, including the majestic Golden Pavilion of Kinkakuji, the serene artistry of the Ryoanji Temple rock gardens, and the bold red paint across the structures of Enryakuji Temple. Once a religious core of the city, the district now boasts some of its most remote and peaceful hot springs, as well as a few of its best family-run mom-and-pop restaurants. A blend of extremely local at its outskirts, and highly peopled at its tourist centers, Northern Kyoto nonetheless retains a halcyon air in harmony with nature.

Though small by comparison, Pontocho is one of Kyoto's most spirited and memorable neighborhoods. A narrow street straddling the Kamogawa River, it is Kyoto's busiest nightlife spot. When darkness falls, Pontocho's many signs and lanterns bolt to life, making the area glow with invitations to passers-by to come inside and pull up a chair. Its restaurants and bars sprawl onto the riverbank, providing a friendly atmosphere and delicious food. Verandas are always filled with people young and old crowding tables, biting into hot yakitori or sipping cold beers. It is a culinary heart of Kyoto as much as one of its most laid-back, clamorous, and entertaining evening hotspots. Pontocho has more of an amiable vibrancy to it than an elegant one, attracting newcomers, local veterans, and everyone in between, in casual attire like sneakers and jeans.

Western Kyoto is home to some of the city's best eccentricities. Kyoto's Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street takes visitors back in time to the Meiji Period, where old homes have been transformed into tea houses and eateries. Pleasure boats drift down the riverbank, under wooden bridges that beckon nature lovers to hiking trails and botanical walks. The area's famously tall bamboo groves, monkey park, and impressive vistas during the Hanami cherry blossom viewing season mean that it is busiest in warmer months, though also gorgeous in the fall, when the mountains and hills along the banks turn multi-colored. Historic and engaging, even the rail cars in Western Kyoto seek to exemplify its traditional nature and scenic beauty. Many people, including natives, come to visit the 1,200 rakan statues at the Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple, which is still in use as a religious site.

A district with a long textile heritage, ancient Kyoto is still alive in the Nishijin District. Studded with its weaving factories, tea houses, and onsen, the neighborhood is charming and peaceful with a self-possessed air. Less traveled than other parts of the city, it is a district where you can take it at your own pace. Visitors can explore the many weaving and cloth houses, the free kimono shows, and the many shops selling traditional clothing and goods. Showcasing architecture with sloping roofs and wooden reliefs dating to decades past, the streets in the Nishijin District transport you back in time, making them a joy to wander.

Gion is Kyoto's famed Geisha District (called "Geiko" in Kyoto). Though Gion's many tea houses and entertainment restaurants are closed to foreigners, Geiko and Maiko in their traditional makeup with gilded hair in full kimono can be seen drifting the streets on their way to and from work, where they fan dance, sing, and play instruments for customers. Gion lights up at night, when the ancient-looking streets glow with lanterns along the river, where weeping willows catch the starlight and the air is warmed with conversation. Groups pass through to populate the restaurants and bars along the riverfront, but Gion still manages to be a mostly quiet district, due in large part to limited automotive traffic through many of its streets. Gion is a wonderful place to indulge in Kyoto's local and customary cuisines, and is best enjoyed after dark.