If your idea of the perfect honeymoon involves more mindfulness than mimosas, more temples than tequila shots, then Kyoto is calling your names. This isn't the destination for couples who want to party until dawn, it's for the ones who want to watch the sun rise over ancient gardens, hand in hand, wondering how something so beautiful can exist in our chaotic world.
Kyoto is a slow-burn romance in city form. And honestly? That's exactly what some of us need after the whirlwind of wedding planning.
Why Kyoto Works for Queer Couples
Let's address the elephant in the tatami room: Japan isn't known for its LGBTQ+ legal protections (same-sex marriage isn't nationally recognized yet), but Kyoto offers something different, a kind of quiet acceptance born from centuries of Buddhist philosophy emphasizing compassion and non-judgment.
You won't find rainbow flags everywhere, but you also won't find hostility. What you'll discover is a city so focused on ritual, beauty, and presence that your relationship becomes just another beautiful thing in a city full of them. Many ryokans and hotels welcome same-sex couples without batting an eye, especially in the more international-facing establishments.
The vibe here is discretion and respect, which, honestly, can feel like a refreshing break from performing your queerness for others. Here, you just… are.
Cherry Blossoms and the Art of Perfect Timing
If you're planning your honeymoon around cherry blossom season (late March to early April), congratulations, you've chosen the most romantic and most crowded time to visit. The sakura bloom is breathtaking, but you'll be sharing the moment with approximately eleventy billion tourists.
Here's the secret: go during autumn instead. October and November transform Kyoto into a canvas of burnt orange, deep crimson, and golden yellow. The maple trees at places like Tofuku-ji Temple create natural fire tunnels, and the crowds thin out just enough that you can actually hear each other whisper sweet nothings.
Or be bold and go in winter. January and February might be cold, but imagine soaking in a private onsen at your ryokan, steam rising around you both, snow falling gently outside. That's the kind of intimate moment that stays with you forever.
Temple Hopping: A Spiritual Speed Dating Experience
Kyoto has over 1,600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines. You could visit a different one every day for four years and still not see them all. So let's narrow it down to the ones that'll make your queer little hearts sing.
Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) is the Instagram darling for a reason, it's literally covered in gold leaf and reflects perfectly in the pond below. Yes, it's touristy. Yes, you should still go. The walk through the gardens afterward is where the real magic happens.
Ryoan-ji Temple has the most famous rock garden in Japan: fifteen rocks arranged in a sea of raked gravel. Sit there long enough, and you'll either achieve enlightenment or take the best nap of your life. Both are valid honeymoon activities.
Fushimi Inari Taisha with its thousands of vermillion torii gates winding up the mountain is a must. Start early (like 6 AM early) to have the pathways mostly to yourselves. There's something deeply romantic about climbing through those gates together as the city wakes up below.
For the ultimate zen experience, book a private meditation session at one of the temples. Some offer zazen (seated meditation) sessions with English-speaking monks. It's surprisingly welcoming for beginners, costs around $20-30 per person, and you'll learn breathing techniques you can use for the rest of your lives together. (Or at least during your next family gathering.)
Ryokan Life: Slow Mornings and Kaiseki Dreams
Staying in a traditional ryokan is non-negotiable for a Kyoto honeymoon. These Japanese inns offer an experience that hotels simply can't match: sleeping on futons on tatami floors, soaking in private onsens (hot spring baths), and eating elaborate kaiseki meals that are more art installation than dinner.
Look for ryokans that explicitly welcome international guests: they'll be more comfortable with same-sex couples and less likely to have weird rules about bathing together. The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto offers a luxury Western-Japanese fusion if you want training wheels for your first ryokan experience.
The kaiseki meals are a journey. Multiple courses, each tiny and perfect, each designed to showcase seasonal ingredients. You'll eat things you can't pronounce and don't recognize, and somehow it all works. It's slow food taken to an extreme: meals can last two hours. This is intentional. You're meant to savor every bite, every moment, every conversation between courses.
Breakfast often includes grilled fish, rice, miso soup, pickles, and a raw egg to mix into your rice. If that sounds too intense before coffee, most places will accommodate Western breakfast requests with advance notice.
The Geography of Stillness
The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is exactly what it sounds like: a forest of towering bamboo that sways and creaks in the wind like the earth is breathing. Go early or late to avoid the selfie stick brigade. Nearby, the Tenryu-ji Temple has gardens designed by the same monk who created the original layout in the 1300s.
Philosopher's Path is a canal-side walk lined with cherry trees (or maples, depending on season). Named after philosopher Nishida Kitaro who used it for daily meditation walks, it connects several temples and is perfect for those meandering conversations about life, love, and whether you remembered to set the out-of-office message.
The Nishiki Market brings you crashing back to reality with the best kind of sensory overload: street food, pickles, fresh seafood, and tea shops. Sample the yuba (tofu skin), grab some matcha soft serve, and don't think too hard about the things on sticks.
MM Romance Books for Your Kyoto Honeymoon
Since you'll be embracing the slow-burn energy of Kyoto, here are some MM romance books from Read with Pride that match that contemplative, emotionally deep vibe:
Look for slow-burn gay romance novels where the relationship develops gradually, thoughtfully, like ink spreading through water. The kind of stories where longing glances mean more than a thousand words. Where two people circle each other, testing boundaries, building trust one quiet moment at a time.
Contemporary MM romance with emotional depth works perfectly here: stories about characters learning to be vulnerable, to let someone in, to build something lasting. The kind of MM fiction where the journey matters as much as the destination.
Historical gay romance books also fit the Kyoto mood. Something set in another time, another place, where love had to be careful, had to be earned. The tension of restraint, the payoff of connection: very Kyoto energy.
Pack a couple of these queer fiction titles for reading in temple gardens or during long train rides. There's something special about reading gay love stories in a place that feels like it exists outside regular time.
Practical Bits (Because Romance Needs Logistics)
Budget: Kyoto isn't cheap. Expect to spend $6,500-7,500 for a five-day honeymoon including a nice ryokan, meals, and activities. Budget ryokans start around $150/night; luxury ones can hit $700+.
Getting Around: Buy a bus day pass for $7 and use it liberally. The buses go everywhere. Alternatively, rent bicycles and pedal your way through the city like locals.
Language: English isn't widely spoken, but hospitality is universal. Download Google Translate. Learn basic phrases. Smile a lot. You'll be fine.
Onsen Etiquette: If your ryokan has a private onsen, book it. Public onsens require nudity and are separated by gender, which can be complicated for trans or non-binary folks. Private onsens solve this entirely.
Best Duration: Five to seven days gives you time to slow down properly without feeling rushed.
The Slow-Burn Philosophy
Kyoto teaches you something crucial about relationships: the value of stillness. In a culture obsessed with bigger, faster, louder, this city insists that beauty reveals itself slowly. That meaning comes from attention. That love isn't always fireworks: sometimes it's the way morning light hits the temple garden, and you both notice it at the same time.
This is the honeymoon for couples who want to really see each other. Who want mornings that unfold like origami. Who understand that the best romance: in books and in life: is the kind that builds, that deepens, that becomes something neither person could have predicted.
Kyoto won't rush you. It won't demand anything from you except presence. And in return, it offers a kind of peace that stays with you long after you've returned home.
For more LGBTQ+ fiction recommendations and queer travel inspiration, visit Read with Pride and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and X/Twitter.
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