Is Kyoto overrated or just too crowded?
Kyoto is not overrated, but parts of it are over-loved. Go early, stay longer, choose fewer temples and give ordinary neighbourhoods room to compete with the postcard.
Answer
Kyoto earns its place, but it does not forgive lazy timing. Arrive at the same famous streets at the same hour as everyone else and the city can feel like a tourist conveyor belt with beautiful roofs. The better Kyoto trip is slower and more selective. Pick fewer major temples, start early, build in quiet areas and allow time for food, gardens, small shops and evening streets. Temple fatigue is real; so is Kyoto’s ability to recover when you stop treating it as a shrine checklist. The issue is not whether to go. It is whether you will give it the conditions to work.