[Klaus]

So you did spend time in Kyoto. I highly recommend if you go back to try late November as there is quite a bit more color.

Kyoto is awesome ... BUT ... super crowded. I read that the tourist numbers doubled in the last 3 years in JP.
It was so different compared to 2012 when I visited Kyoto the first time. Same goes for Koyasan.

Thus the next time we'll either go to JP for skiing (this is popular from Oz) or go for the lesser known destinations.
You may have seen the castle of Himeji in the album - that was almost empty in terms of crowds (other than school classes).
Interestingly there were only a handful of Westerners plus very few locals on the trekking trip. Seems as if this is still an alien concept for people from emerging countries.