A One-Day Travel Guide to Kyoto

Opened in the year 778, the temple was registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1994. In the 130, 000 m2 area of the precincts spread out on the hillside of Mt. Otowa, there are more than 30 cathedrals and monuments, including national treasures and important cultural properties. The changes in scenery of the Kiyomizu-dera temple can be seen every season, with cherry blossoms in spring, greenery in summer, colored leaves in autumn, and snow in winter.

During the Muromachi Period, the 3rd Ashikaga shogun, Yoshimitsu, made an abode in this temple called Kitayamadono. It was named as Rokuon-ji after the posthumous name of Yoshimitsu. He had also built Shokoku-ji Temple, and Rokuon-ji, his retirement home, was turned into a branch temple of Shokoku-ji.

It is the head shrine of about 30,000 Inari shrines which are traditionally familiar throughout Japan and the god is worshiped for bountiful harvests of grain, business prosperity, the safety of households, recovery from illness, and wish fulfillment. This shrine was established in 711 AD.

Located along the Kibune River at the foot of Mt. Kibune in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, the shrine is the head shrine of about 2,000 water god shrines in Japan, and enshrines the deity Taka-okamino-kami, who controls water. The exact date of establishment is unknown, but there is a record of the rebuilding of the shrine in the 6th year of Hakuho (677), during the reign of Emperor Temmu, making it one of the oldest shrines in Japan with a history of over 1,300 years. Since the Kibune River is the source of the Kamo River and the shrine is located just north of the Imperial Palace, it has been highly revered and protected by successive Imperial Courts as a deity protecting the water source of the capital. It is said that the origin of the ‘ema’ (a votive picture horse) is that Emperor Saga dedicated a live horse to the shrine to pray for rain to fall or stop.

In the latter half of the 13th century, Emperor Kameyama, who had defeated the Mongols (Yuan) twice, became the Pope and made the temple the first imperial temple in Japan as a Zen temple. After the main temple complex was built by Norian Soen, it was succeeded by Issan Ichinei, a high priest who was dispatched to Japan as an envoy of the Gen.

As one of the most famous film theme parks in Japan, located in Uzumasa, Kyoto, the park is famous for its sets used in the filming of period dramas. You can enjoy the atmosphere of old Japan even more by walking in the park dressed up in historic costumes as a film character.

The shrine’s deities are Susanoo-no-Mikoto, Kushiinadahime-no-Mikoto, and Yahashira-no-Mikogami, and it is the head shrine of approximately 2,300 Yasaka Shrine and related shrines with Susanoo-no-Mikoto enshrined scattered throughout Japan. The shrine is said to have been established in 656, when the deity of Mt. Udu in the Silla kingdom was enshrined here. It has been revered as Gion Kanshinin and Gion-sha, and is still called “Gion-san” by the locals.

Nishiki Market is located on Nishikikoji Street, north of Shijo Street, Kyoto’s main street. The fish market thrived here, and in 1615, it received official permission from the Edo Shogunate to expand. It is called “Kyoto’s kitchen” and offers a wide range of foods such as Kyoto vegetables, fresh-water fish from Lake Biwa, Hamo (conger pike), Guji (tilefish), Sasakarei (half-dried flounder), Yuba (tofu skin), Namafu, and pickles. Most of Kyoto’s special ingredients can be found here.

The bridge was built in the first half of the 9th century during the Heian period (794-1185). It has been washed out many times, but each time it has been rebuilt. It is said that the name was given by Emperor Kameyama in the Kamakura period (1185-1333), as the moon moved across the bridge as if it were crossing over it.
The bridge has been featured in numerous ukiyoe woodblock prints, including those by Utagawa Hiroshige and Katsushika Hokusai, and has become a representative landscape of Arashiyama.

This is the head temple of the Tenryuji sect of the RInzai school. It was founded by Ashikaga Takauji in 1339, during the early Muromachi period, in memory of Emperor Go-daigo, with Muso Kokushi (the eminent Zen master Muso Soseki) appointed as founding abbot. It was ranked first among Kyoto's Five Mountains of Zen temples. The temple’s precincts, which stretch across the site of Emperor Go-Saga’s Kameyama detached palace, are both Japan’s first historic site and special scenic beauty. They were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 as a part of the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto”.

The delightful scenery attracted noble families and poets who built their homes in Sagano. Sagano bamboo trail spans about 400m (437 yards) from Nonomiya Shrine, via Tenryuji Temple’s north gate to Okochi Sanso cottage.
Green bamboos shoot up to the sky. The beautiful scene is often in travel magazines, TV shows, and ads, known as Kyoto’s famous landscape. The trees grow straight up and the tops bend over, creating a bamboo tunnel.

Amanohashidate is one of Japan’s Top 3 Scenic Spots, along with the bay of Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture and Miyajima in Aki, Hiroshima Prefecture. Across the length of this 3.6km landbridge you’ll find 5000 pine trees planted across its 20m-170m wide shores. It’s magical look and feel carved out by nature over many millennia has earned it a spot on many of Japan’s best 100-lists, including 100 Best Famous Pine Trees, 100 Best Green Pines and White Sands, 100 Best Shorelines and 100 Best Beautiful Biospheres in Japan.

Miyama, Nantan City in Kyoto Prefecture, is home to a gathering of rare thatched-roof houses. The northern settlement is especially known for its preserved 39 thatched-roof houses, designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, beloved to this day as a nostalgic landscape of Japan that melts against the backdrop of picture-perfect seasons.

Ine Bay is located in the northern part of Kyoto Prefecture, where fishing has been thriving since ancient times. Along the coast, there is a row of buildings called "Funaya," whose first floor is connected to the sea as a storage area for boats used for fishing. The landscape of about 230 boathouses lined up for about 5km is rare in all of Japan and has been selected as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.

A well-established restaurant near the approach to Nanzen-ji Temple, Junsei has long been cherished for serving yudofu (hot tofu), a dish deeply rooted in Kyoto's culinary culture. Here, visitors can leisurely enjoy famous yudofu and yuba (tofu skin) while gazing at the 1,200-tsubo (about 3,967 square meters) strolling garden that reflects the changing seasons through its variety of plants and flowers.

Located along the Kibune River, the source of the Kamogawa River, this ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) with a restaurant was established in 1932. Known as one of the excellent establishments offering "Kawadoko" dining – a summer tradition in Kyoto – it attracts many visitors during the season. The river terrace set up on the clear Kibune River allows a refreshing breeze to pass through, and the murmur of the river adds a touch of elegance. What can be enjoyed in this prime location is the seasonal kaiseki cuisine, carefully prepared to be visually stunning with each dish. Not only delicious, but also a treat for the eyes, ears, and nose... This experience that satisfies all five senses will surely become the best memory of your trip.

Located along the alley of Gion, where old Kyoto townhouses are scattered, this sweet shop specializes in sweet bean paste desserts. The store is operated by "Sazae Shokuhin", famous for their ohagi (sweet rice ball coated with sweetened red beans) made with Hokkaido Tokachi azuki beans, known as the "red diamond". Centered on their long-established technique of making sweet bean paste, they offer a wide variety of sweets with a "new flavor" that is not bound by Japanese and Western frameworks.