Things to do in Kyoto

Kyoto Prefecture offers a diverse array of attractions, from the historic Nijō Castle to numerous temples like Enjō-ji. Visitors can explore a rich mix of cultural and natural sites.

Matsuo Shrine

Matsuo Shrine

KYOTO · SHRINE

Matsuo Shrine: ancient shrine with unique architecture and sacred spring water.

Rinkyū-ji Temple

Rinkyū-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Rinkyū-ji Temple is a historic Rinzai temple with a beautiful Edo period garden.

Somé Seiryukan

Somé Seiryukan

KYOTO · MUSEUM

World's first dyeing museum in Kyoto, showcasing Japanese dyeing art.

Seiken-ji Temple

Seiken-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

A Rinzai Buddhist temple in Kyoto with a historic statue, rebuilt in 1932.

Keishun-in

Keishun-in

KYOTO · TEMPLE

A historic Kyoto sub-temple featuring four National Scenic Beauty gardens and a tea house reloca...

Keirin-ji Temple

Keirin-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

This Zen Buddhist temple offers historical gates and a shrine with a Kamakura-period stone lante...

Momoyama Zenkō-ji Temple

Momoyama Zenkō-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

A historic Tendai temple in Kyoto, known for its Kannon statue and unique architectural heritage...

Kuwada Shrine

Kuwada Shrine

KYOTO · SHRINE

Kuwada Shrine, a historic site with two possible locations, offers a glimpse into ancient Japane...

Umekōji Park

Umekōji Park

Umekoji Park is a large urban park in Kyoto with museums and historic streetcars, worth visiting...

Umeda Shrine

Umeda Shrine

KYOTO · SHRINE

Umeda Shrine is an ancient site with important architecture and natural beauty.

Nagi Shrine

Nagi Shrine

KYOTO · SHRINE

Nagi Shrine, also known as Motogion-sha, is a historic Kyoto shrine worth visiting for its ancie...

Nashinoki Shrine

Nashinoki Shrine

KYOTO · SHRINE

Nashinoki Shrine is a Kyoto shrine known for its bush clovers and famous well water.

Yōkoku-ji Temple

Yōkoku-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Yōkoku-ji Temple is a historic Buddhist temple known for its Kannon statue and scenic garden.

Makishima Castle

Makishima Castle

KYOTO · CASTLE

Visit Makishima Castle ruins to see a stone monument marking a historic island fortress.

Katagihara temple ruins

Katagihara temple ruins

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Explore ancient temple ruins with a restored octagonal pagoda foundation, a designated national...

Hashihime Shrine

Hashihime Shrine

KYOTO · SHRINE

Ancient shrine in Uji, dedicated to the guardian deity of Uji Bridge.

Dannohhorin-ji Temple

Dannohhorin-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Dannohhorin-ji Temple is a historic Jodo sect temple with a unique beckoning cat tradition.

Kankikō-ji Temple

Kankikō-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Kankikō-ji Temple is a historic Buddhist temple founded in 1291, offering a glimpse into Jishu R...

Shōden-ji Temple

Shōden-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Shoden-ji Temple offers a historic main hall and a unique 'blood ceiling' with a scenic dry land...

Shōrin-ji Temple

Shōrin-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Shōrin-ji Temple is a historic Jōdo-shū temple with ties to Hōnen and Kujō Kanezane.

Shōbō-ji Temple

Shōbō-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Shōbō-ji Temple is a historic Jishu temple founded by Saichō, rebuilt in 1383.

Shōbō-ji Temple

Shōbō-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Shōbō-ji Temple is a historic Jōdo-shū Buddhist temple with important cultural properties and a...

Hinumanai Shrine

Hinumanai Shrine

KYOTO · SHRINE

Hinumanai Shrine is a historic 'Moto Ise' shrine, dedicated to Toyouke-Omikami, offering a glimp...

Keshima

Keshima

An uninhabited island in Wakasa Bay featuring a historic shrine and popular waters for recreatio...

Mito Shrine

Mito Shrine

KYOTO · SHRINE

A Nara-period shrine at Mount Konosu featuring a 15th-century main hall designated as a National...

Suika Tenmangū

Suika Tenmangū

KYOTO · SHRINE

Suika Tenmangū is a Kyoto shrine dedicated to scholarship, with unique stones and a sub-shrine.

Eifuku-ji Temple

Eifuku-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Eifuku-ji Temple is a historic Kyoto temple founded in 1181, dedicated to the healing Buddha.

Ebumi Shrine

Ebumi Shrine

KYOTO · SHRINE

A quiet mountain shrine in Kyoto serving as the guardian for Ohara, featuring historical links t...

Kutsujima, Kyoto

Kutsujima, Kyoto

An uninhabited island sanctuary and sacred inner shrine of Kono Shrine, famous for seabird colon...

Hosshō-ji Temple

Hosshō-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Ancient Kyoto temple, home to a National Treasure, easily accessible by train.

Hōsen-ji Temple

Hōsen-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Hosen-ji is a historic temple with a miraculous spring and important stone pagodas.

Hōnen-ji Temple

Hōnen-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Hōnen-ji Temple is a historic Jōdo-shū temple with unique treasures.

Hōnen-in Temple

Hōnen-in Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Secluded temple in Kyoto, known for its serene atmosphere and cultural treasures.

Hōkai-ji Temple

Hōkai-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Hōkai-ji Temple is a historic Shingon-shu temple with National Treasures and a connection to Shi...

Hokke-ji Temple

Hokke-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Hokke-ji is a Nichiren-shu temple with a rich history, offering a glimpse into Japanese religiou...

Hōkan-ji Temple

Hōkan-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Hōkan-ji Temple is an ancient Kyoto temple, home to a prominent five-story pagoda.

Hōrin-ji Temple

Hōrin-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Hōrin-ji Temple, or Daruma-dera, is a Rinzai Zen temple founded in 1727.

Jōjū-ji Temple

Jōjū-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Jojuji Temple offers natural scenery, rare bamboo, and unique architecture, especially vibrant i...

Jōdo-in Temple

Jōdo-in Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Jōdo-in is a historic nunnery in Kyoto with an important Heian-period Amida Nyorai statue.

Jōdo-in Temple

Jōdo-in Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Jōdo-in Temple, managing the Daimonji bonfire, offers a glimpse into Jodo-shu Buddhism.

Urashima Shrine

Urashima Shrine

KYOTO · SHRINE

Urashima Shrine is an ancient site dedicated to Urashima Taro, with important cultural propertie...

Kaihō-ji Temple

Kaihō-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Kaihō-ji Temple is an Ōbaku Zen temple with historic buildings and unique vegetarian cuisine.

Navy Memorial Museum

Navy Memorial Museum

KYOTO · MUSEUM

Explore naval history at this museum, housed in a historic building, with unique artifacts.

Yodo Castle

Yodo Castle

KYOTO · CASTLE

Explore Yodo Castle ruins, a former Edo-period daimyo residence built with materials from other...

Seiwa-in Temple

Seiwa-in Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Seiwa-in Temple is a historic Shingon-shu temple in Kyoto, dedicated to Jizo Bosatsu.

Shōjōke-in Temple

Shōjōke-in Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

This historic Kyoto temple, founded in 860, is a head temple of the Jōdo-shū sect.

Seiryō-in Temple

Seiryō-in Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Seiryō-in Temple is a historic nunnery, notable as a birthplace of Tokugawa Yoshinao.

Seikan-ji Temple

Seikan-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Seikan-ji Temple is a historic temple with imperial connections and a unique Kannon statue.

Togetsu-kyō

Togetsu-kyō

A historic 155-meter bridge in Arashiyama offering iconic river views and a blend of traditional...

Sōtoku-ji Temple

Sōtoku-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Sōtoku-ji Temple, known for doll memorial services, offers a unique cultural experience near Kyo...

Genkō-an

Genkō-an

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Genkō-an is a Zen temple in Kyoto, famous for its unique windows and blood-stained ceiling.

Genkū-ji Temple

Genkū-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Genkū-ji Temple is a historic Jōdo-shū Buddhist temple with a gate from Fushimi Castle.

Hiyoke Tenmangū

Hiyoke Tenmangū

KYOTO · SHRINE

Hiyoke Tenmangu is a historic Kyoto shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, known for fire pr...

Sarumaru Shrine

Sarumaru Shrine

KYOTO · SHRINE

Sarumaru Shrine is a small, ancient shrine dedicated to poetry and healing, worth visiting for i...

Meikaku-ji Temple

Meikaku-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

A historic Jodo Shinshu temple in Kyoto featuring registered cultural properties and a tea room...

Gyokurin-in

Gyokurin-in

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Gyokurin-in is a historic Rinzai temple in Kyoto with important art and architecture.

Zuikō-ji Temple

Zuikō-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Zuiko-ji is a historic Nichiren-shu temple in Kyoto, home to important cultural properties.

Zuihō-in

Zuihō-in

KYOTO · TEMPLE

A 16th-century Zen sub-temple featuring historic architecture and unique modern rock gardens wit...

Zuisen-ji Temple

Zuisen-ji Temple

KYOTO · TEMPLE

Zuisen-ji Temple commemorates Toyotomi Hidetsugu and his family, offering a unique historical pe...

Ikimi Tenmangū

Ikimi Tenmangū

KYOTO · SHRINE

Japan's oldest Tenmangu shrine, dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, with important cultural prop...

Guides to Kyoto

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