Kansai International Airport 1 hr 23
Gion (10 min) Geisha district featuring high-end shops & restaurants, a Zen garden & women in colorful kimonos. Kyoto Tower (13 min) Tower with an observation deck offering binoculars & touch-screen guides, plus a food court. Heian Shrine (14 min) Classic Shinto shrine complex built in 1895, with a giant gate & museums of modern & municipal art. Toji (6 min) Historic Buddhist temple with a 5-story wooden pagoda & sculptures of dieties from the 8th century. Maruyama Park (12 min) Popular green space with an outdoor music hall, bronze statues & colorful, seasonal cherry blossoms. Nijō Castle (15 min) Built in 1603, this cyprus-wood castle with extensive gardens was a home for the shogun Ieyasu. Fushimi Inari Taisha (9 min) Mountainside Shinto shrine dating from 711 A.D. featuring a path with hundreds of traditional gates. Tofukuji Temple (7 min) Large Buddhist temple established in 1236 on scenic grounds with gardens known for fall foliage. Kiyomizu-dera (11 min) Iconic Buddhist temple on Mount Otowa known for the scenic views afforded from its sizable veranda. Kyoto Imperial Palace (16 min) Palace complex & former Imperial family residence reconstructed in 1855, with gardens & gates. Rengeoin Sanjusangendo (11 min) This iconic Buddhist temple is known for its 1,001 life-sized wooden statues of the goddess Kannon. Nishiki Market (12 min) 400-year-old iconic market studded with stalls offering all manner of Japanese edibles. Arashiyama (28 min) Winding, lush venue showcasing a host of monkeys plus a scenic bamboo forest & water vistas. Yasaka Shrine (15 min) This Shinto shrine was erected in 656 A.D. & is home to one of the most famous festivals in Japan. Kinkaku-ji (27 min) Historic, tranquil temple with a gold-leaf facade set amid landscaped gardens & a reflecting pond. |