Kansai International Airport 1 hr 36
Gion (9 min) Geisha district featuring high-end shops & restaurants, a Zen garden & women in colorful kimonos. Nanzen-ji Temple (8 min) Stately Buddhist temple complex with a Zen garden, forested grounds & walking paths. Kyoto Imperial Palace (13 min) Palace complex & former Imperial family residence reconstructed in 1855, with gardens & gates. Kiyomizu-dera (11 min) Iconic Buddhist temple on Mount Otowa known for the scenic views afforded from its sizable veranda. Kōdaiji Temple (8 min) Serene setting with a Buddhist temple & gardens, plus tea houses & seasonal light festivals. Yasaka Shrine (11 min) This Shinto shrine was erected in 656 A.D. & is home to one of the most famous festivals in Japan. Kyoto Tower (15 min) Tower with an observation deck offering binoculars & touch-screen guides, plus a food court. Kinkaku-ji (20 min) Historic, tranquil temple with a gold-leaf facade set amid landscaped gardens & a reflecting pond. Higashiyama Jisho-ji (13 min) This 15th-century Zen temple features picturesque gardens & a sand mound shaped like Mount Fuji. Arashiyama (32 min) Winding, lush venue showcasing a host of monkeys plus a scenic bamboo forest & water vistas. Nishiki Market (8 min) 400-year-old iconic market studded with stalls offering all manner of Japanese edibles. Maruyama Park (10 min) Popular green space with an outdoor music hall, bronze statues & colorful, seasonal cherry blossoms. Nijō Castle (11 min) Built in 1603, this cyprus-wood castle with extensive gardens was a home for the shogun Ieyasu. Fushimi Inari Taisha (19 min) Mountainside Shinto shrine dating from 711 A.D. featuring a path with hundreds of traditional gates. Heian Shrine (9 min) Classic Shinto shrine complex built in 1895, with a giant gate & museums of modern & municipal art. |