Kansai International Airport 1 hr 35
Maruyama Park (14 min) Popular green space with an outdoor music hall, bronze statues & colorful, seasonal cherry blossoms. Kyoto Tower (11 min) Tower with an observation deck offering binoculars & touch-screen guides, plus a food court. Fushimi Inari Taisha (21 min) Mountainside Shinto shrine dating from 711 A.D. featuring a path with hundreds of traditional gates. Higashiyama Jisho-ji (21 min) This 15th-century Zen temple features picturesque gardens & a sand mound shaped like Mount Fuji. Toji (11 min) Historic Buddhist temple with a 5-story wooden pagoda & sculptures of dieties from the 8th century. Gion (13 min) Geisha district featuring high-end shops & restaurants, a Zen garden & women in colorful kimonos. Kyoto Imperial Palace (9 min) Palace complex & former Imperial family residence reconstructed in 1855, with gardens & gates. Ryōan-ji (17 min) On the scenic grounds of this 15th-century temple is a famous Zen rock garden & a yudofu restaurant. Nishiki Market (8 min) 400-year-old iconic market studded with stalls offering all manner of Japanese edibles. Nijō Castle (6 min) Built in 1603, this cyprus-wood castle with extensive gardens was a home for the shogun Ieyasu. Yasaka Shrine (15 min) This Shinto shrine was erected in 656 A.D. & is home to one of the most famous festivals in Japan. Heian Shrine (12 min) Classic Shinto shrine complex built in 1895, with a giant gate & museums of modern & municipal art. Kinkaku-ji (17 min) Historic, tranquil temple with a gold-leaf facade set amid landscaped gardens & a reflecting pond. Kiyomizu-dera (16 min) Iconic Buddhist temple on Mount Otowa known for the scenic views afforded from its sizable veranda. Arashiyama (24 min) Winding, lush venue showcasing a host of monkeys plus a scenic bamboo forest & water vistas. |