Kansai International Airport 2 hr 4
Gion (33 min)
Geisha district featuring high-end shops & restaurants, a Zen garden & women in colorful kimonos. Nishiki Market (36 min)
400-year-old iconic market studded with stalls offering all manner of Japanese edibles. Kiyomizu-dera (39 min)
Iconic Buddhist temple on Mount Otowa known for the scenic views afforded from its sizable veranda. Arashiyama (52 min)
Winding, lush venue showcasing a host of monkeys plus a scenic bamboo forest & water vistas. Nijō Castle (36 min)
Built in 1603, this cyprus-wood castle with extensive gardens was a home for the shogun Ieyasu. Shimogamo-Jinja (25 min)
Legendary 2,000-year-old shrine & excavation site set in a tranquil, riverside forest. Kyoto Imperial Palace (30 min)
Palace complex & former Imperial family residence reconstructed in 1855, with gardens & gates. Kinkaku-ji (34 min)
Historic, tranquil temple with a gold-leaf facade set amid landscaped gardens & a reflecting pond. Nanzen-ji Temple (30 min)
Stately Buddhist temple complex with a Zen garden, forested grounds & walking paths. Heian Shrine (31 min)
Classic Shinto shrine complex built in 1895, with a giant gate & museums of modern & municipal art. Fushimi Inari Taisha (46 min)
Mountainside Shinto shrine dating from 711 A.D. featuring a path with hundreds of traditional gates. Mount Hiei (46 min)
Scenic, notable peak offering temples, a garden museum, hotel, hiking trails & 2 funicular routes. Ryōan-ji (36 min)
On the scenic grounds of this 15th-century temple is a famous Zen rock garden & a yudofu restaurant. Kifune Shrine (20 min)
Intimate Shinto shrine with a verdant mountainside setting, reached by a lantern-lined path. Higashiyama Jisho-ji (27 min)
This 15th-century Zen temple features picturesque gardens & a sand mound shaped like Mount Fuji. | 
