Kansai International Airport 1 hr 52
Shimogamo-Jinja (11 min) Legendary 2,000-year-old shrine & excavation site set in a tranquil, riverside forest. Gion (21 min) Geisha district featuring high-end shops & restaurants, a Zen garden & women in colorful kimonos. Nanzen-ji Temple (18 min) Stately Buddhist temple complex with a Zen garden, forested grounds & walking paths. Nishiki Market (23 min) 400-year-old iconic market studded with stalls offering all manner of Japanese edibles. Maruyama Park (21 min) Popular green space with an outdoor music hall, bronze statues & colorful, seasonal cherry blossoms. Arashiyama (38 min) Winding, lush venue showcasing a host of monkeys plus a scenic bamboo forest & water vistas. Yasaka Shrine (22 min) This Shinto shrine was erected in 656 A.D. & is home to one of the most famous festivals in Japan. Ryōan-ji (22 min) On the scenic grounds of this 15th-century temple is a famous Zen rock garden & a yudofu restaurant. Higashiyama Jisho-ji (15 min) This 15th-century Zen temple features picturesque gardens & a sand mound shaped like Mount Fuji. Kinkaku-ji (20 min) Historic, tranquil temple with a gold-leaf facade set amid landscaped gardens & a reflecting pond. Nijō Castle (22 min) Built in 1603, this cyprus-wood castle with extensive gardens was a home for the shogun Ieyasu. Kyoto Imperial Palace (17 min) Palace complex & former Imperial family residence reconstructed in 1855, with gardens & gates. Fushimi Inari Taisha (34 min) Mountainside Shinto shrine dating from 711 A.D. featuring a path with hundreds of traditional gates. Heian Shrine (18 min) Classic Shinto shrine complex built in 1895, with a giant gate & museums of modern & municipal art. Kiyomizu-dera (27 min) Iconic Buddhist temple on Mount Otowa known for the scenic views afforded from its sizable veranda. |