8 Best Sights in Kyoto, Japan

This temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is as majestic as the mountain where it is located. Mt. Hiei has a long and entangled history with the capital, an involved and intriguing involvement with the court and the stronghold of warrior monks it became. More than a millennium ago, the priest Dengyo-Daishi (767–822), also known as Saicho, was given imperial permission to build a temple to protect the city against misfortune it was believed would emanate from the northeast. The temple grew in wealth and power and became a training place for monks-turned-warriors to force the Imperial Court to accede to its leaders' demands. The power accrued over the centuries lasting until Nobunaga Oda, the general who helped unify Japan and ended more than a century of civil strife, destroyed the complex in 1571.

The current temple is divided into three complexes—Todo, Saito, and Yokawa—that date from the 17th century. The Kompon Chu-do hall in Todo has a massive copper roof in the irimoya-zukuri layered style. Its dark, cavernous interior conveys the mysticism for which the Tendai sect is known. Giant pillars and a coffered ceiling shelter the central altar, which is surrounded by religious images. You can kneel with worshippers on a dais above the shadowy recess containing the smaller altars, an arrangement that looks upon the enshrined deities. The interior, darkened by the smoke of centuries of lighted candles, conveys a sense of spirituality even among nonbelievers. Each of the ornate oil lanterns hanging before the altar represents a stage of enlightenment. Near the main hall, a mausoleum contains the remains of Saicho.

Saito is a 25-minute walk from Todo along a stairway lined with stone lanterns. The ancient wooden temple in the Yokawa complex has been replaced with a concrete structure, dimming some of its allure, though like Todo and Saito it remains remarkable for its longevity and active religious rites. The mountain-top temple complex can be accessed from either the west (Kyoto side) or the east (Shiga/Lake Biwa side).

The small and beloved nunnery was completely rebuilt in 2005 after a devastating fire, but its history is almost as old as the city. Rival clans had their final battle in 1185, taking the lives of all except Kenreimon-in, the 29-year-old mother of eight-year-old Emperor Antoku. Kenreimon-in returned to the capital and eventually this remote place to spend her days in prayer. Years passed until a visit by a retired emperor who was moved to write a poem about her harsh existence as embodied by the gnarled remains of a cherry tree on the ground. Jakko-in is on the west, or opposite side of the valley from Sanzen-in. The steep stairway approaching the nunnery evokes the solitude Kenreimon-in and the other nuns who lived here endured.

Smaller than other nearby temples, this one is less visited and quieter. A gong has been placed its humble-looking entrance for visitors to strike before stepping down inside. The garden for viewing is small and delicate; there's a larger stroll garden as well. Within the Main Hall are 36 portraits of Chinese poets by members of the Kano School. Near Sanzen-in, Jikko-in is easily combined with a visit to that temple.

The approach at one of Kyoto's oldest and most stately shrines takes visitors along a path in the middle of an expanse of lawn and through the red torii gate. That same path is the scene of horse racing on May 5 and the approach of the imperial messenger of the Hollyhock Festival on May 15 as he reports the events of the court to the resident gods.

At this favorite place for weddings, visitors may be pleasantly surprised to see one taking place in the inner shrine. The grounds are vast, with smaller shrines and a stream into which believers write their wishes on pieces of kimono-shape paper and set them afloat. In recent years, the shrine has become the setting for a torch-lit Noh drama play on the evening of July 1. On other days, families spread out their picnic blankets on the lawn or in shadier spots and enjoy the day.

Japan's oldest public botanical garden has been welcoming visitors since 1924 and features a huge variety of plants and flowers from around the world, including Japan's famous bonsai. The sprawling gardens are filled with seasonal blooms, so colorful displays are guaranteed throughout the year. It also happens to be one of the best places in the city to catch cherry blossoms in the spring or the stunning tones of autumn in the fall. The showpiece conservatory is home to over 4,000 kinds of flora, divided into tropical collections, desert environs and an alpine temperate zone.

The phenomenal architecture and impressive collection of Japanese tea-ceremony artifacts and antiquities from the West, China, and the Middle East make a visit to this museum in Shiga Prefecture well worth the hour-long journey from Kyoto. Three-quarters of the museum, which opened in 1997, is underground, with skylights illuminating the displays. The grounds are extensively and beautifully landscaped and well incorporated into architect I. M. Pei's design. The Japanese collection is housed in a wing separate from the antiquities.

In the rural village of Ohara, northeast of the city, this Tendai sect temple was founded by the priest Dengyo-Daishi (767–822), also known as Saicho. The approach is up steep stone steps and onto the temple grounds. Tall cypress trees admit spots of sunlight onto the moss-and fern ground cover. The most famous building, constructed in AD 985, houses a huge image of Amida Buddha. On either side are images of Seishi and Kannon. The convex ceiling is painted with scenes of paradise, but with the passing of the centuries, these paintings of the descent of Amida, accompanied by 25 bodhisattvas, to welcome the believer are fading. Famed for its maples, the temple draws its largest crowds in autumn, but the grounds north of the main buildings have been planted with hundreds of hydrangea bushes, in bloom throughout June.

The Imperial Villa was in active use until about 100 years ago when it became part of the Imperial Household Agency, thereby requiring permission to enter. The extensive hillside grounds are split into lower, middle and upper levels and are masterpieces of gardening. The maples and cherries are especially pretty in their seasons, but year-round the imperial retreat is an essay in the respect the Japanese have for nature. The goal wasn't to have gold and diamonds decorating their lives, but well-trimmed pine trees, painted wooden doors, and stone-strewn pathways.

You can apply for permission to visit the villa online or at the Kyoto office of the Imperial Household Agency—if you haven't applied before your arrival in Kyoto, your hotel concierge can also assist you. Visitors are asked to arrive, identification ready, 10 minutes prior to the appointed tour time. Although the approximately 80-minute tours are in Japanese, free English-language audio guides are available. Be aware that the route involves some steep inclines.