70 Best Sights in Kyoto, Japan

The very fine Sen-oku Hakuko Kan Museum exhibits ancient Chinese bronzes collected over three decades by Kichizaemon Sumitomo (1865–1926), the 15th head of the family behind the 400-year-old Sumitomo Corporation. Following the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1912, many of China's treasures appeared in foreign markets, enabling Kichizaemon to amass the largest collection outside China. The museum's strongest suits are objects crafted during the Shang and Zhou periods (1600–221 BC), though the holdings also include more recent items such as ritual implements, musical instruments, mirrors, bells, and calligraphy. The museum closes in winter and when new exhibitions are being installed, so call or check website before coming.

Large 800-year-old camphor trees flank the entrance path to this Tendai sect temple. Although the present main hall dates from 1895, its interior sliding doors and screens are the work of the 16th-century painter Motonobu Kano, known for combining Chinese ink techniques and Japanese ornamental styles, and more recently, the vivid blue-and-gold lotus paintings of Kimura Hideki, a Kyoto artist, are displayed. The painting of a blue Fudo Myo-o, a Buddhist deity, is a copy of the 900-year-old National Treasure now kept in the Kyoto National Museum. Shoren-in served as a temporary Imperial Palace during the 18th century. Its stroll gardens and delicate interior architecture represent fine examples of staggered tokonoma (alcove) shelves and covered corridors leading to other buildings. In fall and spring the temple is lighted up from 6 to 10 pm.

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 instead well-trimmed pine trees, painted wooden doors, and stone-strewn pathways.

You can apply online for permission to visit the villa 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.

Uji is renowned throughout Japan for its excellent tea, and this teahouse along the picturesque banks of the Uji River is a fine place to enjoy a cup of the green variety with a seasonal Japanese sweet. To experience a full tea ceremony, you must book it in advance.

The Tale of Genji is an 11th-century literary masterpiece that depicts the life of an imperial prince. The final chapters, set in the Uji region, are commonly referred to as the Uji-Jujo, or the Ten Uji Chapters. The museum offers a glimpse into this classic epic through life-size displays, colorful murals, and interesting related videos, as well as temporary seasonal exhibits.

Famous for its towering pagoda, the most prominent one visible when entering the city, the temple of To-ji was established by imperial edict in AD 796 and called the East Temple. Farther west was Sai-ji, the West Temple, but receiving no special patronage it was long ago destroyed. To-ji, on the other hand, was assigned to the priest Kukai (AD 774–835), also known as Kobo Daishi, a major figure in Japanese Buddhism whose accomplishments include founding the Shingon sect in the early 9th century and establishing the 88-temple pilgrimage on the island of Shikoku.

Fires and battles during the 16th century destroyed the temple buildings, but many were rebuilt, including in 1603 the Kon-do (Main Hall), which blends Chinese and Japanese elements. The one building that has managed to survive the ravages of war since it was built in 1491 is the Ko-do (Lecture Hall). Inside this hall are 15 original statues of Buddhist gods, forming a mandala, that are considered masterpieces of the Heian era (AD 750–1150). There's a daily service at 6 am in the Daishi-do with devotional chanting.

On the 21st of each month, a market known locally as Kobo-san (after Kobo Daishi) is held. Used and old kimonos, fans, furniture, potted plants, oriental medicine, kitchen utensils, and many other items can be found at bargain prices. A little patience and a pencil and paper to write down your desired price will make the venture an enjoyable one. A smaller antiques market is held on the first Sunday of the month.

The immense Sanmon Gate at the west entrance of Tofuku-ji, a Rinzai Zen temple, is the oldest gate in Japan and one of three approaches to this medieval complex of 24 temples. Modeled after its counterpart at Todai-ji, in Nara, the 72-foot-high gate was destroyed several times over the years by fire. The gate was disassembled and reconstructed in 1978. Entry is not permitted through the gate, but you can observe it up close.

Tofuku-ji was established in 1236 and ranks, along with Myoshin-ji and Daitoku-ji, among the most important temples in Kyoto. Arranged around the main hall are four contrasting gardens (separate admission), both dry gravel and landscaped, including a stroll garden. The Heavenly Way Bridge that spans a maple-filled ravine is one of Kyoto's most popular autumn viewing spots. The gardens in the Hojo (abbot's quarters), completed in 1939, were the first large-scale commission of Shigemori Mirei, a famous garden designer.

Across the river from Byodo-in, this small Shinto shrine is known for its rabbit motifs. It can be reached by walking along the Sawarabi-no-michi, a picturesque winding road that also leads a little farther on to the larger Ujigami Jinja, said to be the oldest remaining Shinto shrine in Japan.

The interior of this enormous World Heritage site has 1,000 tatami mats in its main hall, and serves as the headquarters for the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism, which has a similar number of followers. The compound contains many fine examples of 16th-century Momoyama architecture. Among the most renowned of these is a gate on the south side. Elaborately carved in fascinating detail, it is called Higureshi-no-mon (All the Day Long Gate) because one could stand and look at its depictions of mythical and real animals, birds, and flowers for hours.

Founded in 1272, the sect gained great popularity by appealing to the masses in making paradise accessible by reciting a simple incantation. As with all Jodo Shinshu temples, the main altar is the image of Amida Buddha, surrounded by vases of graceful gold-painted lotus and a canopy of hanging gold ornaments, all of which seem to glow in the darkened hall. Some of the Buddhist images belonging to this temple are now housed in the Ryukoku Museum, across the street on the east side of Horikawa. A re-creation of the murals in Chinese cave paintings have been replicated via photographs in the museum.

Several buildings can be entered if permission is granted, which takes from a week to a month to obtain (visit website for details). One of them, the Hiunkaku Pavilion, a graceful three-story structure built in 1587, was once the residence of the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi and was moved here. The morning service, which takes place daily at 6, provides a good opportunity to observe or participate.

Stone stairs lead up through the vermilion-and-white gate of Kyoto's central shrine, which plays an essential role in the city's fiscal good fortune. In addition to the good-luck charms people flock here to buy, you will see the names of the city's biggest stores and companies marking the lanterns hanging from the main hall's eaves, each of the corporate sponsors seeking financial favor as well. The shrine, just off Higashi-oji-dori, was built in the 7th century above an underground lake to ensure that the god who resided in the east—the blue water dragon—received the fresh water needed to ensure healthy Earth energy. The original enshrined Shinto deity, Susano-no-mikoto, later came to be associated with the Buddhist spirit Gozu Ten-no, a protector against pestilence and the god of prosperity. Also known as the Gion Shrine, Yasaka hosts the Gion Festival, a monthlong event that takes place in July. The festival started in AD 869 as a religious ritual to rid the city of a terrible plague that originated in Kyoto and swiftly spread all over Japan. The grounds of Yasaka Shrine are filled with revelers during cherry-blossom season, usually in early April.