The Kyoto Handicraft Center is an easy one-stop-shop for browsing and purchasing local handicrafts, ranging from kimonos and decorative fans to pottery and dolls, and much more. Spanning three floors, a huge variety of traditional arts and handicrafts are available here, and the center also runs classes and rents kimono.
Step back in time to the Edo period in Japan at Toei Kyoto Studio Park (Toei Uzumasa Eigamura), the only theme park in Japan that’s also an open-air film set for period drama (jidaigeki) films. Visitors can watch exciting performances, dress up in period costume, learn fun skills, and enjoy a number of other entertaining attractions.
The Kyoto National Museum, established in 1897, houses 12,000-plus artifacts—including art, archeological relics, ceramics, kimonos, pottery, and swords. As one of Japan's four national museums and a major art museum, it’s the perfect place for visitors to deepen their appreciation and understanding of pre-modern Japanese and Asian art.
The only pilgrimage route besides the Camino de Santiago to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kumano Kodo is a network of trails through Kansai. In use for more than 1,000 years, the pilgrimage routes developed as a way to travel between sacred areas, a practice that tourists and pilgrims alike continue today.
Built in the year 678, Kamigamo Shrine (aka Kamo-wakeikazuchi Shrine is one of the oldest Shinto shrines in the country. Although it predates Kyoto’s reign as capitol of Japan by over a century, it is believed to protect the city from negative influences. The shrine played host to four Emperors between the 8th and 18th centuries.
Spanning the tranquil Uji River, Uji-bashi Bridge occupies a legendary site. Few Japanese landmarks have played such a starring role in Japanese literature and art as the Heian-period version of this structure, which was featured in The Tale of Genji—a masterpiece of Japanese prose that’s considered by many historians to be the world’s first novel. It was originally built in 646, and was most recently rebuilt in 1996.
Folklore says that Sojobo, the mythological King of the Tengu, inhabits Kurama, a rural temple town in the foothills of the northern Kyoto mountains. Less than an hour from Kyoto, Mt. Kurama is a popular choice for a day trip, famous for its hot springs and mountain top temple.
Chionji Temple, also known as Hyakumanben Chionji Temple, is a Buddhist temple in Kyoto. Its peaceful halls and landscaped gardens lined with cherry blossom trees offer a tranquil escape from sightseeing. However, the temple really comes to life during its monthly open-air handicrafts markets. Here, you can pick up handmade goods: from artwork to kids’ toys, jewelry, ceramics, and tasty local snacks.
Known for its crystal-clear waters and stunning forest foliage, the Kiyotaki River runs between Kyoto and Osaka. It is reachable from Takao, a scenic hamlet in the mountains west of Kyoto filled with stunning valleys and several historic temples, as a day trip from Kyoto. Winding through the woodlands, the rocky river is home to the Japanese giant salamander, measuring up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) in length.
Known as the "flower temple," Mimuroto Temple in Uji City near Kyoto showcases a vast array of seasonal flowers. Early spring sees cherry blossoms, while azaleas and hydrangeas start to flower later in the spring. Lotus plants complement the bright summer months, and autumn foliage colors arrive in late October or November.
A 700-year-old pine tree welcomes visitors to Hosen-in Temple, a lodging site for Buddhist pilgrims since the 11th century. Part of this temple’s ceiling is made from blood-stained wooden floorboards from Fushimi Castle, which was invaded in 1600, resulting in a mass Samurai honor suicide.
Known to locals as ‘Kokedera’—the ‘Moss Temple’—Saiho-ji Temple is home to lush moss gardens, considered among the most beautiful in Japan. Laid out in the 14th century, the zen meditation gardens are a verdant wonderland, where mossy banks lead to fish-filled ponds and gurgling brooks run through idyllic bamboo groves.
Dating back to the 18th century, Kinshi Masamune Horino Memorial Museum is a historic sake-brewing house located within a well-preserved machiya, a traditional wooden townhouse that exemplifies the architecture of Old Kyoto. Visitors get a glimpse of how sake was fermented and bottled centuries ago, as well as the minimalist elegance of the machiya’s latticed interior.
