Kyoto
・Popular power spots that brings good fortune
・Kyoto trip by bus
【City description】
Kyoto is a city with a rich history, and its old streets are popular with many tourists from both Japan and abroad. Here we will introduce a model itinerary for touring Kyoto, which still has many attractions, for those who have already visited the classic spots among the many tourist spots.
【Overall rating】
★★★★★
【Time required】
8 h
【Budget】
4910 yen
【Fatigue】
★★★★★
Itinerary Map
Navigation
【Start】①Kyoto Station
★Route time required：20 min
Take bus number 9 or 50 from the bus terminal in front of the station and get off in front of Nijo Castle (fare 230 yen). After getting off the bus, go through the castle gate.
★Route time required：20 min
Return to the bus stop where you got off and board bus number 50 and get off at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine (fare: 230 yen).
★Route time required：20 min
Return to the bus stop and board bus number 10 or 203. Get off at Karasuma Marutamachi bus stop for bus number 10, or Karasuma Imadegawa bus stop for bus number 203. Either way, continue in the direction the bus is heading until you see a gate, then continue on.
★Route time required：20 min
Exit from the East Gate near Kyoto Sento Imperial Palace and go straight until you reach a main intersection. Turn right at the intersection and get on bus number 4, Matsugasaki number 4, or 205 from the bus stop in front of the Prefectural Medical University Hospital and get off at Shimogamo Jinja-mae (fare: 230 yen). Continue in the direction the bus is heading, turn right at the first intersection, then turn right at the end of the road and you will see the road to the shrine on your left.
★Route time required：30 min
Leave the shrine from Tadasu no Mori and turn left, then cross the bridge and turn right. When you reach the intersection where the Demachiyanagi subway station is, turn left and take bus number 7 from the bus stop in front of Demachiyanagi Station and get off at Ginkakuji-michi (fare 230 yen). Once you get off the bus, just keep going straight in the direction the bus is heading and you will see your next destination at the end of the road.
★Route time required：5 min
Return the way you came, cross the bridge and then turn right and follow the path alongside the river.
★Route time required：15 min
Once you’ve left the Philosopher’s Path, turn right at the end of the road and then turn left at the first intersection. After a while you’ll come to a gate. Don’t go through, just take the path on your left and you’ll reach the temple.
★Route time required：30 min
From the approach to the shrine, turn left without going through the gate and follow the road. After passing through the tunnel, turn left and you will arrive at Keage Station on your left. Here, take the train bound for Uzumasa Tenjingawa, and at Karasuma-Oike Station, change to the Karasuma Line bound for Takeda to return to Kyoto Station (fare 260 yen).
Kyoto Station
Click the square mark on the top left of the map to see a list of tourist spots. If you open the enlarge button on the top right corner on your smartphone, this model course will be displayed on Google Maps along with its location information. You can also quickly return to this map from the table of contents in the sidebar (if using a smartphone, select “Go to table of contents” from the menu at the bottom of the screen).
【Start】
①Kyoto Station
★Route time required：20 min
Take bus number 9 or 50 from the bus terminal in front of the station and get off in front of Nijo Castle (fare 230 yen). After getting off the bus, go through the castle gate.
②Nijō Castle
Time required : 1 h 30
Admission fee：1300 yen
（Reservation required for Honmaru-goten Palace +1100 yen）
Opening hour：8 h 45 am – 5 pm
Close：12/26 – 1/3
Ninomaru-goten Palace : Tuesday in January, July, August and December
Homaru-goten Palace : 3rd Tuesday in each month
This castle was built in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu as a place to stay for the Shogun when he came to Kyoto to protect the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the residence of the Emperor. Although it is called a castle, the castle tower was burned down by lightning and no longer remains. During the Meiji period, it was positioned as a detached palace for the Imperial family, so it is now officially called Former Imperial Palace Nijo Castle. Although it no longer has a castle tower, you can visit the Honmaru Palace and Ninomaru Palace.
The Honmaru Palace will be open to the public from September 2024, but reservations are required in advance. For more information, please click here.
Site for Reservation
https://nijo-jocastle.city.kyoto.lg.jp/admission/honmaru/?lang=en
Homaru-goten Palace
Honmaru-goten Palace was used as one of the villas that the emperor would visit, and was built during the major renovation carried out during the reign of the third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu. It was later burned down and removed in 1881, but during the Meiji period, the Katsura Palace, which was located north of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, was moved and became the Honmaru Palace. Even after the move, you can still see the entrance hall, Goshoin, Otsunegoten, kitchen, and Gosanoma of the Katsura Palace.
Ninomaru-goten Palace
Ninomaru Palace is where the 15th shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, declared the return of imperial rule to the emperor, and is designated as a national treasure. Built in the early Edo period, it is the only palace within the grounds that still exists in Japan.
It is made up of six buildings, and the must-sees are the first and second rooms in the large hall where the return of imperial rule to the emperor was declared, and the fourth room, famous for its pine and hawk paintings on the sliding screens. There are approximately 3,600 sliding screen paintings, of which 1,016 are designated as important cultural properties by the nation. The corridors are covered with Japanese bush warbler, and a nice touch is that they make a sound when you walk along them.
The gardens are also worth seeing, with the Seiryu-en garden in the north incorporating a mix of Japanese and Western styles, with a Japanese garden in the west and a Western-style lawn garden in the east, and during the Edo period it was part of the residence of the castle’s guards. At the Nijo Castle Shohekiga Exhibition and Collection Museum in the west, many original paintings from the Shohekiga are on display.
★Route time required：20 min
Return to the bus stop where you got off and board bus number 50 and get off at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine (fare: 230 yen).
③Kitano Tenmangu Shrine
Time required : 40 min
Admission fee：0 yen
Opening hour：7 am – 5 pm
Close：No
It is the head shrine of the approximately 12,000 Tenmangu shrines and Tenjin shrines across the country that enshrines Sugawara Michizane, the famous god of learning, and the main hall is designated as a national treasure.
It began in 947 when Sugawara Michizane was enshrined here after a divine revelation. It is said that the reason for enshrining Michizane was that he was demoted to Dazaifu and was thought to have brought about a curse after his death. Later, in 987, Emperor Ichijo gave him the divine title Kitano Tenmangu Ozai Tenjin, and he came to be known as Tenjin.
He is strongly associated with the image of the god of learning, but this is because his paintings were displayed in temple schools all over the country during the Edo period. In fact, he is also known for various benefits other than academics, such as performing arts, farming, and protection from evil. A festival is held on the 25th of each month, starting on Michizane’s birthday on June 25th and his death anniversary on February 25th.
Dazaifu Tenmangu in Fukuoka Prefecture is also famous as a Tenmangu shrine dedicated to Sugawara Michizane.
The highlights of Kitano Tenmangu Shrine are as follows:
Main Hall:
Built by Toyotomi Hideyori in 1607 on the orders of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the palace and worship hall are connected by a stone-paved corridor.
Sankomon Gate:
The gate through which you enter the main hall is named after the three lights of the sun, moon, and star, and you can see the carvings of the sunrise, sunset, and crescent moon. The reason there are no stars is because when the emperor looked over this area from his residence, he could see the North Star just above the gate.
Treasure Hall:
It is only open on the 25th during the festival and special exhibitions, but you can see the national treasure Kitano Tenjin Engi Emaki Jokyuhon, swords, crafts, paintings, and more.
Flower Path:
Michizane loved plum blossoms, so the plum blossom was incorporated into the divine crest, and within the grounds you can see a plum garden of about 1,500 plum trees of 50 varieties, called the Flower Path. In front of the main hall, there is a plum tree called the Tobiume plum tree that Michizane grew in his own home and is still protected. The name Tobiume comes from the story that plum blossoms flew to Dazaifu overnight in pursuit of Michizane.
Momijien:
In autumn, you can see about 350 autumn leaves along the Kamiya River on the west side.
Cow statues:
There are many cow statues on the grounds, as cows are messengers of the Tenmangu shrine’s god, and it is said that stroking their heads will bring you academic success.
Komainu:
Similarly, there are 12 pairs of Komainu on the grounds, the most in Kyoto, and on both sides of the first entrance gate there are giant Komainu, the largest in Kyoto, measuring about 5m.
Taiko Well:
This well was used for the Kitano Daichayu tea ceremony, which was opened by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
★Route time required：20 min
Return to the bus stop and board bus number 10 or 203. Get off at Karasuma Marutamachi bus stop for bus number 10, or Karasuma Imadegawa bus stop for bus number 203. Either way, continue in the direction the bus is heading until you see a gate, then continue on.
④Kyoto Gyoen
Time required : 1 h
Admission fee：0 yen
Opening hour：9 am – 4 pm
Close：Monday, 12/28 – 1/4
This 65-hectare park includes the Kyoto Imperial Palace, which was the residence of the emperor, and also has tennis courts and a field on the premises. The Heian-kyo Imperial Palace, which was originally built in 794, was located 2km west of here. But after repeated fires it was moved here, which was one of the temporary residences of the emperor, and in 1392, when the Northern and Southern Courts were unified, it became the residence of the emperor in both name and reality. During the Edo period, there were approximately 140 mansions of nobles and other nobles, but when the capital was moved to Tokyo in the Meiji period, the mansions were removed and the park became what it is today.
The two highlights here are the Kyoto Imperial Palace and the Kyoto Sento Imperial Palace.
Kyoto Imperial Palace
The Kyoto Imperial Palace has the following attractions:
Shishinden:
This is a shinden-style building located directly in front of you as you enter through the south gate. Inside is the Takamikura, which is used for the enthronement ceremony of the emperor.
Seiryoden:
Since the 9th century, it has been used as the emperor’s daily residence and as a venue for important traditional ceremonies, but when Toyotomi Hideyoshi built his new residence, the Gotsunegoten, it became a place exclusively for ceremonies.
Shodaibu-no-ma:
A waiting room for visitors, with rooms divided according to rank.
Kogosho:
Containing upper, middle, and lower rooms, it was also used as a place to hold temporary ceremonies.
Gogakumonsho:
A shoin-style building, it is also where the Great Proclamation of the Restoration of Imperial Rule was issued. It was usually used for reading, waka poetry meetings, and lessons.
Kyoto Sento Imperial Palace
The other Kyoto Sento Imperial Palace is the residence of the retired emperor. Sento means a pure land where immortals live, far from the mundane world. Many buildings were lost in a fire in 1854, so there are only a few left, but the gardens are a highlight. Of the remaining buildings, the Gotsune Palace in the Omiya Palace, where the Empress Dowager lives, is still used as a place for the Emperor and Empress to stay.
★Route time required：20 min
Exit from the East Gate near Kyoto Sento Imperial Palace and go straight until you reach a main intersection. Turn right at the intersection and get on bus number 4, Matsugasaki number 4, or 205 from the bus stop in front of the Prefectural Medical University Hospital and get off at Shimogamo Jinja-mae (fare: 230 yen). Continue in the direction the bus is heading, turn right at the first intersection, then turn right at the end of the road and you will see the road to the shrine on your left.
⑤Shimogamo Shrine
Time required : 40 min
Admission fee：0 yen
Opening hour：6 am – 5 pm
Close：No
This shrine is located near the confluence of the Kamo River and the Takano River and is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the cultural assets of the ancient capital of Kyoto. Its official name is Kamo Mioya Shrine, as it enshrines the ancestor of the Kamo clan. The two deities enshrined are Kamo Taketsunumi no Mikoto, the guardian deity of Kyoto who opened Kyoto and prayed for the safety of the nation and its people, and his child Tamayorihime no Mikoto, the mother of the deity enshrined at Kamigamo Shrine and the deity of matchmaking and child-rearing, and the main hall that enshrines them is designated a national treasure. It is unknown when it was built, but it is so old that there are records that it existed before the Common Era.
It is also the place where the Aoi Festival, one of Kyoto’s three major festivals, is held. It is also known as the birthplace of Mitarashi dango.
It is said that clear water springs out from here at Mitarai Shrine during the doyo period in July. The origin of mitarashi dango is said to be the rice dumplings that represent the bubbles of water that spring up. Ten days before and after the Day of the Ox, the Mitarai Festival is held, where people dip their feet in the pond and pray for good health, and it is said that one of the origins of mitarashi dango is that they were made as offerings at the Aoi Festival and Mitarai Festival.
Other highlights include the following:
Tadasu no Mori:
The forest from the entrance to the main shrine is called Tadasu no Mori, and is home to about 600 trees of about 40 different species, all aged between 200 and 600 years.
Renri no Kenki:
At Aioi-sha Shrine on the left of Tadasu no Mori, two trees called Renri no Kenki are tied together, and are said to have been born from Tadasu no Mori for generations. They are said to bring good fortune in safe childbirth, child rearing, and family harmony.
Kawai Shrine:
One of the shrines within the grounds, Kawai Shrine enshrines Tamayorihime, the mother of Emperor Jimmu, known as the goddess of beauty, and offers an unusual option of painting your ideal self on a hand-mirror-shaped votive tablet.
★Route time required：30 min
Leave the shrine from Tadasu no Mori and turn left, then cross the bridge and turn right. When you reach the intersection where the Demachiyanagi subway station is, turn left and take bus number 7 from the bus stop in front of Demachiyanagi Station and get off at Ginkakuji-michi (fare 230 yen). Once you get off the bus, just keep going straight in the direction the bus is heading and you will see your next destination at the end of the road.
⑥Higashiyama Jisho-ji
Time required : 40 min
Admission fee：500 yen
Opening hour：8h30 am – 5 pm
（9 am – 4h30 pm from December to February）
Close：No
Alongside Kinkakuji Temple, this temple is also known as Ginkakuji Temple, but its official name is Higashiyama Jisho-ji Temple. This temple is painted with black lacquer instead of silver. It is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the cultural assets of the ancient capital of Kyoto.
Originally built by Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the 8th Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate, Higashiyama Palace was turned into a temple after his death, and was named Jisho-ji Temple after his posthumous Buddhist name.
The highlights of the temple are as follows:
Kannon Hall:
This building corresponds to the Silver Pavilion and is designated as a national treasure. It is a typical example of tower garden architecture from the Muromachi period, and although it is made of copper, like Kinkaku-ji, it is decorated with a phoenix on the roof. It is a two-story building, with the first floor called Shinku-den and the second floor called Cho-on-kaku. There was talk of covering it with silver leaf like the Kinkaku-ji, but due to various reasons such as financial circumstances and Yoshimasa’s death before completion, this never came to fruition.
Ginkakuji Fence:
A path of about 50 meters connecting the entrance to the middle gate, surrounded by a bamboo fence.
Ginkakuji Beach:
A garden in front of the main hall, characterized by white sand piled up in ripples.
One theory is that it is there to reflect the light of the moon.
Kougetsudai:
A trapezoidal mound of sand on the side of Ginkaku-dan. It is said to have been named after people who sat on it and waited for the moon to rise over Higashiyama.
Togudo:
This hall was once a Jibutsu-do hall dedicated to Amida Nyorai, and is also designated as a national treasure. The name comes from the Buddhist term “people from the east, praying to Buddha and wishing to be born in the west.”。
★Route time required：5 min
Return the way you came, cross the bridge and then turn right and follow the path alongside the river.
⑦Philosopher’s Path
Time required : 30 min
This is a 1.6km riverside road that connects Ginkakuji Temple to Kumano Wakaoji Shrine. A canal flows through the road from Lake Biwa, and it is also a famous cherry blossom spot with its rows of Kansetsu cherry trees, donated by Japanese painter Hashimoto Kansetsu. During the Meiji period, it was called the Writer’s Road because many literati lived in the area, and later, it was named the Philosopher’s Road because philosophers such as Kyoto University professor Nishida Kitaro and Tanabe Hajime would walk along it while thinking.
★Route time required：15 min
Once you’ve left the Philosopher’s Path, turn right at the end of the road and then turn left at the first intersection. After a while you’ll come to a gate. Don’t go through, just take the path on your left and you’ll reach the temple.
⑧Nanzen-ji
Time required : 40 min
Admission fee：600 yen
Opening hour：8h40 am – 5 pm
（until 4h30 from December to February）
Close：No
This is the most prestigious temple in the Rinzai sect of Buddhism, enshrining Shaka Nyorai. Its prestige places it in a special position, even higher than the Five Mountains of Kyoto and the Five Mountains of Kamakura.
The site was originally the site of Emperor Kameyama’s villa, and it began when he built a private Buddha hall there. In 1291 it was converted into a temple and named Ryoanzan Zenrin Zenji, and then around 1300 the name was changed to the current Nanzenji. Of the 60 sub-temples that once existed, this is the only one that remains today.
Hojo:
It is designated as a national treasure. It consists of the Daihojo and Kohojo, and the Daihojo was relocated from the Nyoin Palace of the Kyoto Imperial Palace. The Kohojo is famous for the painting of a tiger drinking water by Kano Tan’yu. The garden in front of the Hojo is a dry landscape garden, also known as the Garden of the Tiger’s Cub.
Sanmon Gate:
In the kabuki play, Ishikawa Goemon is said to have climbed to the top of this gate and said, “What a magnificent view, what a magnificent view.” In reality, it was built after his death, so it’s fiction, but you can climb it for 600 yen. It is about 22 meters high and is said to be one of the three great gates of Japan, and the view from there is a must-see. It was originally built to mourn those who died in the Summer Siege of Osaka.
Suirokaku:
It was built in 1888 as a waterway from Lake Biwa to Kyoto. It is currently used as a waterway for the waterworks. The bridge is 93.2 meters long and 9 meters high, and was designed with the surrounding scenery in mind, but you can feel the Western atmosphere with its arch shape.
★Route time required：30 min
From the approach to the shrine, turn left without going through the gate and follow the road. After passing through the tunnel, turn left and you will arrive at Keage Station on your left. Here, take the train bound for Uzumasa Tenjingawa, and at Karasuma-Oike Station, change to the Karasuma Line bound for Takeda to return to Kyoto Station (fare 260 yen).
【Goal】
Kyoto Station
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