Travel Map in Kyoto you should go for the first time

Itinerary Map

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).

City center map

【Start】

①Kyoto Station

★Route time required：40 min

From Kyoto Station Bus Terminal, take the Takao Keihoku Line bound for Shuzan and get off at the bus stop Ryoanji-mae (fare 230 yen). Alternatively, you can take the 50th line and get off at the Ritsumeikan University stop and walk for about 10 minutes in the direction of the bus.

②Ryōan-ji

Time required : 30 min

Admission fee：600 yen

Opening hour：8 am – 5 pm
（8h30 am – 4h30 pm from December to February）

Close：No

This temple is famous for its dry landscape rock garden, and is registered as UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the “Cultural Assets of Ancient Kyoto.” Fifteen large and small rocks are lined up in the 230-square-meter garden, but it is not possible to see them all from one place. It is also called the Tiger’s Cub Crossing Garden or the Shichigosan Garden, but since the artist is unknown, it is still unknown what it represents. The walls surrounding the rock garden are also worth seeing, and the wall on the right is lowered from the front to the back to create depth, and is made of a mixture of rapeseed oil, known as an oil-clay wall, which is resistant to environmental changes.

The temple itself began in 1450 when Hosokawa Katsumoto, who managed the territory of the Ashikaga Shogun, took over the mountain villa, and this rock garden and the Hojo, the building from which it can be viewed, were built in 1479. The Hojo burned down in a fire in 1797, so the current one was relocated from Saigen-in Temple. The Hojo also has paintings of dragons and sliding doors depicting Mount Kongo in North Korea, as well as a water hole called Tsukubai, which is a circle with a square hole in the center.

This was a donation from Tokugawa Mitsukuni, and the square hole is likened to the Chinese character for mouth, expressing the words of Buddha that are also relevant to the tea ceremony, “I only know enough.” As you can see here, it is Shaka Nyorai that is enshrined at Ryoanji Temple.

This rock garden and the abbot’s chambers are famous, but Kyoyo Pond, which occupies most of the grounds, used to be even more famous than the rock garden, and was a popular spot for mandarin ducks.

★Route time required：10 min

After leaving Ryoanji Temple, turn left and get on bus number 59 bound for Karasuma-Imadegawa, Shijo-Kawaramachi, and Sanjo Keihan from the Ryoanji bus stop, then get off at Kinkakuji-michi.

③Kinkaku-ji

Time required : 30 min

Admission fee：500 yen

Opening hour：9 am – 5 pm

Close：No

This temple is famous for its gold leaf exterior, and is also registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the “Cultural Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.” Its official name is Rokuon-ji Temple, and it is actually one of the temples (sub-temples) belonging to Shokoku-ji Temple. The famous golden building is the Shariden (reliquary hall) where relics of Buddha are kept. It was originally the villa of Saionji Kintsune, a nobleman from the Kamakura period, but was acquired by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate, and he actually lived there as Kitayamadono. After his death, it became a Zen temple, and was named Rokuon-ji Temple after his posthumous Buddhist name.

By the way, the gilded building is called Kinkaku, and the general name including the garden is Kinkakuji Temple. Kinkaku is a three-story building, and the interior is usually not open to the public, but

1st floor: Hosui-in (likening the washing away of worldly desires to water), Shinden-zukuri, Shaka Nyorai and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu

2nd floor: Choon-do (likening the ebb and flow of the tides, as Buddhas and Bodhisattvas guide and bestow blessings on people at different times), Shoin-zukuri in the samurai style, Iwaya Kannon seated statue and the Four Heavenly Kings

3rd floor: Gyokucho, Zen Butsuden-zukuri, Shaka relics

Rooftop: Golden phoenix

The second and third floors are lacquered with pure gold leaf, and the current structure was rebuilt in 1955 after a fire. The gold leaf represents paradise, and the same can be said for the grounds, including the 92,400m² garden.

The reflection of the temple in the Kyokochi Pond in front of Kinkaku is beautiful, and the pond itself is home to islands such as Kahara Island, Tsuru Island, and Kame Island. The Edo period teahouse, called Sekkatei, was named after the beautiful view of Kinkaku reflected in the sunset from here. Other attractions include Ginga-sen, which is said to have been used by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu as tea water.

★Route time required：40 min

Return to the bus stop and take bus number 12 bound for Shijo Kawaramachi/Sanjo Keihan, and get off at Shijo Takakura. Continue in the direction the bus is heading, turn left at the first intersection, and after a short distance you will see the entrance to the arcade on your right.

④Nishiki Market

Time required : 30 min

This popular Kyoto market is an arcade street about 390 meters long, with many shops selling ingredients for Kyoto cuisine, such as Kyoto vegetables and fish from Lake Biwa, and is also known as Kyoto’s Kitchen. There are about 120 stores under the red, yellow, and green arcades, and you can walk around eating your favorite things, so we recommend looking around while eating.

This market was originally established in 782 during the Heian period, and developed thanks to the high-quality groundwater. At the time, it was called Gusoku-koji, but it was renamed Kusokoji, and in 1054 it was renamed Nishiki Market, the current name. During the Edo period, it also became one of the three fish wholesalers in Kyoto officially recognized by the shogun.

★Route time required：10 min

At the end of the road, turn right into Shinkyogoku Shopping Street. When you reach the main street, turn left and enter the alley just before the Kamogawa Bridge.

⑤Pontocho

Time required : 10 min

It is one of the five geisha districts of Kyoto and is a street where you can feel the atmosphere of Kyoto. In 2021, the electric poles were removed and it has become one of the most popular photo spots. Although the name has the word “town” in it, it is not a town but just a street, and there are various theories about the origin of the name “ponto”, such as Portuguese or the sound of a drum. There are many shops with summer terraces on the Kamo River, making it the perfect place to feel the atmosphere.

★Route time required：10 min

Return to the main road, cross the Kamo River, go left at the first intersection, cross the stream and then turn right and follow the road alongside the river.

⑥Shirakawa Canal

Time required : 15 min

Located north of the Gion area, this is a place where you can see typical Kyoto scenery. It is also famous as a cherry blossom viewing spot, with around 40 cherry trees planted. The area around Tatsumi Bridge is particularly popular, and you may see maiko and people taking wedding photos there.

Located southeast of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, nearby is Tatsumi Daimyojin Shrine, which serves as the guardian deity for the palace and where a white snake is enshrined. There is also a story that a mischievous raccoon dog was enshrined here, which helped to calm it down.

★Route time required：10 min

Cross Tatsumi Bridge and turn left when you reach the main road. Turn right at the first intersection and you will enter a typical Kyoto street.

⑦Hanamikoji

Time required : 10 min

This is a famous street in Gion, where Kyoto-like townscapes remain. The reason it feels Kyoto-like is because of architectural styles such as the vermilion latticework known as Bengara Koushi and the thin bamboo fences under the eaves known as Inu Yari. You may also spot Maiko on this street, as there are teahouses where you can interact with them.

★Route time required：a few minutes

There is a temple gate at the end of the road, so enter.

⑧Kennin-ji Temple

Time required : 40 min

Admission fee：800 yen

Opening hour：10 am – 4h30 pm

Close：No

This is the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto and is famous for Tawaraya Sotatsu’s Wind God and Thunder God Screen. The original is on display at the Kyoto National Museum, but the elaborate construction is a must-see. Built by Minamoto no Yoriie in 1202, the temple was home to three sects at the time: Tendai, Shingon, and Zen. The temple enshrines a seated Eleven-Headed Kannon Bodhisattva statue as its principal image, donated by the daughter of Tokugawa Hidetada, the second Tokugawa shogun. A painting of twin dragons was painted on the ceiling of the lecture hall in 2002 to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the temple’s founding.

It is shaped like the mouths of the two symbols A and Un, and is often seen at Zen temples because it is the god of water that brings down rain, which is the teaching of Buddhism.

Other examples include the sliding door paintings by Kaiho Yusho, a painter from the Azuchi to Edo periods, Daiyuen, a dry landscape garden in the abbot’s chambers, and a 〇 △ □ garden, which expresses the Zen elements of earth, water, fire and wind with earth □, water 〇, and fire △.

★Route time required：15 min

After leaving Kenninji Temple, go down Hanamikoji Street and return to the main road, then turn right and head to the shrine at the end of the road.

⑨Yasaka Shrine

Time required : 30 min

The Gion Festival, one of Kyoto’s three major festivals, is also held at this shrine, which is a symbolic location in Gion. There are several theories about the origin of Yasaka Shrine, but the following two are recorded in the shrine’s history.

① In 656, immigrants enshrined Susanoo-no-Mikoto

② In 876, a monk built a hall

In addition to Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the main deity is his wife, Kushinadahime-no-Mikoto, and his eight children, Yahashira-no-Mikogami. It is said that the main hall was built on top of the Seiryu dragon hole, which was used to calm the east of Kyoto. It developed after people prayed at a shrine in Higashiyama during an epidemic. The origin of the Gion Festival was when a portable shrine was sent and prayers were made with 66 spears, the number of provinces at the time, during an epidemic in 869. Until the Shinbutsu Bunri Edict was issued in 1868, the shrine was called Gion-sha and Gion-kanshin-in, and is still called Gion-san by locals.

The main hall is designated as a national treasure, and is the largest shrine main hall in Japan, built in a unique style from the Heian period called Gion-zukuri, which covers the worship hall under a single roof.

There are also 29 other buildings designated as important cultural properties within the grounds. The Nishi-romon Gate that you passed on your way in is the oldest of the buildings at Yasaka Shrine, and the one that was rebuilt in 1497 after the Onin War still remains to this day. The dance hall, which is used to enshrine the mikoshi (portable shrine) at the Gion Festival and for dancing at weddings, is adorned with many lanterns and is eye-catching. The Utsukushigozensha Shrine enshrines the three goddesses who govern beauty, and it is said that applying the spring water in front of it to your skin will make you beautiful in body and mind.

★Route time required：5 min

Once you exit the gate in front of the dance hall, go left and turn right at the first intersection. Turn right at the end of the road and follow the road until you see a typical Kyoto townscape.

⑩Nene-no-michi

Time required : 15 min

This is a 250m long road with a Kyoto-like streetscape. It used to be called Kodaiji-michi after Kodaiji Temple on the road, but in 1998 it was named after Nene, the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who built Kodaiji Temple. The view is protected by running the electric wires underground, and there are Japanese confectionery shops and general goods stores.

Temples such as Kodaiji Temple, from which the name is derived, and Entoku-in Temple are also located on the road, and both are highly recommended and worth visiting if you have time. Ishihori-koji, next to the Japanese confectionery shop Fujinami, is also a Kyoto-like alley that is recommended.

★Route time required：a few minutes

When you leave Nene Road, cross the crosswalk and go to the road diagonally ahead on your left.

⑪Ichinenzaka

Time required : 5 min

The name was given to the three slopes that Nene walked up to pray for an easy delivery at the Koyasu Kannon Bodhisattva at Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Ichinenzaka is an 85m long path that was built in 1992, and did not have a name until then.

★Route time required：a few minutes

Once you pass Ichinenzaka, go to the right.

⑫Ninenzaka

Time required : 10 min

This is the second slope, about 150m long, that Nene walked along. From this point on, the number of shops increases dramatically and you can feel the atmosphere of a tourist spot. It was named after Sanneizaka, which was the first to be named, but there is also a theory that it was named because it was built in 807 (the second year of the Daido era). On the right side of the street, you can see the five-story pagoda of Hokanji Temple, also known as Yasaka Tower, so be sure not to miss it.

There is also a stone monument commemorating the fact that the painter and poet Yumeji Takehisa lived in the area for about two years.

★Route time required：a few minutes

After climbing the Ninenzaka stairs, go left.

⑬Sannenzaka

Time required : 15 min

This slope was given this kanji name because Nene prayed for a peaceful birth. Many shops continue to line the street, and the place is bustling with tourists. As this road also leads to Karasuben, a burial site, it is said that if you fall down the stone steps, you will die within three years. It also conveys a message to watch your step, but gourds are sold as talismans to absorb the soul that escapes from the body.

★Route time required：10 min

Once you reach the top of the stone steps, go left and you will enter Kiyomizuzaka, where many souvenir shops are lined up. Continue going up the hill and you will see a red gate.

⑭Kiyomizu-dera

Time required : 40 min

Admission fee：500 yen

Opening hour：6 am – 6 pm
（until 6h30 pm in July and August, until 9h30 pm Special night viewing hour）

Close：No

This is a popular temple in Kyoto, and the Kiyomizu stage, which offers a panoramic view of Kyoto, is especially famous. The main hall, which houses the principal image of the temple, is a national treasure and is open to the public once every 33 years.

Its origins date back to 798. A man named Kenshin was training in Nara when he received a message to leave the southern region and headed for Kyoto. He then found a waterfall with clear water on Mt. Otowa, where the temple is located, and met a hermit named Gyoei Koji, who gave him a sacred tree to carve a statue of Kannon. Two years later, Sakanoue no Tamuramaro met Kenshin and decided to build a temple on this site, which is how it all began.

The famous Kiyomizu stage is 200 square meters, 13 meters high, and made of 166 cypress boards. It is built in a style of architecture called Kakezukuri, and its strength is maintained by 18 pillars built into a lattice pattern on a cliff without using nails. It is said that jumping off the stage of Kiyomizu means taking on something with great determination, and there was actually a custom of jumping off this stage as a prayer. It is also said that stepping on the Hinoki stage means stepping on a big stage, but it is unclear whether this word originates from this stage.

The red Niomon gate that we saw when we arrived was dismantled and repaired in 2003, and the point is that both of the guardian lions have their mouths open. The pure waterfall that Kenshin found remains as Otowa Falls under the stage of Kiyomizu, and is also called “Golden Water” or “Water of Enmei.” It splits into three streams, and water is scooped up with a long ladle. The three-story pagoda is also one of the largest in Japan, standing about 30 meters tall, and its brilliantly colored decorations are a must-see. There are also nearly 30 other buildings, including Jishu Shrine, a popular power spot for matchmaking, and Koyasu Tower, which enshrines Koyasu Kannon.

★Route time required：20 min

Return the way you came, go through the souvenir street and continue straight until you reach Wakaremachi. When you reach the bottom of the hill, go right and you will see the bus stop.

⑮Bus Stop : Kiyomizumichi

From here, take bus number 86 or 206 back to Kyoto Station (fare: 230 yen).

★Route time required：15 min

Get off the bus at Kyoto Station.

【Goal】

Kyoto Station