TEMPLES DEPARTMENT
Temples & shrines
1,600 temples and 400 shrines. We're starting with the icons and working outward.
22 guides in this department
All temples & shrines guides
Fushimi Inari Taisha: The Complete Torii Gate Guide
Plan Fushimi Inari properly: the Senbon Torii route, how far to climb, when to visit, shrine etiquette, access, history and what the summit is really like.
Kinkaku-ji: Visiting Kyoto's Golden Pavilion
What Kinkaku-ji actually is, how the visit works, and why it's a walk-through garden rather than a building you enter.
Kiyomizu-dera Guide: Hours, Route & Visiting Tips
A practical Kiyomizu-dera guide for 2026: opening hours, admission, the wooden stage, Otowa Waterfall, access, crowds, accessibility and Higashiyama route planning.
Ginkaku-ji: The Silver Pavilion (and Why It Isn't Silver)
Why Kyoto's 'Silver Pavilion' was never actually covered in silver, and what makes its garden worth the visit anyway.
Ryōan-ji: Japan's Most Famous Rock Garden
The fifteen-stone dry garden that can never be fully seen from any single angle, and what that's believed to mean.
Sanjūsangen-dō: 1,001 Statues of Kannon
Inside the longest wooden building in Japan, and the extraordinary hall of a thousand and one Kannon statues it holds.
Tōfuku-ji: Kyoto's Maple Valley Temple
One of Kyoto's great Zen temples, best known for a valley of maples viewed from a wooden bridge — and a modernist Zen garden most visitors miss.
Nanzen-ji: Zen, Gardens and Kyoto's Brick Aqueduct
A practical guide to Nanzen-ji's Zen precinct, Sanmon gate, Hojo garden, aqueduct, access, fees and crowd-smart timing.
Nijō Castle: Nightingale Floors and Shogunate History
The Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa shoguns, where floorboards were designed to chirp under an intruder's feet.
Byōdō-in Guide: Phoenix Hall, Museum & 2026 Visiting Tips
Plan a Byōdō-in visit in Uji with current Phoenix Hall interior arrangements, museum strategy, timing, access and practical tips for a Kyoto day trip.
Chion-in: Kyoto's Grand Pure Land Temple
One of Japan's largest wooden gates, a giant bell, and the folklore-rich headquarters of Jōdo-shū Buddhism.
Yasaka Shrine: Gion's 24-Hour Shrine
How to visit Yasaka Shrine in Gion: access, best timing, lanterns, Gion Matsuri context and an easy Higashiyama route.
Kifune Shrine: Kyoto's Water Deity Shrine
How to visit Kifune Shrine in Kyoto's northern mountains: current hours, three-shrine route, water fortunes, access and seasonal planning.
Tenryū-ji: Arashiyama's UNESCO Zen Garden
Inside the temple bordering Arashiyama's bamboo grove, and the centuries-old garden that makes it worth the entry fee.
Daitoku-ji: A Zen Complex of Quiet Sub-Temples
Why this sprawling Zen complex in northern Kyoto rewards visitors who skip the headline sights for a day.
Jingō-ji: The Mountain Temple Above Takao
A steep approach, one of Kyoto's best autumn displays, and a temple most visitors never make it to.
Mimuroto-ji: Uji's Hydrangea Temple
Kyoto's best-known hydrangea garden, and why this Uji temple is worth a stop beyond the rainy season too.
Kurama-dera: Mountain Temple and Onsen Village
The temple, the hiking trail to Kibune, and the outdoor onsen that make Kurama worth the trip north.
Kōzan-ji: Home of the Chōjū-giga Scrolls
The small Takao temple credited with housing an early ancestor of Japanese manga.
Daikaku-ji: Imperial Kyoto Beyond the Bamboo Grove
A practical Daikaku-ji guide covering current admission, Osawa Pond, temple etiquette, access and how to extend an Arashiyama day.
Kyoto Imperial Palace (Kyoto Gosho): Visiting Guide
Inside the former residence of Japan's imperial family, and what a visit to the Kyoto Imperial Palace actually involves.
Tō-ji: Kyoto's Tallest Pagoda
Home to Japan's tallest wooden pagoda and a genuinely significant Shingon Buddhist temple, a short walk from Kyoto Station.
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