Pass The Passport

Bucket List / Travel Goals

Tour The Temples Of Kyoto

Still to do

Climb through thousands of vermilion gates at dawn, then watch a golden pavilion shimmer on a mirror-still pond.

Tour The Temples Of Kyoto

The adventure

Kyoto was Japan's imperial capital for more than a thousand years, and it shows on every corner. Start early at Fushimi Inari, where thousands of bright orange torii gates wind up the forested mountain and the only sound is your footsteps and the odd crow. By mid-morning you are at Kinkaku-ji, its top floors covered in gold leaf, reflected perfectly in the pond below.

The city rewards slowing down. Walk the wooden boardwalks of Kiyomizu-dera, high on stilts above the trees, stroll through the swaying stalks of the Arashiyama bamboo grove, and sit in silence before a raked-gravel Zen garden. In the evening, the lantern-lit lanes of Gion come alive, and with luck you might glimpse a geiko or maiko hurrying to an appointment in a teahouse.

Why it’s epic

  • Kyoto was Japan's imperial capital from 794 to 1868.
  • Fushimi Inari Taisha, with thousands of torii gates lining trails up Mount Inari.
  • Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, covered in gold leaf.
  • Seventeen temples, shrines and castles make up the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto World Heritage Site.

What it is

Kyoto was Japan's capital for over 1,000 years and has around 1,600 temples and many shrines.

How to do it

Take the shinkansen from Tokyo in just over two hours. Visit Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, Kiyomizu-dera and the Arashiyama bamboo grove.

Top tip

Visit popular sites at opening time to avoid the crowds.

Need to know

  • Cherry blossom season (late March to early April) and the autumn leaves in November are the most beautiful and the busiest times, so book hotels early.
  • Some private lanes in Gion ban photography, and visitors should never stop or touch geiko and maiko.
  • UK visitors can enter Japan visa-free for short tourist stays, and Kyoto is just over two hours from Tokyo by shinkansen.

Plan this trip

Rough cost
£2,000 to £5,000 per person, including flights from the UK
Time needed
3 to 4 days
Best time to go
March to April, October to November
Fly into
KIX airport

Flights to Japan and hotels in peak season are the main costs; most temples charge only small entry fees.

Sample itinerary

  1. Day 1Shinkansen from Tokyo; evening walk through Gion
  2. Day 2Fushimi Inari's thousand gates at dawn, then Kiyomizu-dera and Higashiyama
  3. Day 3Arashiyama bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji and the Golden Pavilion
  4. Day 4Day trip to Nara's deer park and Tōdai-ji

Make it happen

Some of these are affiliate links: if you book through them I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. More about this.

Why it’s on my list

Not done yet. If you’ve done it and have tips, tell me about it.

Comments