Kyoto Trip Overview
Drive cruising comfortably to visit four of Tokyo’s popular sightseeing spots on this half-day city tour with a driver. This is a great introduction to the city. We specially designed the pick-up time starts from 9 am onwards, not too early not too late to enjoy the city tour.
Drive through Major spots of Central Kyoto City*
Please select 1 place to visit from item 1, 2 and 3.
1 (a) Nishi Honganji Temple
(b) Higashi Honganji Temple
2 (a) Ginkakuji
(b) Kinkakuji
3 (a) Kiyomizu Temple
(b) Nishiki Local Market
Note: Admission is not included, if admission necessary, guest have to pay on their own.
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Additional Info
Duration: 3 to 4 hours
Starts: Kyoto, Japan
Trip Category: Tours & Sightseeing >> Bus & Minivan Tours
Explore Kyoto Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Drive cruising comfortably to visit four of Tokyo’s popular sightseeing spots on this half-day city tour with a driver. This is a great introduction to the city. We specially designed the pick-up time starts from 9 am onwards, not too early not too late to enjoy the city tour.
Drive through Major spots of Central Kyoto City*
Please select 1 place to visit from item 1, 2 and 3.
1 (a) Nishi Honganji Temple
(b) Higashi Honganji Temple
2 (a) Ginkakuji
(b) Kinkakuji
3 (a) Kiyomizu Temple
(b) Nishiki Local Market
Note: Admission is not included, if admission necessary, guest have to pay on their own.
<<
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Nishi Honganji, Horikawa-dori hanayamachi-sagaru, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8358 Kyoto Prefecture
Nishi Honganji Temple is a large temple compound located north west of Kyoto Station with many beautiful buildings of historical and architectural significance. It is one of two head temples of the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism in Kyoto. Both of these temples are called Honganji, and so are distinguished by their location: Nishi Honganji being the western temple, and Higashi Honganji being the eastern temple. Jodo Shinshu, is the most mainstream and common form of Buddhism in Japan, so a visit to either temple will give you great insight into contemporary Japanese religious belief. Entry to the Nishi Honganji temple grounds is completely free, and many of the buildings can be entered and viewed without restriction. To read more about the eastern temple, read our article on Higashi Honganji. This article is a short guide to the history of the western temple and its main buildings.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Higashi Hongan-ji Temple, Karasumadori Shichijo-Agaru, Shimogyo-Ku, Kyoto 600-8505 Kyoto Prefecture
Unlike many sightseeing locations, Higashi Honganji Temple is still an influential place in modern religious practices, situated just east of another spot of interest, Nishi Honganji Temple. They functioned as a single temple complex, in fact, until shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu split them into east (higashi) and west (nishi) because he was afraid that as a single entity, their political power would grow too great.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Ginkakuji Temple, 2 Ginakuji-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8402 Kyoto Prefecture
Ginkakuji became a center of contemporary culture, known as the Higashiyama Culture in contrast to the Kitayama Culture of his grandfather’s times. Unlike the Kitayama Culture, which remained limited to the aristocratic circles of Kyoto, the Higashiyama Culture had a broad impact on the entire country. The arts developed and refined during the time include the tea ceremony, flower arrangement, noh theater, poetry, garden design and architecture.
Ginkakuji consists of the Silver Pavilion, half a dozen other temple buildings, a beautiful moss garden and a unique dry sand garden. It is enjoyed by walking along a circular route around its grounds, from which the gardens and buildings can be viewed.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Kinkakuji Temple, 1 Kinkakujicho, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8361 Kyoto Prefecture
Kinkakuji (金閣寺, Golden Pavilion) is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. Formally known as Rokuonji, the temple was the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and according to his will it became a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect after his death in 1408. Kinkakuji was the inspiration for the similarly named Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), built by Yoshimitsu’s grandson, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, on the other side of the city a few decades later.
Kinkakuji is an impressive structure built overlooking a large pond, and is the only building left of Yoshimitsu’s former retirement complex. It has burned down numerous times throughout its history including twice during the Onin War, a civil war that destroyed much of Kyoto; and once again more recently in 1950 when it was set on fire by a fanatic monk. The present structure was rebuilt in 1955.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Kiyomizu-dera Temple, 1-294 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0862 Kyoto Prefecture
Kiyomizudera is best known for its wooden stage that juts out from its main hall, 13 meters above the hillside below. The stage affords visitors a nice view of the numerous cherry and maple trees below that erupt in a sea of color in spring and fall, as well as of the city of Kyoto in the distance. The main hall, which together with the stage was built without the use of nails, houses the temple’s primary object of worship, a small statue of the eleven faced, thousand armed Kannon.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Nishiki Market Shopping District, Nakauoyacho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto 604-8054 Kyoto Prefecture
Nishiki Market (錦市場, Nishiki Ichiba) is a narrow, five block long shopping street lined by more than one hundred shops and restaurants. Known as “Kyoto’s Kitchen”, this lively retail market specializes in all things food related, like fresh seafood, produce, knives and cookware, and is a great place to find seasonal foods and Kyoto specialties, such as Japanese sweets, pickles, dried seafood and sushi.
Nishiki Market has a pleasant but busy atmosphere that is inviting to those who want to explore the variety of culinary delights that Kyoto is famous for. The stores found throughout the market range in size from small narrow stalls to larger two story shops. Most specialize in a particular type of food, and almost everything sold at the market is locally produced and procured.Some of the shops freely give out samples or sell sample dishes and skewers meant to be eaten then and there. There are also a few small restaurants and food stands selling ready-made food. A few are sit-down establishments, although some consist of no more than a couple of stools and a bar. They usually specialize in one type of food, and are often attached to a store of the same specialty. Make sure to refrain from eating while walking as it is considered bad manners.
The market has a history of several centuries, and many stores have been operated by the same families for generations. It all started as a fish wholesale district, with the first shop opening around 1310. A larger variety of shops moved in later, and the area changed from a wholesale market to retail. Today it remains an important market for Kyoto and is often packed with locals and tourists alike.
Duration: 1 hour
