1. Higashi Hongan-ji Temple
Higashi Honganji (East Honganji) was built only eleven years after and a few street blocks east of Nishi Honganji as the head temple of the Otani faction of Jodo-shin Buddhism. Its main hall, the Goeido is Kyoto's largest wooden structure and dedicated to Shinran, the sect's founder. Next to it and almost as large is the Amidado Hall, dedicated to the Amida Buddha.
40 minutes
2. Entoku-in
A sub-temple of Kodaiji Temple and Kenninji Temple known as the "Temple of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Nene". Nene spent 19 years at this cosmetic castle (restored from Fushimi Castle) before her passing. The enshrined three-sided Daikokuten statue is a "Nenjibutsu", a Buddha to remember Hideyoshi. The ink painting by Hasegawa et al. on the 32 sliding doors has been designated as an Important National Cultural Property. Currently a digital replica stands in its place. The North Garden has also been designated as a Special Site of Scenic Beauty. The beautiful, Ikeizuma-style (garden focusing around a pond) front garden of Fushimi Castle was changed to a dry landscape garden by Masakaza Kobori when was it was moved here.
40 minutes
3. Saga Toriimoto Traditional Buildings Preservation Area
Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street is a must-visit for those seeking a traditional Japanese experience. Its historical significance and beauty make it a standout attraction in Kyoto.
Sagano is northwest of downtown Kyoto, and Toriimoto is located at the far end of Sagano. The conservation area of the Saga Toriimoto is about 600 meters along Atago Kaido Highway leading to Atago Shrine via Kiyotaki. There you find the approach to the Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple. The first torii gate of Atago Shrine stands at the back.
Along the street, there is a mixture of farmhouse-style buildings with thatched roofs and townhouse-style buildings with two-story, tiled roofs. Here, the old atmosphere of Sagano, which constitutes a rustic historical landscape outside of Kyoto, particularly well remains.
1 hour
4. Arashiyama
A sprawling area in western Kyoto centered around the Katsura River and surrounding mountains, Arashiyama is an extremely popular tourist spot visitors to Kyoto won’t want to miss. Any given day you’re likely to see people in kimono or yukata enjoying local food, shopping, and pilgrimages to the local temples. Rickshaw drivers wait to carry you to your destination, whether it be the natural beauty of the bamboo forest or the man-made temples that have stood in Arashiyama for hundreds of years.
2 hours
5. Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine
Fushimi Inari is the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, resulting in many fox statues across the shrine grounds. Fushimi Inari Shrine has ancient origins, predating the capital's move to Kyoto in 794. At the very back of the shrine's main grounds is the entrance to the torii gate-covered hiking trail, which starts with two dense, parallel rows of gates called Senbon Torii ("thousands of torii gates"). The torii gates along the entire trail are donations by individuals and companies, and you will find the donator's name and the date of the donation inscribed on the back of each gate.
1 hour
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