- Sanzen-in Temple
- Kurama-dera Temple
- Kifune Shrine
- Hakuryuen Garden
- Jissoin Temple
- Rurikoin Temple
- Manshu-in Temple
- Shisen-do Temple
- Ramen Street
- Kamigamo Shrine
- Shimogamo Shrine
- Kyoto Botanical Gardens
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Sanzen-in Temple
Located in remote Yamazato to the north of the central city part of Kyoto, Sanzen-in Temple is a well-known temple of the Ohara area. And surrounded by a thick green carpet of moss and a stand of tall, straight Japanese cedars, the rustic temple Ojo Gokuraku-in Amidado has stood here since the year 1148. Ojo Gokuraku-in Amidado enshrines a statue of an Amida Sanzon Triad designated as a National Treasure. The gardens include a ruriko garden with its characteristic cedar moss and, on the east side, a yusei garden with a rippling waterfall.
- Address:
- 540 Ohara Raikoin-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
- Hours:
- 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
*8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in November, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from December to February.
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Kurama-dera Temple
Built in the year 770, Kurama-dera Temple has an exceptionally long history and houses National Treasures and other important cultural assets. Located among natural surroundings on Mount Kurama, the temple is famous for the changing colors of its trees in fall.
- Address:
- 1074 Kurama Hon-machi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
- Hours:
- 9:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m
- URL:
https://www.kuramadera.or.jp/ – Japanese
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Kifune Shrine
This shrine is dedicated to the god of water. It is also the birthplace of writing wishes and of votive horse tablets. The lanterns and arching autumn trees along the stone stairway leading to the shrine create a mystical air in the evening when everything is lit up.
- Address:
- 180 Kurama Kifune-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
- Hours:
- 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
*Until 6:00 p.m. from December to April.
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Hakuryuen Garden
Hakuryuen Garden (literally "white dragon garden") is a beautiful Japanese garden that was built by successive generations of the private owners and employees who managed and operated the garden, without the help of any professional. Hakuryuen Garden is open to the public twice a year, in spring and fall. Spring: end of March to mid-June - Fall: mid-October to early December
- Address:
- 106 Kurama Ninose-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
- Hours:
- Please check the website.
- URL:
https://hakuryuen.com/ – Japanese
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Jissoin Temple
The temple has two gardens, a collection of fusuma paintings by the Kano school, and many other treasures with deep links to the emperor's family. The temple has a beautiful stone garden and cherry blossoms in the spring, beautiful green leaves reflected in the wooden floor in the early summer, and beautiful maple leaves in the fall.
- Address:
- 121 Iwakura Kamikura-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
- Hours:
- 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- URL:
https://www.jissoin.com/ – Japanese
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Rurikoin Temple
Known for its beautiful autumn leaves that reflect on the polished wooden floors and tables, it is open to the public in spring and fall and attracts a large number of visitors. Located on a site covering approximately 12,000 tsubo (approx. 39,670 square meters), it has a sukiya-style building and a garden that borrows from the magnificent natural scenery of the northern part of Kyoto.
- Address:
- 55 Kamitakano Higashiyama, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
- Hours:
- 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry: 4:30 p.m.)
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Manshu-in Temple
The finest temple in Rakuhoku. The tiger painted on a sliding door by Kano Eitoku and the rare ghost hanging scroll are treasures that should not be missed. The rock garden, viewable from the refined Main Hall and the Small Study (Oshoin and Koshoin), is a representation of deep mountains and the sea. The contrast between the white sand, the haircap moss and changing flowers of the seasons is beautiful, and the fall leaves are a particularly popular attraction.
- Address:
- 42 Ichijoji Takenouchi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
- Hours:
- 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry: 4:30 p.m.)
- URL:
https://www.manshuinmonzeki.jp/ – Japanese
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Shisen-do Temple
Ishikawa Jozan, the samurai retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu (founder of the Edo Period) and poet, lived his final years here as a recluse. As you work your way along the temple approach deep into the calm bamboo grove, the elegant temple grounds of this mountain abode comes into view. The name, literally meaning "Temple of the Great Poets," is derived from the Poet's Room in the main hall where portraits of 36 famed poets of China hang with poems that Ishikawa wrote himself.
- Address:
- 27 Ichijoji Monguchi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
- Hours:
- 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry: 4:45 p.m.)
- URL:
https://kyoto-shisendo.net/ – Japanese
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Ramen Street
As an affordable-yet-delicious meal, ramen has long been popular with the younger generations of Kyoto, which has a high student population. The Ichijoji area in particular is home to Ramen Street, so-called for the numerous famous ramen restaurants which are clustered along it.
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Kamigamo Shrine
A World Heritage Site. Along with Shimogamo Shrine, one of the most ancient shrines of Kyoto. Known for providing protection from evil, Kamigamo Shrine has been visited by such great historical people as Oda Nobunaga and Tokukgawa Ieyasu. Every May 15, Aoi Matsuri is held here, one of the three great festivals of Japan.
- Address:
- 339 Kamigamo Motoyama, Kita-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
- Hours:
- Please check the website.
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Shimogamo Shrine
A World Heritage Site. One of the oldest shrines in Kyoto, Shimogamo Shrine is said to be where people would come to pray for success when Kyoto was being built as Japan's capital in ancient times. One of the three great festivals of Kyoto, Aoi Matsuri is held every year on May 15 at Shimogamo and Kamigamo Shrines. The festival is like a reproduction of a magnificent ancient scroll.
- Address:
- 59 Shimogamo Izumigawa-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
- Hours:
- 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- URL:
https://www.shimogamo-jinja.or.jp/ – Japanese
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Kyoto Botanical Gardens
Japan's first public botanical garden, it opened in 1924. The garden's motto is "the most interesting and relaxing botanical garden in Japan," and it is a "museum of living plants" that cultivates and exhibits 12,000 varieties of plants on its large grounds covering an area of approximately 24 hectares. The garden has one of the largest public viewing greenhouses in Japan, a cherry blossom grove which boasts many varieties of Japanese cherry trees, a rose garden, a hydrangea garden, a botan/shakuhaku garden, and a flower iris garden, with each area featuring different species of seasonal flowers.
- Address:
- Shimogamo Hangi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture
- Hours:
- 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry: 4:00 p.m.)
*Varies depending on season. Please visit the website linked below for details.
- Closed:
- December 28th to January 4th
- URL:
https://www.pref.kyoto.jp/plant/ – Japanese