15 Stunning Architecture Landmarks in Kyoto
15 landmarks with verified facts and stories
Daitoku-ji
53 Murasakinodaitokujicho, Kita, Kyoto, 603-8231, Japan
Daitoku-ji is Kyoto's greatest temple that almost nobody visits.
Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion)
2 Ginkakujicho, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8402, Japan
Despite its name, the Silver Pavilion was never actually covered in silver.
Heian Shrine
97 Nishitennocho, Okazaki, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto
Heian Shrine is a two-thirds-scale replica of the original Imperial Palace from 794, built in 1895 to celebrate Kyoto's 1,100th anniversary as capital.
Katsura Imperial Villa
Nishikyo, Nishikyo, Kyoto, Japan
Katsura Imperial Villa is considered by many architects to be the single most beautiful building in Japan, and possibly the most influential piece of architecture in the world.
Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)
1 Kinkakujicho, Kita, Kyoto, 603-8361, Japan
Kinkaku-ji is covered in actual gold leaf — the top two floors are sheathed in it — and its reflection in the mirror-still pond in front is one of the most photographed images in Japan.
Kiyomizu-dera
294 Kiyomizu 1-Chōme, Higashiyama, Kyoto, 605-0862, Japan
Kiyomizu-dera's famous wooden terrace juts out from a hillside supported by 139 pillars — and not a single nail was used in the entire structure.
Kyoto Imperial Palace
3 Kyotogyoen, Kamigyo, Kyoto, 602-0881, Japan
The Kyoto Imperial Palace was the Emperor's residence for over a thousand years — from 794 until the capital moved to Tokyo in 1869 — and it sits in the centre of the city like a quiet eye in a storm.
Kyoto Station
Shimogyo, Shimogyo, Kyoto, Japan
Kyoto Station is the most controversial building in a city that takes tradition seriously.
Nanzen-ji
Nanzenji Fukuchicho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto
Nanzen-ji is where Zen Buddhism meets a Roman aqueduct, and somehow it works.
Nijo Castle
541 Nijojocho, Nakagyo, Kyoto, 604-8301, Japan
Nijo Castle was built to intimidate, and 400 years later it's still working.
Ryōan-ji
Ukyo, Ukyo, Kyoto, Japan
Ryōan-ji has the most famous rock garden in the world, and nobody knows what it means.
Sanjūsangen-dō
657 Sanjusangendomawari, Higashiyama, Kyoto, 605-0941, Japan
Walking into Sanjūsangen-dō is one of the most overwhelming visual experiences in Japan.
Tenryū-ji
68 Sagatenryujisusukinobabacho, Ukyo, Kyoto, 616-8385, Japan
Tenryū-ji is the most important temple in Arashiyama and a UNESCO World Heritage site, but most visitors walk straight past it on their way to the bamboo grove without realising that the garden inside is one of the oldest and finest in Japan.
Tō-ji Temple & Pagoda
1 Kujocho, Minami Ward, Kyoto
Tō-ji's five-storey pagoda is the tallest wooden structure in Japan at 55 metres, and it's been the defining landmark of the Kyoto skyline since 826.
Tofuku-ji
15-778 Honmachi, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto
Tōfuku-ji is Kyoto's autumn temple.
Explore architecture in Kyoto
GPS-guided narration at every landmark. Tap a spot on the map, hear the story. Every fact verified.