Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
Ukyo, Ukyo, Kyoto, Japan
The bamboo grove at Arashiyama is a corridor of towering green stalks that rise 20 metres on both sides of a curving path, creating an effect that's part cathedral, part science fiction.
Fushimi Inari Taisha
68 Fukakusa Yabunouchicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto
Ten thousand vermillion torii gates march up a mountainside in an unbroken tunnel of red, and the further you walk, the fewer people there are, until it's just you and the mountain and the foxes.
Gion District
Higashiyama, Higashiyama, Kyoto, Japan
Gion is where Kyoto keeps its most carefully preserved secret — the world of the geiko and maiko.
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.
Higashiyama District
Keihokuhosonocho Higashiyama, Ukyo, Kyoto, Japan
Higashiyama is the Kyoto you came to see — narrow stone-paved lanes climbing through a preserved Edo-period neighbourhood of wooden machiya townhouses, ceramic shops, tea houses, and temples.
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 Station
Shimogyo, Shimogyo, Kyoto, Japan
Kyoto Station is the most controversial building in a city that takes tradition seriously.
Nijo Castle
541 Nijojocho, Nakagyo, Kyoto, 604-8301, Japan
Nijo Castle was built to intimidate, and 400 years later it's still working.
Nishiki Market
Nakagyo, Nakagyo, Kyoto, Japan
Nishiki Market is Kyoto's kitchen — a 400-metre covered shopping street running east-west through the centre of the city that has been the primary wholesale and retail food market for Kyoto since the 14th century.
Nishiki Market
Nishiki Market, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto
Nishiki Market has been called 'Kyoto's Kitchen' for 400 years, and the name isn't metaphorical — this is literally where Kyoto's restaurants and home cooks have been sourcing ingredients since the Edo period.
Sanjūsangen-dō
657 Sanjusangendomawari, Higashiyama, Kyoto, 605-0941, Japan
Walking into Sanjūsangen-dō is one of the most overwhelming visual experiences 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.
Yasaka Shrine
625 Gionmachi Kitagawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto
Yasaka Shrine guards the entrance to Gion like a spiritual bouncer, and it's been doing so since at least 656 AD.
Explore iconic in Kyoto
GPS-guided narration at every landmark. Tap a spot on the map, hear the story. Every fact verified.