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.
Eikan-dō (Zenrin-ji)
48 Eikandocho, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8445, Japan
Eikan-dō is where locals go when they want autumn leaves without the Kiyomizu-dera crowds.
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.
Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion)
2 Ginkakujicho, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8402, Japan
Despite its name, the Silver Pavilion was never actually covered in silver.
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.
Monkey Park Iwatayama
Nishikyo, Nishikyo, Kyoto, Japan
The concept is simple: you climb a hill, and at the top there are 120 wild Japanese macaques who are completely unbothered by your existence.
Nanzen-ji
Nanzenji Fukuchicho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto
Nanzen-ji is where Zen Buddhism meets a Roman aqueduct, and somehow it works.
Philosopher's Path
Philosopher's Path, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto
The Philosopher's Path is a two-kilometre canal-side walk through northern Higashiyama that's named after Nishida Kitarō, Japan's most important modern philosopher, who used to walk this route daily while meditating on his way to Kyoto University.
Philosopher's Path (Tetsugaku no Michi)
Tetsugaku no Michi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
The Philosopher's Path is Kyoto's most meditative walk — a 2-kilometre stone path along a canal lined with hundreds of cherry trees that connects Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) in the north to Nanzen-ji temple in the south.
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.
Tofuku-ji
15-778 Honmachi, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto
Tōfuku-ji is Kyoto's autumn temple.
Explore nature in Kyoto
GPS-guided narration at every landmark. Tap a spot on the map, hear the story. Every fact verified.