Daitoku-ji
53 Murasakinodaitokujicho, Kita, Kyoto, 603-8231, Japan
Daitoku-ji is Kyoto's greatest temple that almost nobody visits.
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.
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.
Kenninji Temple
584 Komatsucho, Higashiyama, Kyoto, 605-0811, Japan
Kenninji is Kyoto's oldest Zen temple — founded in 1202 by the monk Eisai, who also introduced tea to Japan — and it sits right on the edge of Gion, hidden in plain sight while tourists walk past its walls on their way to spot geisha.
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.
Kitano Tenmangū
Kamigyo, Kamigyo, Kyoto, Japan
Kitano Tenmangū is the shrine that every Japanese student visits before exams, because it's dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane — a 9th-century scholar-politician who was so brilliant that after his death he was deified as the god of learning.
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.
Nanzen-ji
Nanzenji Fukuchicho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto
Nanzen-ji is where Zen Buddhism meets a Roman aqueduct, and somehow it works.
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.
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 religion in Kyoto
GPS-guided narration at every landmark. Tap a spot on the map, hear the story. Every fact verified.