Downtown Kyoto
This is one of the best reasonably priced sushi restaurants in Kyoto. It’s a classic: long counter, bellowing sushi chefs and great fresh fish. The lunch sets are unbelievable value and the glass sushi cases make ordering a little easier than at some other places. Look for the black-and-white sign about 100m west of Saiin Station on Shijō-dōri.
It’s almost always hopping and doesn’t take reservations, so you may have to give your name and wait – but it will definitely be worth it.
1.89 MILES
The covered Nishiki Market (Nishiki-kōji Ichiba) is one of Kyoto’s real highlights, especially if you have an interest in cooking and dining. Commonly…
27.54 MILES
This César Pelli–designed tower, which opened in March 2014, is Japan's tallest building (300m, 60 storeys). The observatory on the 16th floor is free,…
3.49 MILES
The thick green bamboo stalks seem to continue endlessly in every direction and there’s a strange quality to the light at this famous bamboo grove, which…
22.58 MILES
Nara's star attraction is its Daibutsu (Great Buddha), one of the largest bronze statues in the world. It was unveiled in 752, upon the completion of the…
10.84 MILES
Located atop 848m-high Hiei-zan (the mountain that dominates the skyline in the northeast of the city), the Enryaku-ji complex is an entire world of…
26.79 MILES
Hōryū-ji was founded in 607 by Prince Shōtoku, considered by many to be the patron saint of Japanese Buddhism. It's renowned not only as one of the oldest…
3.1 MILES
A buzzing hive of activity perched on a hill overlooking the basin of Kyoto, Kiyomizu-dera is one of Kyoto's most popular and most enjoyable temples. It…
8.23 MILES
Located high on a thickly wooded mountain, Kurama-dera is one of the few temples in modern Japan that manages to retain an air of real spirituality. This…
0.72 MILES
Mibu-dera was founded in 991 and belongs to the Risshū school. It houses tombs of pro-shogunate Shinsen-gumi members, who fought bloody street battles…
1.06 MILES
Sumiya Pleasure House is the last remaining ageya (pleasure house) in the old Shimabara pleasure quarter. Built in 1641, this stately two-storey, 20-room…
1.21 MILES
The military might of Japan's great warlord generals, the Tokugawa shoguns, is amply demonstrated by the imposing stone walls and ramparts of their great…
1.28 MILES
This superb museum is spread over three floors showcasing 53 trains, from vintage steam locomotives in the outside Roundhouse Shed to commuter trains and…
1.37 MILES
This subtemple is in the southwestern corner of the grounds of Myōshin-ji. The kare-sansui (dry landscape) depicting a waterfall and islands is well worth…
1.47 MILES
A vast temple complex, Nishi Hongan-ji comprises several buildings that feature some of the finest examples of architecture and artistic achievement from…
1.49 MILES
Myōshin-ji is a separate world within Kyoto, a walled-off complex of temples and subtemples that invites lazy strolling. The subtemple of Taizō-in here…
1.51 MILES
Located in a large merchant’s house, this kimono-shop-museum walks visitors through the architecture of a traditional building built in the daibeizukuri…