Programs at Kyoto

Japan Express and Maldives

12 nights€7,262per person

Cultural Japan at your own pace

11 nights

Historic Japan at your own pace

13 nights

Japan Express

7 nights

Kumano Road

This program includes an overnight stay at a Shukubo (Buddhist temple).
14 nights

Ninja Route

This program includes an overnight stay at a Shukubo (Buddhist temple).
13 nights

Secrets of japan

10 nights

What to see in Kyoto?

Nijo Castle

It is a Japanese castle with a total area of 275,000 square meters, of which 8,000 are occupied by various buildings. The central castle (Donjon) was struck by lightning and destroyed in 1750. In 1788, the inner palace was destroyed by a fire that spread through the city, and was practically abandoned until 1893. In 1939 the palace was donated to the city of Kyoto and opened to the public in 1940. It had two defenses in the form of concentric rings, which consisted of walls and a wide moat. It also had a much simpler wall surrounding the Ninomaru Palace. The outer wall has three gates, while the inner has two. At the southwest corner of the inner wall is the base of a five-story-high tower, which was destroyed in 1750. The inner wall protects the Honmaru Palace and its garden. Between the two rings are the Ninomaru Palace, kitchens, the guardhouse and various gardens. It is part of the group of Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994.

Heian Shrine

It is a Shinto shrine with one of the largest traditional Japanese gates (Torii) in Japan. Its main building was designed to imitate the Kyoto Imperial Palace. It was built in 1895 on the occasion of the 1,100th anniversary of the founding of Heian-kyo (the old name for Kyoto). It is dedicated to the emperors Kanmu and Kömei; the first was the founder and the one who moved the Japanese capital to Kyoto, and the second was the last emperor to reside in Kyoto, before Emperor Meiji (who moved the capital to Tokyo in 1868). Between 1871 and 1946, it was officially designated as one of the Kanpei-taisha, which meant that it was under the support and protection of the Japanese government. In 1976 it caught fire and the 9 buildings that make it up, including the main shrine, burned down. Three years later, they were rebuilt with money from a citizen collection.

Fushimi Inari-taisha

It is the main Shinto shrine dedicated to the spirit of Inari. It is located at the base of a mountain also known as "Inari", which includes several trails to reach other smaller shrines. Since the earliest times of Japan, Inari was seen as the patron saint of business (since every Torii in the shrine has been donated by a Japanese businessman) although Inari was primarily the goddess of rice. Merchants and artisans offered worship to Inari in exchange for obtaining wealth in their businesses, which is why they donated numerous torii that are currently part of the panoramic view of the temple. It is said that this famous temple has more than 32,000 small torii, called shrines.

Kinkakuji Temple

Rokuonji Temple is a renowned Zen Buddhist temple with centuries of history, and is best known today as Kinkakuji Temple, a name derived from the famous Golden Pavilion that serves as the centerpiece of the temple grounds. This three-story gold-leaf-covered pavilion is one of Kyoto’s most famous and recognizable historical structures and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Each of the pavilion’s three floors is built according to unique architectural styles. The first level features shinden-zukuri, an architectural style prevalent in palatial homes of the aristocracy during the Heian period (794-1185). The second level features buke-zukuri, a style commonly used in the residences of high-ranking samurai warriors in the Kamakura period (1185-1333). The third level features traditional Chinese Zen architecture. The pyramidal thatched roofs of each level are covered with tiles, and the top two levels are covered with gold leaf, hence the name Kinkakuji Temple.

Sanjusagen-do Temple

Officially known as Rengeo-in, the temple is famous for having a thousand and one statues of Kannon, the Buddhist deity of piety, all of them different. However, perhaps due to its location or the fact that photography is not allowed inside, it is not as visited as other similar temples in Kyoto. Its name means "building with thirty-three spaces," referring to the thirty spaces that separate the columns that hold the temple upright.The temple was founded in 1164 by Taira no Kiyomori, although its original hall was destroyed in a fire in 1249 and rebuilt in 1266. At 120 meters long, it is the longest wooden structure in all of Japan and is truly impressive to stand in front of. In the center of the main hall stands a huge wooden statue, the “Thousand-Armed Kannon,” a National Treasure of Japan, over 3 meters tall and with glass eyes sculpted by Tankei, a great master of the 12th century. The Kannon is surrounded by 28 guardian deities and followers. Beside the great Kannon are 500 person-sized statues of this deity, arranged in ten rows of fifty columns, each with 11 heads (to witness the suffering of humans) and 1,000 arms (to help humans overcome suffering). All of them are carved from Japanese hinoki cypress wood and gold leaf with an extremely high level of detail, and each with individual peculiarities and variations of expression and character, thus demonstrating the mastery of the great Unkei, Tankei and their team in the 12th and 13th centuries. Leaving the main hall, we can stroll through the gardens around the temple. Here we find two small ponds surrounded by beautiful nature and a stone monument dedicated to Honen, the founder of the Jodo sect of Buddhism. Beside the ponds, we also find a beautiful temizu and an ancient bell, where purification rituals are performed.

Tenryuji Temple Garden

The main attraction of Tenryuji Temple is the 14th-century Zen garden. A triumph of design, the garden features a large pond that captures the reflection of the maple trees and large cut boulders at its periphery. It also makes use of "borrowed scenery" from the nearby Arashiyama Hills, which seem to be the next level of the garden. Many elements of this garden were prototypes for later gardens built elsewhere.In autumn, the maple trees provide an excellent display of the season's characteristic color, while in spring you might see the blossoms of wild cherry trees or the stunted trunks of Japanese red pines on the distant hills. In any season, as you sit in the shelter and gaze out at the garden, your thoughts are likely to calm and your body relax. The garden has a unique ability to calm the spirit and was designed in part for this reason.

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

Arashiyama is a tourist destination located west of Kyoto and is best known for its beautiful bamboo forest, a natural forest composed mainly of moso bamboo with several trails for visitors. The Ministry of the Environment considers it part of Japan's soundscape.Its age is unknown, but it was mentioned as early as the 10th century Genji Monogatari. The bamboo in the forest is also used as raw material in local crafts, such as baskets, chairs, and bags; such deforestation is permitted because new trees are planted simultaneously and in proportion to those cut down.

Kiyomizu Temple

The temple complex is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although the current buildings were built in 1633, the temple dates back to 778 and takes its name from the waterfalls within the complex, which cascade down from the nearby hills. Kiyomizu literally means pure water, clear water, or clean water.The main building of Kiyomizu-dera stands out for its intricate architecture and is supported by hundreds of pillars, jutting out from the hill and offering stunning views of the city. Below the main hall is the Otowa-no-taki waterfall, where three channels of water cascade into a pool. Temple visitors collect the water from the waterfall, which is believed to have therapeutic properties, in metal or plastic cups. Drinking this water is said to bring health, longevity, and academic success.The various buildings form a complex containing several sacred precincts. Perhaps the most notable is Jishu Shrine (Jishu-jinja), dedicated to Okuninushino-Mikoto, a god of love and "good marriages." This shrine features two "love stones," placed 6 meters apart, a distance that single visitors attempt to cross with their eyes closed. Successfully reaching the other side of the stone with their eyes closed is understood to be an omen that the pilgrim will find love.
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