Our journey begins at 09:00 at JR Kyoto Station. The first destination is Fushimi Inari Shrine. The highlight of this shrine is the row of torii gates called Senbon Torii. The custom of donating torii gates has spread since the Edo period as a way to make wishes come true, or to express gratitude for having a wish come true. To this day, successive torii gates have been built by donors to show their gratitude. Approximately 800 torii gates line the approach.

After spending some time at the temple, we will head to the city centre and visit the Nishiki market. The market, which is steeped in history and tradition, is known for stocking many of Kyoto’s specialities, and is home to approximately 130 stores selling a wide range of produce, fish, dried goods, and more, earning it the nickname “Kyoto’s Kitchen.” It is your lunch time! If you don’t want to have lunch inside the market, you can also eat at a restaurant around the city centre. There are many food options.

Once you have had your fill of delicious food, our afternoon begins with Kenninji Temple. Kenninji claims to be Kyoto’s oldest Zen temple. Zen Master Eisai, who is said to have brought Zen to Japan, served as the founding chief priest of Kennin-ji Temple and is buried within the temple grounds. Kennin-ji Temple was built in the style of Baizhang-ji Temple of the Tang Dynasty in China.

After some quiet time, we are ready to return to the crowded centre. As you pass through the Gion area, you will see all the old buildings of Kyoto’s old entertainment district, allowing you to imagine what it was like in its heyday. We walk slowly through this area until we reach our next destination, Kodaiji Temple. It was built in 1606 by Hideyoshi’s wife Nene in memory of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the great figures in Japanese history.

It is almost time to say goodbye. Our final destination is Kiyomizu temple. Its name comes from the waterfall within the complex that cascades down from a nearby hill. Shimizu means clear or pure water. This temple was founded in 778 in the late Nara period by Enchin Shonin, a monk from Nara. Many of the current temple buildings were built in 1633 by order of Tokugawa Iemitsu.

We will return to JR Kyoto Station together to say goodbye. However, if you would like to spend the rest of your day in the city centre, you are more than welcome. We will do our best to help you have a wonderful time in Kyoto.