If you arrive in Kyoto by train, you will find that the station, the first building you see, has paradoxically opted for modernity. The asymmetric forms of the elegant steel and glass structure are supposed to symbolise the Kyoto landscape of plains,..

Founded in the 16C, Higashi Hongan-ji became the headquarters of the Jodo Shin-shu sect in 1602 and Shinran Shonin's mausoleum was transferred here. The Founder's Hall, Goei-do , is one of the largest wooden edifices in the world. Walking down the c..

The first Imperial Palace was built in 794 and since then has been burned down and rebuilt a total of 16 times. Its current incarnation dates from the end of the 19C and you can have a look around, albeit somewhat hastily and with a fairly taciturn g..

Nijo jinya is a hostel that was built in the 17C in order to serve as accommodation for the daimyo (princes or lords). The latter were particularly demanding with regard to security so the building had to be able to fend off all kinds of threats. B..

The Kyoto International Manga Museum, a joint initiative of Seika University and the Kyoto council, seeks to promote manga (comics), which continue to be looked down upon in spite of the global success of the genre. You will learn that this art had i..

In the district of Ponto-Cho, the clip-clop of a geisha's wooden clogs can still occasionally be heard in the Pontocho-dori , a narrow little street (2m wide!) which goes on for half a kilometre, following the Kamo-gawa River. There are multitudes o..

The hangar-like building of the National Museum of Modern Art is scarcely large enough to contain its collection, which retraces the history of Japanese art from the early 20C to the present day. Be sure to see the Nihonga-style paintings, which ar..

Founded in the 6C (reconstructed in the 19C) by Emperor Kinmei, Shimogamo, along with its twin Kamigamo in the northwest, is one of the oldest shrines in the city. It is dedicated to the mountain god and his wife, the goddess of rivers, who are marve..

Eikan-do, a Buddhist temple of the Jodo sect, attracts great crowds on account of its statue, Mikaeri Amida Nyorai, a Buddha "looking over its shoulder" and its remarkable silk painting depicting the deity emerging from the mountains. The T..

Maruyama Park is the district's green spot. The park is laid out over some ten hectares, with fragrant paths dotted with unusual plant species such as the marvellous weeping cherry tree . All kinds of little shops line the main path which leads west..

Chion-in, a temple belonging to the Jodo sect, holds two records in Japan: it has the heaviest bell (70t), which requires 17 monks to ring it, and the largest main gate ( San-mon ), at 24m high. Supported by enormous pillars, the main building can ac..

Kennin-ji is the oldest Zen temple in Japan, founded by the priest Eisai (1141-1215). It is worth visiting for the Imperial Messenger Gate (Chokusi-mon) and the adjoining little Zen garden.

Kamigamo-jinja Temple was the principal religious site of Heian, now Kyoto, which was then Emperor Kanmu's (781-806) imperial capital. Behind the second torii , two cone-shaped piles of sand with purifying powers keep evil spirits at bay. After cros..

Although large, with one central temple and 46 sub-temples, Myoshin-ji, which belongs to the Zen sect of Rinzai, does not open many of its doors. Only three temples can be visited and you should head straight for the Yokushitsu to admire the painte..