Kiyomizu-dera is a Buddhist temple on the hills of eastern Kyoto, founded in 778. Its main hall has a large wooden stage held up by tall pillars without nails, standing 13 metres above the hillside. The view over Kyoto is famous, especially in cherry blossom and autumn seasons. Below, the Otowa waterfall gives water believed to bring good fortune.

Yasaka Shrine stands at the east end of Shijō Avenue in Gion, Kyoto. Founded over 1,350 years ago, it is the shrine of the Gion Matsuri, one of the most famous festivals in Japan, held in July. Its main hall has hundreds of lanterns that are lit in the evening. Maruyama Park next to it is a popular cherry blossom spot.

Gion is Kyoto's most famous geisha district, around Shijō Avenue near Yasaka Shrine. Its streets, such as Hanamikoji, are lined with old wooden machiya houses, teahouses and restaurants. In the evening, geiko and maiko can sometimes be seen walking to appointments. The canal-side Shirakawa area, with willow trees and stone paths, is especially picturesque.

Sanjūsangen-dō is a Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto, famous for its hall about 120 metres long, the longest wooden building in Japan. Inside stand 1,001 gilded statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, in rows around a large seated Kannon. The present hall dates from 1266. An archery contest is held along its veranda every January.

Fushimi Inari-taisha is the head shrine of Inari, the Shinto god of rice and business, in southern Kyoto. It is famous for its thousands of bright orange torii gates, donated by businesses, which form tunnels along trails up Mount Inari. The full walk to the summit takes two to three hours. Stone foxes, the messengers of Inari, guard the shrine.

Tōfuku-ji is a large Zen temple in southeastern Kyoto, founded in 1236. It is one of the best places in Kyoto to see autumn colours, viewed from the wooden Tsūtenkyō bridge over a valley full of maple trees. Its huge Sanmon gate is the oldest Zen main gate in Japan. Its abbot's hall has modern gardens with checkerboard patterns of moss and stone.

Tō-ji is a Buddhist temple near Kyoto Station, founded in 796 at the beginning of the Heian period. Its five-storey pagoda, about 55 metres tall, is the tallest wooden pagoda in Japan and a symbol of Kyoto. The present pagoda dates from 1644. A large flea market is held on the 21st of every month. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto. It was built as a retirement villa for the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in the 1390s and became a temple after his death. The top two floors are covered in gold leaf, and the pavilion is reflected in the Mirror Pond. A monk burned it in 1950, and it was rebuilt in 1955. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ryōan-ji is a Zen temple in northwest Kyoto, famous for its rock garden. The garden, created around 1500, has fifteen rocks set in raked white gravel, arranged so that one is always hidden from any point on the viewing platform. Its meaning is left to the viewer. The temple also has a large pond garden. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tenryū-ji is the head temple of the Rinzai Zen school in Arashiyama, founded in 1339 by the shogun Ashikaga Takauji. Its buildings have burned and been rebuilt many times. Its landscape garden, designed by the monk Musō Soseki, has a pond and rocks set against the mountains of Arashiyama. A gate leads directly to the bamboo grove. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is a path through a dense forest of tall bamboo in western Kyoto. The stalks rise high on both sides, and the light filtering through and the sound of the leaves in the wind are its charm. The path leads to Tenryū-ji and the Ōkōchi Sansō villa. It is best visited early in the morning before the crowds.

The Togetsukyō Bridge crosses the Katsura River in Arashiyama, western Kyoto. Its name means moon-crossing bridge, after an emperor who said the moon seemed to cross it. The wooden-looking bridge, rebuilt in 1934, is set against forested mountains. The area is especially popular during cherry blossom season and in autumn, and boats can be hired on the river.

Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion, is a Zen temple in eastern Kyoto. It was built from 1482 as a retirement villa for the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, modelled on the Golden Pavilion, but it was never covered in silver. Its gardens include a raked sand garden with a cone shaped like Mount Fuji and a moss garden on the hillside. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Philosopher's Path is a stone path about two kilometres long along a canal in eastern Kyoto, between Ginkaku-ji and Nanzen-ji. It is named after the philosopher Nishida Kitarō, who is said to have walked here in meditation. Hundreds of cherry trees line the canal and bloom in early April. Small temples, cafes and shops lie along the way.

The Heian Shrine was built in 1895 to celebrate the 1,100th anniversary of the founding of Kyoto, then called Heian-kyō. Its main buildings are smaller copies of the old imperial palace, in bright orange and green. A huge red torii gate stands at the entrance. Behind the shrine lies a beautiful garden with ponds, stepping stones and cherry trees.

The Kyoto Imperial Palace was the residence of the emperors of Japan until the capital moved to Tokyo in 1869. The present buildings were rebuilt in 1855 in the style of the Heian period. Its halls, gates and gardens stand inside the large Kyoto Gyoen park. The palace is open to visitors, who can see the ceremonial halls from outside.

Nijō Castle in central Kyoto was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun. Its Ninomaru Palace has rooms decorated with painted sliding doors and famous nightingale floors that chirp when walked on, to warn of intruders. The castle has two rings of moats and gardens. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nishiki Market is a narrow covered shopping street in central Kyoto, about 400 metres long, with over 100 shops and stalls. Known as Kyoto's kitchen, it has sold food for centuries. Stalls sell fresh fish, pickles, tofu, sweets, tea and kitchen knives. Many offer small tastes, such as skewers of grilled seafood and soy milk doughnuts.

Byōdō-in is a Buddhist temple in Uji, south of Kyoto. It was built as a villa in the 10th century and converted to a temple in 1052. Its Phoenix Hall, with wings stretching out over a pond, is one of the finest buildings of the Heian period and appears on the 10-yen coin. Inside sits a gilded statue of Amida Buddha.