Byodoin Temple is a unique example of Heian-era architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site featured on a 10-yen coin and a 10,000 bill. The complex was initially built as a villa for the aristocrats from the Fujiwara family and was later transformed into a Buddhist temple. The grand Phoenix Hall and the surrounding garden were designed to resemble the Pure Land where Amida Buddha lives. In the center of the hall stands a statue of Buddha surrounded by the celestials dancing and playing musical instruments. In the temple museum, you can see the original sculptures of the celestials and other treasures that miraculously survived centuries of wars and fires.
- Tours
- Kyoto – One Day Tour – Tea
Kyoto One Day Tour “Kyoto sightseeing tour”
Hotel/Kyoto Station → Byodoin Temple → Kenninji Temple → Yasaka Shrine → Gion and Miyagawa Geisha districts → Hotel/Kyoto Station
CUSTOMIZED ITINERARY FOR YOUR DATES
Dates
- One Day Tour
Duration
- 8 hours
Price
- Request
Daily itinerary
1
Kyoto One Day Tour, any time of the year
A one-day tour of Kyoto dedicated to places and cities associated with tea. In the morning you will visit the Zen temple of Kenninji, learn about the history of green tea in Japan and enjoy the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere of the temple's gardens. After strolling through the geisha quarters and one of Kyoto's main Shinto shrines, the Yasaka-jinja Shrine, you'll head to the city of Uji. The city of Uji is called the tea capital of Kyoto Prefecture. It is famous for its tea fields, matcha tea, many tea stores and green tea desserts. And if you're in Uji, it's impossible not to visit Byodoin Shrine, depicted on a ten-yen coin! The temple has many national treasures that you can see with your own eyes. [Read more...]
Byodoin Temple
Kennin-ji Temple
Kennin-ji Temple is the oldest Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, built in 1202 by the founder of the Rinzai School, Monk Eisai. Located in the south of Geisha District Gion, the complex occupies a vast area and is an example of a classic Zen Buddhist temple. The dry gardens surround the main hall. There is also a tea ceremony garden and a small tea house. Prominent artists painted the sliding doors fusuma. You can move from the main hall to the Dharma Hall, where the ceiling is decorated with a breathtaking picture of two dragons. It was the temple’s 800th anniversary present.
Yasaka-jinja Shrine
According to the legend, Yasaka-jinja Shrine was founded in 656 (almost a century and a half before Kyoto) and has long been loved by the citizens. When epidemics ravaged the country in 869, the emperor ordered a grand procession to the temple, and the deity Gozu Tenno stopped the disease. It was the beginning of Japan’s oldest and most colorful festival, Gion Matsuri. In Yasaka-jinja, you can pray to deities of family, beauty, and wealth and stroll through Maruyama Park to enjoy live music and see the rickshaws running around.
Gion (Geisha District)
Geisha district Gion is Kyoto’s largest and most vivid geisha district. Its history dated to the Middle Ages when restaurants and tea houses for pilgrims began to open around Yasaka Shrine. The picturesque streets of the district are filled with traditional houses with wooden facades, running rickshaws, geisha, and their apprentices (maiko), who still live in Gion and entertain guests every night with their dancing, talking, and table games.