Places of Interest in Kyoto (A - G)
Following are brief explanations of places of interest in Kyoto.
Arashiyama & Sagano
This is one of the most popular places in Kyoto. Sagano area has rural beauty and wide range of interesting places such as great temples and a hermitage of a poet. This area is also known for its scenic beauty especially with cherry blossoms in spring and colored leaves in autumn.
Tenryu-ji temple, a member of world cultural heritage of Kyoto, has a wonderful garden that was laid out by a genius Muso Soseki. Other temples in this area include Daihikaku Senko-ji, Daikaku-ji, Seiryo-ji, Jojakko-ji, Nison-in, Gio-ji, Adashino Nenbutsu-ji, Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, Takiguchi-dera, Jikishi-an. A small shrine that is called Nonomiya-jinja has a unique Torii gateway that is made of logs with bark. Rakushi-sha is a hermitage of a famous poet.
Daigo
The whole area of Mt. Daigo is the precinct of Daigo-ji temple, a member of the world cultural heritage of Kyoto. It's pagoda was built in the year 951 and is the oldest among existing buildings of Kyoto. Kaju-ji (Kanshu-ji) and Zuishin-in are much smaller and less popular but good temples.
Fushimi-Inari-Taisha and vicinity
Fushimi-Inari-Taisha is the head shrine of some 30,000 Inari-jinja shrines of Japan. Thousands of vermillion torii gateways and a lot of small shrines and stone monuments in its precinct make the atmosphere of the big Shinto shrine quite unique and interesting. In the neighborhood of the big shrine is a small but interesting temple, Sekiho-ji, that has many stone Buddhist images.
Gion
Gion is an amusement quarters. A long-established Ochaya, Ichiriki-Jaya stands here. If you are lucky, you may see Maiko or Geiko (Geisha), in beautiful Kimono dress, walking in the evening. Other amusement quarters, Miyagawa-cho and Ponto-cho are close to here.
Gosho and vicinity
Kyoto Gosho, or Kyoto Imperial Palace is open for public only twice a year, spring and autumn, five days each. Except these ten days, you have to get a permission in advance to enter the Palace.