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Established in the late-15th century, Ginkaku-ji or the ‘Silver Pavilion’ was the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. Modelled on Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), the villa was repurp...

Most commonly referred to as ‘Sanjusangendo’, the properly named Rengeo-in is the longest wooden structure and second largest temple in Japan. Founded by the cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa in 11...

Fushimi Inari Taisha or ‘Fushimi Inari Shrine’ is one of Kyoto’s most popular and photographed destinations due to the thousands of ‘torii’ gates that lead from the shrine into the mountains. The...

Zenkoji Temple is home to a number of Buddhist rituals and ceremonies, some of which are only held every few years and some which occur every day. While Buddhist visitors to Japan may be most keen to...

Built in 17th century as the Kyoto residence of the famous shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, Nijo Castle is an expansive historic precinct in the heart of Kyoto. A registered World Heritage site, Nijo incl...

Situated within Kyoto Imperial Park, the Imperial Palace was the main residence of the Imperial Family until it was relocated to Tokyo in 1868. The precinct is defined by grand structures and exp...

Ryoan-ji, or the "Temple of the Dragon at Peace," is one of the seventeen World Heritage-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. Originally an aristocrat’s residence, it was transformed into a Ze...

If you could only ski at one of the ten resorts in Hakuba, which one would it be? Most riders would choose Happo One without a doubt. Hosted the ski jump and down hill competitions during the 1998 Na...

Located across from Sanjusangendo, Kyoto National Museum is one of Japan’s most distinguished institutions. Established in 1897, the museum displays are wide variety of collections and artifacts ...