Certainly one of the oldest municipalities in Japan, as well as the first capital of Japan, Kyoto was founded in 794 under the name Heian-kyō, which means the capital of peace and tranquillity. The city with a population of 1.45 million is located on the island of Honshu in the Keihanshin Metropolitan District, which also includes the cities of Osaka and Kobe. The appealing tourist destination has operated as the capital of Japan for over 1000 years, which is why it is called Kyoto or the imperial capital. In the second half of the 19th century, Tokyo, or the eastern capital, became the capital of the world. Japan's ninth-largest city, Kyoto, also known as the "City of 10,000 Shrines" for its rich history, beautiful palaces, temples and shrines, is visited by around 71.3 million tourists a year. Find out what else the city has to offer with its historic buildings and traditional architecture, the centre of the spiritual world in Japan, with Kyoto travel tips.
Before the founding of the city and the beginning of the Heian period towards the end of the 8th century, with which Japan records the emergence of literary art, poetry and literature, the first traces of the civilization of human history were found in the area of today's city already in the prehistoric period of the Paleolithic. The Kyoto area was settled in the 6th century by the Hata clan, to whom the Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine was dedicated in 711. The Imperial Capital was established in early Japan, during which time some 1660 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines were built. The oldest Buddhist temple, Kennin-ji, dating from 1202, and the oldest Shimogamo Shinto shrine, built in 678, define the beginning of Kyoto's history with a Japanese religion that worships natural forces and ancestral spirits. The establishment of the imperial capital of Heian-kyō thus begins with the 50th Emperor of Japan, Kanmu.
Kyoto is divided into five main districts: Central, West Arashiyama, East Higashiyama, North and South Districts, and eleven areas in Kyoto Prefecture. The entire city with five districts is connected by smaller districts with streets where many shops, restaurants and bars are open. The plan for Kyoto originated with the beginning of the imperial capital Heian-kyō after the Chinese model of the city of Chang'an, which was one of the largest cities in the world during the Chinese Tang Dynasty. Today, Kyoto is a modern urban city centre with traditional Japanese architecture built in the Shōin-zukuri architectural style. Typical buildings in the traditional style are residential mansions and family houses made of wood with slightly raised floors. Historically the most defined district in Kyoto, with numerous UNESCO-protected temples, Higashiyama District was established as one of the eleven areas of Kyoto between the Kama River and Higashiyama Mountains.
The city centre, with the Kawaramachi district and Kyoto-Kawaramachi train station, offers the 400-year-old Nishiki Market just 150 metres away. The covered market, also known as Kyoto cuisine, consists of more than 100 stalls and shops, which are arranged along a narrow street in a closed corridor. There are various nightlife districts along the Kamo River, such as the Gion district and Pontocho and Kiyamachi streets. Gion District is a central geisha district where traditional Japanese cat houses and tea houses of despair are built, where guests are entertained by geisha Geiko and her apprentice Maiko. Pontocho Street is home to yakitori restaurants serving Japanese fast food and other restaurants serving traditional and modern Japanese cuisine, while Kiyamachi Street is lined with Japanese cherry trees, which bloom from March to April.
The Imperial Palace was built in the early 17th century as the residence of the retired Emperor Gomizuno and was home to all retired emperors in Japan after. After the destruction in the second half of the 19th century, the palace was reconstructed with preserved tea houses in the garden. The palace is located in one of the areas of Kyoto-Kamigyōku Prefecture, in Kyoto Gojen National Park. The architecture of the palace consists of a ceremony hall, an emperor's residence, a courtroom, a library and other residences.
Nijo Castle and Ninomaru Palace is a complex of several different buildings, begun in 1603 by the supreme commander or shōgun Tokugawa leyasu. The interior of the first wall of Nijo Castle comprises the remnants of Honmaru Palace, where four living quarters are designed, while in the second wall, where Ninomaru Palace is preserved, the residence and office of Shōgun are designed for the needs of his visits to Kyoto. Before the castle complex was opened to the public, it served as an imperial palace.
Ninna-ji Temple was founded by Emperor Kōkō to emphasize Buddhist practices with one of the largest Shingon Buddhist religious sects in the Ukyō-ku area of western Kyoto. The Buddhist temple was created in 888 during the Heian-kyō period, during the reign of Emperor Udo, who renamed the temple from Nishiyama Goganji to Ninna-ji Temple after the reign of the previous Japanese emperor Kōka. For centuries, a member of the imperial family served as the head priest of the Omuro Temple or Palace.
Yushō's temple is a hidden Zen temple that was created as part of a complex with the main Myoshingi temple, the whole of which is made up of 50 smaller temples. The Myoshingji Temple was founded from an imperial villa in the first half of the 14th century. The smaller Zen Buddhist temple of Yushō-in was built in 1599 by Japanese samurai Ishida Mitsunari for his father Ishida Masatsuga. The surroundings of the family temple with its garden were designed by the Japanese painter Kanō Eitoku, whose appearance with decorative stones and trees has remained the same to this day.
The Kinkaku-ji, or Golden Temple, officially called Rokuon-ji, is a two-story temple completely covered with gold leaf on the first and second floors. Its origins date back to 1397, when the third shōgun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, bought the building and, after his death, left it to his son with the intention of converting it into a Buddhist temple. The building is built in two different architectural styles. The first floor is designed in the style of shinden-zukuri, and the second floor in buke-zukuri.
The Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine is a five-kilometre-long path with smaller shrines and torii gates, through which a three-hour-long path leads to the main shrine on Mount Inari. The sanctuary is dedicated, among other things, to the Shinto goddess of rice Inari, which is why visitors come to pray at the sanctuary for a good harvest and the success of their businesses. Every year, various festivals are organised at the shrine, showcasing the features of the seasons and recalling the history of Kyoto, the first capital of Japan.
Tenryu-ji Temple was built in 1339 by Shōgun Ashikaga Takauji in memory of the late Emperor Go-Daigo. The building is the main temple of the Rinzai Buddhist religious sect, worshipping enlightened teacher and spiritual guide Siddhārtha Gautama. The temple is located in the Ukjō-ku area in the western Saga Arashiyama district of the Sōgen pond, with a landscaped garden designed by Rinzai Buddhist monk and teacher Musō Soseki. The pond got its name from the inscription on the stone from the pond when arranging the mud floor.
Planning your itinerary for Kyoto, Japan, is much easier when you are prepared for everything you can expect on the island. Preparing for a trip brings a variety of options to choose from, which are essential for the overall organisation of a travel itinerary. Choosing the best providers that ensure your greenhouse gas footprint is expressed sustainably is important. You can also create your itinerary with our help, the experience of travel journalists and world travellers, through which you get interesting ideas for your trip. We invite you to read a travel interview with the traveller Urša – Travelling Around Japan on a High-Speed Train, where Nina Jelovšek introduces us to Urša's journey to Japan and the city of Kyoto. For a safe trip, we recommend taking out travel insurance with World Nomads and the possibility of an insurance policy with coverage for more than 220 sports and leisure activities on the trip.
You can also choose between offering international benefits to save on your HI accommodation booking and many other organisational options for your travel adventure. We suggest booking at HI Utano Youth Hostel, accommodation built in a traditional Japanese architectural style. From Hostelling International, you will have instant access to global cultural attractions like Kinkaku-ji, Ryōan-ji, and Tenryu-ji temples. Plan your travel itinerary with the Kyoto Travel, where you will find helpful practical tips for exploring metropolitan districts and other travel locations.
Why go to Kyoto and what Kyoto cultural diversity can offer us, with which the traditional and modern world intertwine. Cultural attractions, uji tea and the art of acting combine to make the city's unique character a unique experience for every traveller to Japan. Kyoto Tower is the first activity to see the city and its architectural diversity from 100 metres above the ground. Kyoto's tallest building is also a shopping centre. The city's distinctive architecture and traditional way of life is certainly reflected in the Japanese Machiya House, where tea parties have been held for foreign guests since 1872. You will be served Japanese-style green tea. This traditional way of living is not only reflected in the architecture, but also in the streets of the Gion district, where you can go and experience the world of the geisha. For the last activity, we chose GEAR Theatre, which incorporates elements of Japanese traditional Kabuki theatre in its performances without text.
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