Nature in Kyoto

Azuchi Castle

Kyoto

Azuchi Castle was one of the most significant fortresses in Japanese history, considered the first modern castle in the country. Built from 1576 by Oda Nobunaga, the powerful warlord of the Sengoku period, it stood on a hilltop overlooking Lake Biwa in present-day Shiga Prefecture. Its seven-storey main tower was extraordinary for its time, adorned with gilded decorations symbolising Nobunaga's ambitions to unify Japan. After his assassination in 1582, the castle fell into disuse, and burned down shortly after. Today only stone foundations and walls remain, offering a haunting glimpse of what was once Japan's most spectacular stronghold.

Chishaku-in

Kyoto

Chishaku-in is the head temple of the Chizan branch of Shingon Buddhism in Kyoto, overseeing some 3,000 affiliated sub-temples across Japan. The complex dates to the early 17th century, established by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in memory of his son Tsurumatsu, with the main halls completed around 1601. The temple is celebrated above all for its fusuma-ga: monumental sliding door paintings from the Momoyama period by Hasegawa Tohaku and his son, now considered among the finest examples of Japanese painting. The attached garden, designed in the dry landscape tradition, invites quiet contemplation. Less visited than Kinkaku-ji or Ryoan-ji, Chishaku-in offers a more peaceful, deeply rewarding experience for visitors interested in art history and living Buddhist culture.

Daikaku-ji Temple

Kyoto

Daikaku-ji is one of Kyōto's oldest and most revered temples, converted from an imperial villa in 876 and established as the head temple of the Shingon-shū school. For centuries it maintained a direct connection to the Japanese imperial family, serving as both a place of worship and a retreat. The temple's highlight is the Ōsawa Pond, one of the oldest landscaped garden ponds in Japan, still preserved in its original form. Wooden corridors link the various halls across the grounds, offering a serene atmosphere that surprises visitors amid the popular Sagano area. Monks continue daily Shingon rituals here, and autumn brings spectacular foliage that turns the complex gold and red. Located near the Arashiyama bamboo grove, Daikaku-ji makes a perfect start or end to a day in western Kyōto.

Daitoku-ji

Kyoto

Daitoku-ji is a sprawling Zen temple complex in the Kita district of Kyoto, founded in 1315 and one of the principal temples of the Rinzai school. The complex contains more than twenty sub-temples, several of which house some of the finest dry gardens (karesansui) in Japan — stone meditation landscapes that invite silence and contemplation. Daitoku-ji was closely linked to Japanese tea culture: Sen no Rikyū, the most influential tea master in Japanese history, lived and worked here. Many sub-temples are only open at certain times, lending each visit a special quality. A site that unites tranquility, aesthetics and depth.

Enryaku Temple

Kyoto

Enryaku-ji is one of the most spiritually significant monasteries in Japan. The monk Saichō founded it in 788 on Mount Hiei, the natural guardian mountain of the then-capital Heiankyō to the northeast — the direction from which, in Japanese folk belief, evil approaches. Here Saichō established Tendai Buddhism in Japan, a tradition that later served as the starting point for almost every other Japanese school — Zen, Jōdo, Nichiren. The monastery complex spreads across three zones on the forested ridge and encompasses dozens of buildings, shrines and cemeteries. The monastery is also famed for its warrior monks (sōhei), who were powerful political forces in Kyōto during the medieval period. Today Enryaku-ji is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a living monastery where ceremonies take place daily.

Fushimi Castle

Kyoto

Fushimi Castle in Kyoto's Fushimi district was built in 1594 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi — the most powerful warlord of the Sengoku period, who unified Japan after decades of civil war. The castle was the scene of significant historical events: in 1600, preparations for the decisive Battle of Sekigahara took place here, the battle that unified Japan under Tokugawa Ieyasu. The current castle building is a 1964 reconstruction, surrounded by a park with over 1,000 cherry trees that becomes one of Kyoto's most beautiful hanami spots in spring. The castle hill offers a wide view over the city and the nearby Fushimi Inari shrine.

Ginkakuji

Kyoto

Ginkaku-ji, officially Jishō-ji, is one of Japan's most celebrated Zen temples, founded in 1482 as the personal retreat of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa in northeast Kyōto. Despite its name, the Silver Pavilion was never actually coated in silver – a project left unfinished at the shogun's death, which only added to the temple's understated, wabi aesthetic. The complex features a meticulously raked sand garden shaped into a cone called Kogetsudai, along with a picturesque pond garden edged with moss and ancient pines. As part of the UNESCO World Heritage ensemble "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto," Ginkaku-ji remains a defining example of Higashiyama culture and Muromachi-period aesthetics.

Heian Shrine

Kyoto

Heian-jingū in Kyoto was built in 1895 to mark the city's 1,100th anniversary and is one of the most celebrated shrines of the Meiji era. It is dedicated to Emperors Kanmu and Kōmei – the first and last emperors to have resided in Kyoto. Behind the shrine buildings lies a spacious landscape garden with ponds, stepping-stone bridges and old trees that transforms into one of the city's most breathtaking spots during cherry blossom season. The vivid vermilion torii gate at the entrance is among Kyoto's most iconic landmarks, and the shrine is listed as an Important Cultural Property of Japan.

Hiraoka Shrine

Kyoto

Hiraoka Shrine in Higashiōsaka is one of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines and the original home of the four Kasuga deities — all of whom were enshrined at the great Kasuga Taisha in Nara after being transferred from here. The shrine nestles within an ancient forest on the slopes of the Ikoma Mountains, exuding a quiet, timeless atmosphere. Already mentioned in texts from the early ninth century, it is counted among the most important shrines of the Kinki region. The old forest paths and spectacular autumn maple colours make Hiraoka Shrine an unforgettable place of stillness and spirituality, well off the usual tourist circuit.

Iga Ueno Castle

Kyoto

Iga Ueno Castle – also known as "White Phoenix Castle" – is an elegant Japanese castle from 1585 in Mie Prefecture. The castle is located in the city of Iga, famous as the historic homeland of the legendary ninja. Its keep is considered one of the most beautiful in Japan and was faithfully reconstructed as a wooden structure in 1935. The site has been protected as a National Historic Site since 1967. Today a cherry blossom park surrounds the castle – one of Japan's finest in spring – and the nearby Ninja Museum brings the world of the shinobi to life.

Kannonsho-ji Temple

Kyoto

Kannonshō-ji is a Tendai Buddhist temple founded in 605 CE on the wooded slopes of Mount Kinugasayama at 370 metres, overlooking Lake Biwa. As the 32nd stop on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, it has drawn pilgrims for over a millennium. Its honzon is a statue of Senjū Kannon rebuilt after a 19th-century fire. The elevated views over Japan's largest lake make it one of the pilgrimage's most atmospheric stations.

Katsura Imperial Villa

Kyoto

The Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto is a complex of pavilions, teahouses, and a carefully composed garden on the western bank of the Katsura River. Built in the early 17th century as a retreat for Imperial princes, it is regarded as the pinnacle of classical Japanese garden design and architecture. The layout features staggered shoin-style rooms and a central pond garden used for tea ceremonies and moon-viewing. Designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan, access is restricted to guided tours. Modernist architects including Walter Gropius admired it as a precursor to functionalism.

Kinkaku-ji

Kyoto

Kinkaku-ji, formally known as Rokuon-ji, is one of Japan's most famous Buddhist temples and arguably Kyoto's most iconic image. The three-storey pavilion, with its upper two floors clad in gold leaf, reflects perfectly in the still pond before it — a sight that has captivated pilgrims, poets and travellers alike for centuries. Originally built in 1397 as the retirement villa of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the complex was converted into a Zen temple after his death. The current structure is a 1955 reconstruction, after a monk burned the original pavilion in 1950 — an act immortalised in a novel by Yukio Mishima. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, part of the historic monuments of ancient Kyoto.

Kurama-dera

Kyoto

Kurama-dera is a Buddhist temple on the southern slope of Mount Kurama (570 m) in the far north of Kyoto, founded in 796. Originally part of the Tendai school, the temple became the head temple of its own religious body, Kurama Kokyo, in 1949. The grounds contain several objects designated as National Treasures of Japan. The trail up through dense cedar forest sets a distinct atmosphere well before reaching the main halls — far removed from the busy temple districts of central Kyoto.

Manyo Botanical Garden

Kyoto

建勲神社

Kyoto

Mt. Hakuto Saijoji Temple

Kyoto