Kiyomizu-dera, Sanjūsangen-dō and the Silver Pavilion
5 stops- 09:00
Kiyomizu-dera
The temple's great wooden stage stands on tall pillars over the hillside, built without nails, and looks out over the trees toward the city. Drink from the Otowa waterfall below the main hall, then walk down the hill to Sanjūsangen-dō.
- Walk, 23 min
- 10:05
Sanjūsangen-dō Temple
The long wooden hall holds 1,001 gilded statues of the thousand-armed Kannon in rows, with a large seated main image in the middle and guardian deities in front. It is just across the street from the museum and fits easily into the half hour.
- Walk, 3 min
- 10:40
Kyoto National Museum
At the foot of the eastern hills, the museum shows pre-modern Japanese and Asian art, from Buddhist sculpture to scrolls and ceramics, in the modern Heisei Chishinkan wing. The red brick Meiji-era building in the garden is used for special exhibitions, so check what is on.
- Taxi, 8 min
- 12:20
Heian Jingū
The shrine was built in 1895 for the 1,100th anniversary of Kyoto's founding, with a giant red torii on the approach and vermilion halls modelled on the old imperial palace. The stroll garden behind the main halls is known for its weeping cherries in spring and the stepping stones across its pond.
- Taxi, 4 min
- 12:55
Ginkaku-ji Temple
The Silver Pavilion was never covered in silver; it is a quiet wooden building above a raked sand garden with a flat-topped sand cone. Follow the path up the hillside for a view over the grounds, then walk the Philosopher's Path south if you have time.
