5 Days in Kyoto

Elegant hotel offering dining, a minimalist bar & a bathhouse, plus a free train station shuttle.

400-year-old iconic market studded with stalls offering all manner of Japanese edibles.

Iconic Buddhist temple on Mount Otowa known for the scenic views afforded from its sizable veranda.

Charming pedestrian thoroughfare known for its classic architecture, teahouses & cherry blossoms.

This Shinto shrine was erected in 656 A.D. & is home to one of the most famous festivals in Japan.

Dinner: approachable multi-course kaiseki in the heart of Gion. Reserve ahead.

A popular sightseeing path runs uphill through this forest of towering bamboo stalks.

This venerable Zen temple at the foot of mountains features teahouses & serene, expansive gardens.

Popular area atop Mt. Arashiyama for viewing wild macaque monkeys & sweeping city views.

Hand-cut soba noodles made with domestically sourced buckwheat in a leafy riverside locale.

Historic, tranquil temple with a gold-leaf facade set amid landscaped gardens & a reflecting pond.

On the scenic grounds of this 15th-century temple is a famous Zen rock garden & a yudofu restaurant.

Dinner: atmospheric lantern-lit dining lane by the Kamogawa River — yakitori or kaiseki.

Mountainside Shinto shrine dating from 711 A.D. featuring a path with hundreds of traditional gates.

Artisan coffee & light meals with vegan options at a tree-ringed cafe overlooking a pond.

Large Buddhist temple established in 1236 on scenic grounds with gardens known for fall foliage.

Fushimi sake district — learn the brewing process and do a tasting flight.

Long-established station diner serving bowls of traditional ramen made with a pork fatback broth.

Landscaped, public park with ancient temples & the Nara National Museum of art, plus tame deer.

Buddhist temple originally built in the mid-700s, with one of Japan's largest bronze Buddha statues.

Lunch: Nara specialty kakinoha-zushi (persimmon-leaf wrapped sushi).

Bright vermillion columns support the roof of this Shinto shrine originally established in 768 A.D..

Sizable collection of ancient Chinese bronze wares, mirrors & seals, along with Korean pottery.

Dinner back in Kyoto: celebrated 3-Michelin-star kaiseki in Higashiyama. Reserve well ahead.

Built in 1603, this cypress-wood castle with extensive gardens was a home for the shogun Ieyasu.

Former imperial residence in a vast gravel-and-pine park; free entry.

Lunch: 550-year-old soba house — order the signature hourai soba tower.

Scenic pedestrian path along a cherry tree–lined canal that passes by various temples & shrines.

This 15th-century Zen temple features picturesque gardens & a sand mound shaped like Mount Fuji.

Elegant hotel offering dining, a minimalist bar & a bathhouse, plus a free train station shuttle.