The Challenge of Visiting Kyoto

Kyoto is Japan's most visited city, and for very good reason: nowhere else concentrates such a density of temples, shrines, traditional architecture, and living cultural heritage. But the city's most famous sites — Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama's bamboo grove, Kinkaku-ji — now draw visitor numbers that can make the experience feel more like a theme park queue than a spiritual encounter.

The good news is that Kyoto has over 1,600 temples and shrines. Most see a fraction of the crowds at the famous ones, and many are genuinely spectacular in their own right. Here are five worth seeking out.

1. Fushimi Momoyama (伏見桃山) Area Shrines

Just a few stops south of the famous Fushimi Inari on the Kintetsu line lies the Momoyama area, where Meiji-era shrines sit among quiet residential streets. The Gokonomiya Shrine here is a beautiful, unhurried alternative with its own vermillion gates and a charming local atmosphere completely absent from its more famous neighbour.

2. Jojakko-ji (常寂光寺) — Arashiyama's Overlooked Gem

Arashiyama's bamboo grove is perpetually crowded, but a short walk uphill from the main path leads to Jojakko-ji, a hillside temple surrounded by maples, moss, and stone lanterns. The wooden pagoda at its peak offers a wonderful elevated view of the Arashiyama forest. In autumn, the foliage here is every bit as spectacular as anywhere in Kyoto — with far fewer visitors.

Tip: Arrive when the temple opens in the morning (typically 9:00 AM) to enjoy it in near-solitude.

3. Imamiya Shrine (今宮神社) and the Aburi-mochi Stalls

Located in the quiet northern district near Daitoku-ji, Imamiya Shrine is dedicated to protection from illness and is said to have been established over a thousand years ago. The shrine itself is serene and beautifully maintained. What makes a visit here particularly special, however, are the two aburi-mochi stalls that face each other just outside the main gate — they claim to be among the oldest restaurants in the world, both serving the same simple dish of grilled mochi dipped in sweet white miso sauce for a few hundred yen. It is extraordinary.

4. Daikaku-ji (大覚寺) — The Forgotten Imperial Temple

Daikaku-ji was once an imperial villa and still carries that sense of refined grandeur. Its centrepiece is the Osawa Pond, one of Japan's oldest man-made garden ponds, which reflects the surrounding trees and temple buildings in spectacular fashion. Yet because it sits in western Kyoto rather than the main tourist corridor, it receives a fraction of the attention of temples with lesser histories.

The temple also screens traditional Japanese incense ceremony (kodo) demonstrations, and hosts special illumination events in autumn and spring.

5. Fushimi Inari's Upper Mountain Path

This isn't an unknown location, but the vast majority of visitors to Fushimi Inari only walk the lower gate sections and turn back. Those who continue up the mountain — a roughly 2-hour round trip to the summit at Ichinotsuji — find the crowds thinning dramatically after the first 30 minutes. The upper paths wind through dense cedar forest past small shrines and stone foxes, and the atmosphere at the summit is genuinely otherworldly.

Best time to go: Weekday mornings, or just after rain when the stone steps are wet and the forest smells incredible.

Practical Tips for Temple Visiting in Kyoto

  • Opening hours are typically 9:00 AM–5:00 PM. Arrive at opening for the best experience.
  • Entry fees range from free to around ¥800 for most temples. Budget accordingly.
  • Dress modestly — shorts and sleeveless tops are fine at most outdoor shrines, but some temple interiors request covered shoulders and knees.
  • Keep quiet inside temple buildings, even if others around you are not.
  • Photography rules vary — some inner halls prohibit cameras. Look for signs before pointing a lens at altars or sacred objects.

The Reward for Going Further

The temples that take a little more effort to reach almost always deliver a more meaningful experience. In a city as remarkable as Kyoto, the decision to walk an extra ten minutes away from the tourist map is nearly always the right one.