KYOTO · TEMPLE & SHRINE VISITS
Sixteen hundred temples and four hundred shrines, and no itinerary survives all of them. These 15 tours pick a coherent handful, explain what you are looking at and get the gate timings right, priced and paced and clear about how much walking is involved.
Kyoto tea ceremony at Jotoku-ji Temple. 70 minutes of purification ritual and guided matcha making in a small English group.
“We had the most incredible experience and cannot recommend enough!”
Walk Arashiyama's bamboo grove, private Okochi Sanso garden, Zen temple, monkeys, and optional local brewery lunch with sake.
“Karim is an amazing, fun and energetic guide. He told us the best spots to make picture, and the best places to eat. He was very flexible and fit to our mood very easily.”
Walk Arashiyama’s bamboo grove and Tenryu-ji, enjoy Uji matcha, cross Togetsukyo Bridge, then hike to Monkey Park views.
“Nonomiya Shrine's ancient purification history was absolutely fascinating to learn about. The moss covered surroundings created such an atmospheric, spiritual setting. Love how our guide connected past traditions to present day cultural practices.”
A smooth day from Osaka or Kyoto to Arashiyama, Nara, and Fushimi Inari, with Kobe beef lunch in a 100-year-old townhouse.
“Gary's kindness and attentiveness were highly appreciated. The itinerary was consistently adhered to, and the destinations were exceptional, with Gary's recommendations proving valuable.”
Small-group Kyoto Zen temple tour with guided zazen, dry garden walk, and traditional Buddhist lunch. Temple entry included.
“It was a excellent zen experience with japanese garden and temple. I learned about zen and Buddha and Buddhism. Also vegetarian lunch was a excellent choice”
Practice zazen with abbot Eitetsu Nishida at Jusho-in, then sip matcha and wagashi in a centuries-old garden. Photos included, 2 hours.
“Absolutely loved the experience - beautiful temple area and a small building overlooking a gorgeous 400 year old garden. The chief monk guided us through meditation with humour and kindness, and explained the practice before sitting down with us to share the meditation. The meditation zazen experience was extremely well organised - with a great translator and photographer who had awesome communication. For those who needed it they had chairs available, and bathrooms too. Couldn't fault it, will be recommending to everyone and anyone we meet!”
Kyoto kimono tea ceremony near Imamiya Jinja and Daitoku-ji. Dress up, learn etiquette, sip matcha, and brew your own.
“A lot of fun to dress up and have a tea ceremony to learn the customs but also enjoy the beauty of the meditative experience. Highly recommend”
Kyoto Arashiyama tour with Tenryu-ji, bamboo grove, Uji matcha, Nonomiya Shrine, and Monkey Park Iwatayama macaques.
“Nay (Nayeen Julkar) is a very impressive young man. His English was impeccable and with his excellent subject knowledge was delivered with enthusiasm. A guide of the highest standard.”
3-hour small-group hike at Fushimi Inari from Tofukuji, with bamboo groves and quiet forest trails, ending near the famous torii gates.
“Very informative and I am pleased with our experience.”
Arashiyama bamboo, Tenryu-ji, matcha at Okochi Sanso, monkeys and bridge views in a 5-hour small-group walking tour.
“It is long walking tour although it is fun and interesting how bamboos grow and what is done after w/ it. My guide Francis is very knowledgeable on explaining everything from Shrines and how bamboo grow.”
Zen meditation at a private Kyoto temple with a monk, matcha tea, and garden walk. Guided English session for small groups.
“It was a unique experience that we greatly enjoyed. The temple is peaceful ant the garden so nice and quiet . The guide was excellent and very friendly and so was the monk who gave us a lot of information about the philosophy. Ideal way to feel Japan from the inside.”
Kyoto calligraphy class inside a Buddhist temple, learn shodo step by step, write your own kanji, and take home your artwork.
“It was one of the best things I've done in Japan. Our teacher was incredible and very kind and the host/translator was fantastic. It didn't feel like a demonstration it really felt like we took time to learn just a little but about the art of calligraphy. 10/10 I'd recommend this to anyone remotely interested.”
Pedal from Gion to UNESCO Zen temples, enjoy teahouse lunch, and glide along the Kamogawa River on a small guided bike tour.
“I had a great day biking around Kyoto with Yusuke! I wasn’t expecting it to be a private tour but that was a nice surprise because I could go at my own pace. Yusuke was a super friendly and knowledgeable guide - he made sure I was comfoRead more”
Small-group Kyoto tour combining Kiyomizu-dera UNESCO sights, Otowa Waterfall, Kiyomizuzaka streets, and a traditional matcha tea ceremony.
“Hide was a nice, he made the tour fun, and I enjoyed learning the formalities of Japanese temples and talking about baseball!”
Night in Kyoto: Fushimi Inari torii gates and Gion alleys with an English guide, admission covered, and pro photos included.
“Ikki took such wonderful care of us during our first evening in Kyoto! We were pretty low energy after a day of traveling (and some really dreary weather), but his passion and excitement to show us what Kyoto had to offer really kept us going! It was a very chill evening, we covered so much ground in just 2.5 hours — he was incredibly organized and informed, he is so well-versed in the history of Kyoto and did such a good job incorporating some fun tidbits! Walking around town with Ikki truly felt like a friend was showing us the city, he’s easy to talk to and so happy to…”
Every kind of day in the city, and the best-reviewed way to book it.
