8 Best Sights in Kyoto, Japan

This shrine's thousands of red gates may well be the quintessential image of Japan. The gates line the path up the mountainside, parted at irregular intervals by shrines, altars, mausoleums, and hundreds of foxes in stone and bronze. This is the central headquarters for 40,000 shrines nationally that pay tribute to Inari, the god of rice, sake, and prosperity. As Japan's economic focus shifted from agriculture to other businesses, Inari was adopted as the patron deity of any kind of entrepreneurial venture—the gates in the path are donated by businesses from around the country seeking a blessing. Walking the whole circuit takes about two hours, a bit longer if you stop at the shops selling snacks along the way. Hikers can continue up the path and follow it along the Higashiyama Range and into central Kyoto.

The massive vermilion torii gate of Heian Jingu is one of Kyoto's best-known symbols. Built in the 1890s to commemorate the 1,100th anniversary of Kyoto's founding, Heian Jingu pays homage to the two emperors who bookend the city's era of national prominence: Kammu, who brought the imperial throne here in 794, and Komei, whose reign ending in 1866 saw the sun set on Kyoto's days as the capital. An assertion of Kyoto's unfaded splendor, Heian Jingu was built as a slightly smaller replica of the Imperial Palace, destroyed in 1227. The architecture reveals China's strong influence on the early Japanese court. The gate, the biggest in Japan, is particularly impressive, as are the three elaborate gardens behind the main shrine, conceived by the master designer Ogawa Jihei, which draw on Kyoto's landscaping origins. The complex makes a wonderful backdrop for several annual events, most famously the brazier-lighted plays of Takigi Noh Drama every June 1 and 2, and the Jidai Costume Festival on October 22.

The gorgeous cherry blossoms at this modest shrine near Kinkaku-ji have been the focus of an annual spring festival since AD 985. The pale-pink petals contrast with vermilion lanterns lining the lanes of the Heian-style complex. The shrine was brought here from Nagaoka, the country's capital after Nara and before Kyoto. The four buildings open for touring date from the 17th century. Installed next to a 400-year-old camphor tree is a huge magnetic boulder from Iwate Prefecture, chosen for the power it is said to contain.

The approach at one of Kyoto's oldest and most stately shrines takes visitors along a path in the middle of an expanse of lawn and through the red torii gate. That same path is the scene of horse racing on May 5 and the approach of the imperial messenger of the Hollyhock Festival on May 15 as he reports the events of the court to the resident gods.

At this favorite place for weddings, visitors may be pleasantly surprised to see one taking place in the inner shrine. The grounds are vast, with smaller shrines and a stream into which believers write their wishes on pieces of kimono-shape paper and set them afloat. In recent years, the shrine has become the setting for a torch-lit Noh drama play on the evening of July 1. On other days, families spread out their picnic blankets on the lawn or in shadier spots and enjoy the day.

A Shinto shrine of major importance to the city, Kitano Tenman-gu is famous for the hundreds of plum trees on its grounds. Built in AD 947 to honor Sugawara no Michizane, a celebrated scholar and politician, this was the first shrine in Japan where a person was enshrined as a deity. It is also well-known to students, who come to ask the gods' help in passing exams. On the 25th of every month, Tenjin-san, streets around the shrine turn into a huge market. Treasures, old and new, food, bonsai, gadgets, and other items delight throngs of shoppers.

Dating from 887, this very small shrine is best known for its "guardian rats." Most shrines have pairs of Koma-inu, mythical dogs, but Otoyo is unique in this regard, and very popular during the Year of the Rat. As with the canine twosomes, one rat's mouth is open, and the other's is closed. The main halls enshrine Sukunahikona-no-mikoto, the Japanese god of medicine; Emperor Ojin, Japan's 15th emperor; and Sugawara Michizane (845–903), a Heian-era poet and politician. The grounds are resplendent with several varieties of camellia. Otoyo Jinja is considered the guardian shrine for people who live in the adjacent neighborhoods of Shishigatani, Honenin, and Nanzenji.

Across the river from Byodo-in, this small Shinto shrine is known for its rabbit motifs. It can be reached by walking along the Sawarabi-no-michi, a picturesque winding road which also leads a little further on to the larger Ujigami Jinja, said to be the oldest remaining Shinto shrine in Japan.

Stone stairs lead up through the vermilion-and-white gate of Kyoto's central shrine, which plays an essential role in the city's fiscal good fortune. In addition to the good-luck charms people flock here to buy, you will see the names of the city's biggest stores and companies marking the lanterns hanging from the main hall's eaves, each of the corporate sponsors seeking financial favor as well. The shrine, just off Higashi-oji-dori, was built in the 7th century above an underground lake to ensure that the god who resided in the east—the blue water dragon—received the fresh water needed to ensure healthy Earth energy. The original enshrined Shinto deity, Susano-no-mikoto, later came to be associated with the Buddhist spirit Gozu Ten-no, a protector against pestilence and the god of prosperity. Also known as the Gion Shrine, Yasaka hosts the Gion Festival, a monthlong event that takes place in July. The festival started in AD 869 as a religious ritual to rid the city of a terrible plague that originated in Kyoto and swiftly spread all over Japan. The grounds of Yasaka Shrine are filled with revelers during cherry-blossom season, usually in early April.