Meet Buddhas and Deities in Kyoto, Kiyomizudera, Sanjusangendo, Byodoin and more
Joined 2019
There are a lot of cultural properties like temples and shrines in Kyoto. In this tour, we will visit some temples and shrines in Higashiyama to meet Buddhas and Deities. We will visit Kiyomizu Temple, Sanjusangendo Temple, Yasaka Shrine and Byodoin Temple or Fushimi Inari Shrine. I will be able to finish the tour at Gion so that you can explore Gion and Nishiki Market.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
At your hotel in Kyoto or Kyoto station
- TBD
Byodoin Temple or Fushimi Inari Shrine
Byodoin Temple was built in the 11th century and its main buddha is Amitabha. This buddha lives in the West Pure Land and he comes to us with other buddhas when we die to take our soul to his pure land. This temple was built to express the West Pure Land to pray for it. You will be able to see how the buddhas come to us here.
Fushimi Inari is a Shinto Shrine which is older than the capital Kyoto. The main deities here are in charge of business and agriculture. A lot of people come here to pray for success. This shrine is famous for Torii gates and foxes. Torii is an entrance gate to the sacred site of Shinto, there are 10,000 of them here. Foxes are thought to be messengers from the deity. There are many statues of fox here.
Sanjusangendo Temple
Sanjusangendo Temple was built in the 12th century to enshrine the Buddha of Mercy (Kannon). The Buddha of Mercy here has 11 faces on her head and 40 arms to save people.
There are 1,000 manifestations of her around her. It is said that you will be able to find a statue of buddha which looks like a dead person you are missing. In front of them are 28 guardian buddhas, and the God of Wind and a God of thunder. They are all former Hindu Gods. You can see how Buddhism and Hindu are related here.
Kiyomizu Temple, Sannen-zaka, the Pagoda of Yasaka and others
Kiyomizu Temple was established in the 8th century before Kyoto became the capital. It was expanded by the 1st Shogun in Japanese history. This temple is famous for its pure water, the Buddha of Mercy (Kannon) and stage.
Small water falls here are the origin of the faith of this temple. People pray for success, love and longevity at the waterfalls. The main Buddha is the Buddha of mercy which has 11 faces and 40 arms to save people. She is with the guardians and there are other buddhas in the other halls of this temple. The stage is a place to pray for Buddha. The stage here is 13m high. A lot of people jumped off the stage to show determination.
From this temple, we will walk on Sannenzaka to Yasaka Shrine. On our way, there are the Pagoda of Yasaka, Kodaiji Temple and other cultural properties.
Yasaka Shrine
Yasaka Shrine is a Shinto shrine. It enshrines Susano who is one of the most famous Shinto Deities, and others. This is a big shrine compound so to speak, there are 22 shrines in the same compound. It is the headquarters of the 2,300 Yasaka shrines throughout of Japan.
Gion(Geiko and Maiko District)
Gion was developed as a place to serve the pilgrims to Yasaka Shrine. It is the home of Maiko and Geiko. Today they entertain business people in Gion which is called flower town. There are 5 flower town in Kyoto and Gion is the biggest and the most famous one.
This tour finishes at Gion if it is okay with you. You will be able to explore more in Gion and Nishiki Market nearby.
Ending Point
TBD (at Gion)
Want to personalize this tour?
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Guiding fee
Insurance,
Tickets,
Transportation cost after we meet for you and the guide(me),
Food and drinks,
Others
Tour Important Information
* This tour involves a lot of walking, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes.
* This tour is not recommended for those with severe back/knee problems.
* Please let me know in advance if you have any food allergies or other dietary restrictions.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Joined 2019
About Tour Guide Hiroyuki T.
Hi!
I had been working for Wakayama Prefectural Government for 38 years, mainly in the field of cultural heritage management and international relations. I am a national certificated English guide and I have a lot of knowledge and experience in the field of cultural heritage management and international relations.
I am very good at cultural heritages.
And Koyasan and Kumano in Wakayama Prefecture are inscribed in the World Heritage List as parts of “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range". I was a project manager of "the Koyasan and Kumano World Heritage Inscription Project” at Wakayama Prefectural Government. I know inside and out of Koyasan, Kumano, Wakayama and other places in the Kansai area.
I have a lot of experience of guiding as I was also in charge of international relations for a long time at the government.
I will be able to provide interpretive guiding service for you around Koyasan, Wakayama, Osaka and other places in the Kansai area as I am a cultural heritage management and international relations professional.
I am sure you will be able to get deeper understandings on Japanese culture and that your trip with me will be memorable one.
Reviews
Rowena S.
Kumano Kodo Daimon-zaka and Nachi Waterfalls - from Osaka
“Excellent Tour Guide”
Thank you Hiroyuki san for always taking care of our guests and for being flexible with our request. Always a smooth transaction with you.
“Fantastic tour with Hiro”
Hiro was a really terrific guide Because he lived in New York his English is excellent. He found us at the main Namba station and took us to the important and interesting main sights in Osaka . He is very knowledgeable and interesting. I wish we had known of Hiro for Kyoto and Nara And I highly recommend him
Hiroyuki T.
Eva-san, It was very nice meeting you in Osaka today. It was a cold day, but it a lovely day. I hope that you liked the city of Osaka and its history. Weather forecast says it will snow tonight in Osaka. Have a safe trip home. Hiro
“Osaka Tour”
We had an excellent tour with Hiro. He was organized, knowledgeable and a good communicator. He has an extensive knowledge of Japanese history and culture due to his background and we learned a lot from him!
Hiroyuki T.
Steve-san, Thank you very much for spending time in Osaka the other day. To be honest with you, it sometimes is difficult to do a tour with clients with young adults. But you were different. Your kids were wonderful. They were interested in Japanese culture and asked me a lot questions which I liked. You have a wonderful family and kids. Please take good care of yourself and come to Japan sometime in the future. Thank you very much again. Hiro
$309/ per group
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