Kyoto: 10 Highlights in 1 Day Walking Tour with Matcha Tea

Explore Kyoto with a local guide and efficiently discover the city’s top 10 highlights in just 1 day. See Kyoto’s main sights like the Kinkakuji Temple, travel between some on public transportation, and experience a typical Japanese matcha tea ceremony. After meeting your guide, head to Bamboo Forest Street and feel the refreshing breeze of the beautiful bamboo forest. Continue to Tenryuji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with an outstanding pond garden made by one of Japan’s greatest gardeners. Then, visit the popular Instagram spot, Arashiyama Kimono Forest. Admire 600 picturesque poles featuring 36 designs of Japanese kimonos, then take a break at the mall for lunch (at your own expense). After lunch, prepare to marvel at the Kinkakuji Temple. This stunning, shining golden pavilion used to be the political center of the Shogun (the head of Samurai warriors) and is now one of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites in Kyoto. Next, visit a traditional Japanese tea house to try matcha, a powdered green tea. Hear about the tea ceremony while sipping a cup of matcha and tasting traditional sweets. Move on from the tea house to Fushimi Inari-Taisha, the most popular place in Kyoto nowadays, to walk through the One Thousand Torii gates that enshrine the gods of business. Afterward, stroll through the Gion Geisha district and discover the traditional alley featuring famous party places like Maiko and Geiko. Continue to Yasui-konpiragu, a rare shrine believed to cut off bad karma that attracts people from all over Japan. From there, move on to Yasakanato, a 5-story pagoda. Take pictures from the outside only before heading to Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka, traditional streets lined with shops and restaurants in wooden buildings. End your tour here in the perfect spot for shopping for souvenirs, taking a break in a café, or visiting Kiyomizu-dera Temple, just a 5-minute walk away. Your guide will happily point you in the right direction if you decide to visit the temple after the tour.