One can easily spend days discovering Kyoto. Unfortunately, time is not always on our side when traveling. We’ve carefully crafted an itinerary that allows for an enchanting look at Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, Japanese gardens, local gastronomic delights, and UNESCO World Heritage sites. In the company of a local expert, we'll spend 8 hours unpicking the cultural and historical heart of Japan. Much of our day will be on foot, but in between sites, we'll travel either via taxi or an optional chauffeured-car service. This Kyoto day tour offers a fantastic introduction to this former imperial capital that we’ve had a deep love for since Context launched tours in Kyoto in 2013.

We’ll meet bright and early at your hotel at 9:00. We’ll start with a short briefing on Kyoto and the surrounding area (with relevant maps) before embarking on our day in Kyoto. From your hotel, we will head to the area of Gion for an exploration of culture, history, religion, and spiritual life in a slightly condensed version of our Synchronized Spirituality tour. In the company of a local scholar, we may visit a Shinto shrine (Yasaka), a Buddhist temple (Kiyomizu-dera) perched high in the Kyoto hills, or perhaps a nearby Zen Buddhist temple (Kennin-ji).

Educated further on the basic principles of Japanese spiritual and religious life, we’ll head to Nishiki Market to taste some Japanese delicacies and have a traditional Kyoto lunch together. We’ll discuss Japanese dining practices, customs, and intricacies surrounding eating and gastronomy as we actively explore this fascinating market. This is a snapshot of our Kyoto Food Tour.

After lunch, we will embark on a Japanese garden and temple discovery. Depending on the interests of our private group, we could visit sites such as the Golden Pavilion, Ryoan-ji, and Ninna-ji, with our guide providing in-depth commentary as we wander along. This is a condensed version of our Beyond. Zen: Kyoto Garden Tour. As we finish up our time together, we will head back to Kyoto, digesting what we’ve learned.

At the end of either itinerary, we will emerge with a deeper understanding of what it means to be Japanese and the various strands that embody Japanese culture, tradition, and religion. We’ll have ventured across the city to sites relevant to Kyoto's history and cultural identity. Hopefully, our Kyoto in One Day tour will set us up for the remainder of our travel in Japan.