Kyoto is a well-known tourist destination in Japan. Data shows that the number of tourists visiting this area was 53.62 million in 2017. With so many tourists, you can imagine that the routes they take are quite diverse. For sightseeing in Kyoto, Kimono Rental VASARA recommends a sightseeing route that starts from the Kyoto Gion store. In this article, we would like to introduce a walking route from Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto's most famous tourist spot, to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. The walk will take approximately six hours.

 

●Kimono Rental VASARA Kyoto Gion Store Arrival 11:00 Budget 2900 yen to 6900 yen

Basara Kyoto Gion is located diagonally opposite the West Tower Gate of Yasaka Shrine, making it the perfect starting point. From here, you can start by changing into a kimono. A set of kimono rental and dressing starts at 2,900 yen (online reservation price). The 2,900 yen kimono has a plain and simple design. Of course, if you want to go all out and dress up, we recommend the Three Star Plan (online reservation price 6,900 yen). Kimono with furisode patterns are included in this plan. Of course, if you see the kimono in person at the store and feel that this plan is better, you can change the plan from the time of booking! (*Refunds cannot be given for downgrades)

 

Once you have decided on a kimono, a professional dresser will help you put it on. The estimated time is about 10 minutes for choosing a kimono, 20 minutes for dressing, and 15 minutes for hair styling, totaling about 45 minutes. It is quite possible that it will be crowded, so it is best to allow yourself about an hour just to be safe.

Departure 12:00

 

For more information about VASARA Kimono Rental Kyoto Gion store, please click here

https://vasara-h.co.jp/shop/detail.html?id=7

 

● Yasaka Shrine Arrival 12:05 No budget

Yasaka Shrine is affectionately known as "Gion-san" or "Yasaka-san" by locals and is a symbol of Kyoto. The large red Nishi-romon Gate catches your eye, but it is surprisingly well-suited to the streets of Gion, Kyoto, making it a famous historic spot that gives off a mysterious feeling. The Gion Festival, one of Kyoto's three major festivals and often heard about in the news, is actually a festival held at Yasaka Shrine. Yasaka Shrine is said to be effective in bringing about various blessings, but one place that women must see is Utsukushigozensha. Maiko (apprentice geisha) also flock to the beauty water that springs from Utsukushigozensha. It is said that applying two or three drops to the skin will refine both body and mind.

Access to Yasaka Shrine: 625 Gion-cho Kitagawa, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City

Departure 12:35

 

● Kodaiji Temple Entoku-in Temple Arrival 12:50 Budget 500 yen

Kodaiji Entokuin is where Toyotomi Hideyoshi's wife, Kita no Mandokoro Nene, spent the last 19 years of her life. The dry landscape garden here, Entokuin, is unusual in that it features many huge rocks, and the maple trees planted around the garden delight visitors with their beautiful green and red foliage from late spring to late autumn. Kodaiji also served as a cultural salon, where many feudal lords, Zen monks, and cultural figures gathered in adoration of Nene. Why not come and see the view that the wife of the military commander who unified Japan would have enjoyed?

Access to Kodaiji Temple, Entoku-in Temple, Shimokawaracho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture

Departure 13:30

 

●Salon de KANBAYASHI -Kanbayashi Shunmatsu Main Branch- Arrival 13:40 Budget about 2000 yen

It's lunchtime, so why not have a light meal at an old-style cafe? Salon de KANBAYASHI - Kanbayashi Shunmatsu Main Branch - is a cafe that was renovated from a storehouse on the grounds of a mansion built in the Taisho period. The atmosphere at the entrance is very nice, and the cafe space inside the storehouse has a chic and calm impression. It's perfect for Instagram. There is also terrace seating in front of the storehouse, which you can enjoy when it warms up.

Salon de KANBAYASHI - Kanbayashi Shunmatsu Main Branch - Access: 400-1 Kinzonocho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City (inside Akagane Resort Kyoto Higashiyama 1925)

Departure 15:00

 

● Yasaka Koshindo Arrival 15:00

Now that you've filled your stomach, let's head to a nearby photogenic spot. Yasaka Koshindo is a temple decorated with colorful monkey-shaped amulets everywhere. Since the spread of social media, the photos taken here have quickly become Instagram-worthy, and the temple has become a popular tourist spot.

Yasaka Koshindo Access 390-1 Kinzonocho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture

Departure 15:15

 

● Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Ninenzaka/Sannenzaka (Ninenzaka/Sannenzaka) Arrival time 15:30 Budget 400 yen

The gentle stone-paved slopes that were built as part of the pilgrimage route to Kiyomizu-dera Temple are called Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka. There is a legend that if you fall down these slopes, you will die within two or three years. It is said that this name comes from the fact that the area around Kiyomizu-dera Temple was a burial ground called Toribeno, but the exact origin of this name is also unclear, with some saying it was an exaggerated warning to be careful not to slip and fall down the slope. It is a very charming tourist route and there are many souvenir shops, so please use it when heading from Kiyomizu-dera Temple to Yasaka Shrine.

We then arrive at Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a famous temple that is crowded with people almost every year. Known since ancient times for the phrase "jumping off the stage of Kiyomizu," Kiyomizu-dera Temple is home to many important cultural properties and is also registered as a World Heritage Site. Otowa Falls has long been revered as a purifying waterfall, and its water is so precious that it is listed as one of the top 10 famous waters in Japan. It is surprising that it has been flowing for over 1,000 years. The waterfall is divided into three streams, each with its own specific blessing. From the right, they are for longevity, success in love, and academic success, and you can receive blessings by pouring the water falling from the waterfall into a dipper and drinking it.

Access to Kiyomizu-dera Temple: 294 Kiyomizu 1-chome, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture

Departure 16:30

 

It is about 2 km from Kiyomizu-dera Temple to the VASARA Kyoto Gion Kimono Rental Shop to return the kimono. It takes about 20 minutes on foot, but it is not too far. You can also take a taxi for the minimum fare, so if you are tired, please use it.

 

The deadline for returning kimonos at VASARA Kyoto Gion Kimono Rental is 5:30 p.m., so you will be able to make it in time. Please try using the route introduced here.