Kyoto itinerary — 2 days

Geisha district featuring high-end shops & restaurants, a Zen garden & women in colorful kimonos.

Higashiyama-ku preserves the look and feel of feudal-era Japan in a wood-built historic quarter of narrow lanes lined with traditional pottery stores, tea houses, and restaurants for multi-course kaiseki meals. Centuries-old Zen and Shinto sites include lantern-lit Yasaka Shrine and hillside temple Kiyomizudera, which overlooks the city. Maruyama Park hosts festive hanami picnics under springtime cherry blossoms.

Kyoto's manga museum opened in 2006 in a restored 1930s elementary school building near Nijo Castle. The collection holds some 300,000 volumes from Japan and dozens of countries, and 50,000 of them line the 200-metre Wall of Snakes, free to browse in the halls or on the courtyard lawn. Exhibitions trace the history of the medium, and artists sometimes draw live for visitors during festivals.

Founded in 1897, the Kyoto National Museum is one of Japan's oldest museums and the principal keeper of the ancient capital's art. The collection spans painting, sculpture, calligraphy, ceramics and textiles from the Heian to the Edo periods. The permanent exhibition sits in the modern Chishinkan Wing designed by Yoshio Taniguchi, while the landmark Meiji-era hall hosts major special exhibitions.

The Kyoto Imperial Palace was the ruling residence of Japan's emperors from 794 until the capital relocated to Tokyo in 1869. Located in the vast Kyoto Gyoen National Garden, the current complex was meticulously rebuilt in 1855, preserving the pure Heian architectural style. Visitors can wander past the monumental Shishinden hall where imperial enthronements took place, the Seiryoden living quarters, and the exquisite Oikeniwa pond garden.

A serene mountain estate in Arashiyama, tucked just behind the renowned Sagano Bamboo Grove on the slopes of Mount Ogura. Silent samurai movie star Denjiro Okochi spent thirty years crafting this magnificent Japanese landscape garden for private contemplation. Winding stone paths meander past historic teahouses to scenic lookouts over Kyoto, and admission includes a bowl of fresh matcha and a sweet confection.

Operated by legendary film studio Toei, this active studio lot and theme park immerses visitors in the world of Edo-period Japan. As a working set for samurai movies and period dramas (jidaigeki), it features authentic replica streets, merchant homes, and the historic Nihonbashi Bridge. Guests can enjoy live ninja stunt shows, rent elaborate period costumes, navigate a ninja maze, and view life-sized anime installations like Evangelion.

The 'Moon-Crossing Bridge' of Arashiyama spans the Katsura river. Its name came from Emperor Kameyama, who remarked that the moon seemed to glide across it. The first bridge here dates to the 9th century; today's 155-metre structure is a 1934 reconstruction. This is the heart of Arashiyama: paths lead off to the bamboo grove, the monkey park and the boat docks, while spring cherry blossoms and autumn maples set the banks ablaze.

Perched on the slopes of Mount Iwatayama in Kyoto's scenic Arashiyama district, this nature park is home to a free-roaming troop of over 100 wild Japanese macaques. A pleasant 20-minute uphill hike through wooded paths leads visitors to the summit plateau. Here, guests can observe monkeys playing in their natural habitat, hand-feed them fruit from inside an enclosed rest hut, and take in panoramic views of Kyoto and the Oi River.