Activities
Things to Do in Kyoto
Guided tours, cooking classes, sunset cruises, and experiences that go beyond the standard sightseeing loop.
Experiences & Tours
6 activities
Iwatayama Monkey Park
A walk-up hill park in Arashiyama home to around 120 wild Japanese macaques roaming freely, with a panoramic view over Kyoto from the summit clearing. Visitors can hand-feed the monkeys from inside a caged feeding hut, the safe way round.
Nishiki Market Food Tour
A guided walk through "Kyoto's Kitchen", a 400-year-old, five-block covered market street of roughly 100 stalls selling Kyoto vegetables, fresh-water fish, yuba (tofu skin), pickles, and skewered street food, with a guide pointing out what's worth stopping for.
Traditional Tea Ceremony Experience
A hands-on introduction to chado, the way of tea: learning the etiquette of preparing and receiving whisked matcha in a traditional tatami-room setting, usually alongside a short explanation of the ceremony's Zen-influenced philosophy.
Kimono Rental & Higashiyama Photo Walk
Rent a kimono or yukata for the day from one of the many rental shops clustered near Kiyomizu-dera, then walk the Higashiyama lanes in it. Visitors in kimono are a common sight in the district, and it's one of the most photographed things to do in Kyoto.
Nara Day Trip: Deer Park & Todai-ji
A full-day trip to Nara, Japan's first permanent capital: over 1,200 free-roaming sacred deer in Nara Park, Todai-ji's Great Buddha Hall (the world's largest wooden building), and Kasuga Taisha's thousands of stone and bronze lanterns.
Uji Day Trip: Byodo-in & Matcha Tasting
A half-day trip to Uji, Japan's most famous matcha-producing region: Byodo-in Temple's Phoenix Hall (the building depicted on the ¥10 coin), riverside walks along the Uji River, and matcha tastings and sweets at the town's historic tea houses.
Day Trips
Beyond the City
Day trips from Kyoto take in Nara's deer park and giant Buddha, Uji's matcha and Byodo-in Temple, and the hill towns of Kansai, each reachable in under an hour from the centre.