UNESCO World Heritage Sites are said to "represent a masterpiece of human creative genius" and have "outstanding universal value." The variety, historical span and sheer number of World Heritage Sites in Kyoto is unrivaled in Japan. Nijo-jo Castle and the sixteen temples and shrines below were selected as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1994.
For over thirty five years the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has sought to name, catalog, and preserve the natural and man-made treasures of humanity.
The ostentatious style of this castle was intended as a demonstration of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu's prestige.Nijo-jo Castl 【more...】
Shimogamo-jinja Shrine, also known as Kamomioya-jinja Shrine, is the family shrine of the Kamo clan, who inhabited this 【more...】
This shrine, also named "Kamowakeikazuchi-jinja", is one of the oldest shrines in Kyoto, dating back to the 7th century 【more...】
Nishi-Hongan-ji Temple is designed to impress. The finest example of Momoyama-era(1568-1598) architecture in Kyoto, the 【more...】
The 5-story 57 meter high pagoda has long served as a city landmark and a vibrant center for spiritual and community li 【more...】
This temple was converted from a Fujiwara villa into a Buddhist temple in 1052. The "Phoenix Hall" (Houou-do), more pro 【more...】
Kozan-ji Temple stands in a mountain forest. Towering cedar trees line the path to the temple and admit shafts of sunli 【more...】
Enraku-ji Temple is said to be one of the main spiritual centers of Japanese culture. An ancient monastery complex atop 【more...】
Visiting Saiho-ji Temple is a unique experience which affords one the opportunity to view a garden of rare beauty in a 【more...】
Ujigami-jinja Shrine is a remnant of the distant past, the oldest extant shrine in Japan. It is a quiet place, located 【more...】
Daigo-ji Temple, a World Heritage Site, spreads across Daigo-san Mountain and is well-known as the "Temple of Flowers". 【more...】
Ginkaku-ji (Temple of the Silver Pavilion) is the more common name for Jisho-ji Temple, a temple belonging to the Buddh 【more...】
The expression "to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu" is the Japanese equivalent of the English expression "to take the pl 【more...】
The image of the temple richly adorned in gold leaf reflects beautifully in the water of Kyokochi, the mirror pond.It 【more...】
Ninna-ji Temple has it all - an exquisite five-storey pagoda, a massive main gate, delightful landscape gardens (with 【more...】
It is Japan's most famous "hiraniwa" (flat garden void of hills or ponds) and reveals the stunning simplicity and harm 【more...】
Tenyru-ji is a major temple of the Rinzai School. It was built in 1339 on the former site of Emperor Go-Daigo's villa a 【more...】
