Hōkyō-in

This is the former home of Minamoto no Tōru who is believed to be the man that the famous Tale of Genji's protagonist Genji was inspired by.

A large temple complex that houses two ancient sculptures of Buddha; one of Shakamuni Buddha and the other of Amida Buddha. It also houses the graves of some famous Japanese people. Unless you have interest in visiting one of the graves, the complex seems expensive compared to other temples of the same price with much more interesting sites and history.

A small shrine located amidst Arashiyama's famous bamboo forest. It was here that women were once trained prior to becoming shrine maidens at Ise Shrine, the holiest Shinto Shrine in Japan.

This temple is quite beautiful in the autumn when the leaves are changing, and the view of the city from just above the pagoda is a truly spectacular.

Mentioned in the Tales of Heike, this is the site where sisters Gio and Ginyo come to devote their lives to Buddhism. Although the temple itself is rather small, the visit is made worthwhile by its vivid bright green moss garden.

A quiet, peaceful temple of less interest than nearby Gioji Temple.