Leisure / Outdoors Spots in Kyoto Area

Area

Kyoto
- Japan
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Category

Leisure / Hobbies

Leisure / Outdoors

Shokado Garden Art Museum

4.5

34 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Yawatashi Yawata Ominaeshi 43-1

This garden art museum is associated with Shokado Shojo, who was the priest of Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine in Yawata City, Kyoto Prefecture in the beginning of the Edo period (1603-1868). Works tied to Shojo are on display. In addition, the Shokado Garden is where you can enjoy cultural assets that are national historical sites and scenic spots such as Soan Shokado and Izumi-bo Shoin along with the scenery of the four seasons. Also known as the birthplace of the Shokado Bento lunch box, you can eat it while watching the garden from Kyoto Kitcho Shokado Store on site.

松花堂弁当の名前の由来となった庭園。今でも園内に料亭「吉兆」があって、予約をすれば松花堂弁当が食べられる。庭園は内園と外園に分かれているが、内園は2018年の地震で影響を受け、現在修復中で見学できない。それにしても修復に時間がかかり過ぎている気がする。内園の主な見所は、いくつかある茶室。そのほか美術館もある。
Sumiya Motenashi Cultural and Art Museum

4.5

50 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Shimogyou-ku Nishishinyashikiageyachou 32

One often hears of geisha quarter “Shimabara” in Kyoto period dramas. Now it is Nishishinyashiki Ageya-cho, and what remains of that time is the Sumiya Motenashi Museum of Art and Culture. Sumiya was a high-class pleasure house built at the beginning of the establishment of Shimabara in 1641. The wide garden facing the tatami room has a tea house, and the place was used not only for parties but tea ceremonies and gathering of haiku poets too. In 1952 it was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan as a place retaining the culture of feasts and hospitality.

This place is a real find and usually off the beaten tourist track for non Japanese. To get the best its advisable to have the benefit of an interpreter. We hired a Japanese tour guide for the day as...
Fukuda Art Museum

4.5

15 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Kyoto-shi Ukyo-ku Sagatenryujisusukinobabacho 3-16

嵐山という見所がたくさんあるエリアの中、限られた時間で鑑賞できるちょうどいい規模の美術館です。展示内容も京都ゆかりの画家さん達の作品が取り上げられており、展示数は多くはありませんがその分作品ひとつひとつに解説がついています。文字も大きめで読みやすく、一部を除いて写真が撮れました。今後の展示が楽しみです。
Museum of Kyoto

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Nakagyou-ku Sanjoutakakura

This museum introduces the history and traditions of Kyoto via a variety of means, providing visitors with a comprehensive understanding of Kyoto culture. The permanent exhibit presents the history of Kyoto from the Heian period to the Showa period via three zones, with a focus on fascinating actual Kyoto artifacts such as cultural properties and costumes used in the Gion Festival. The multiple special exhibits held each year are also popular with visitors. The museum’s theater presents masterworks of film relating to Kyoto. The red brick Annex building, an Important Cultural Property constructed in 1906, was originally the Kyoto branch office of the Bank of Japan. The museum’s Roji Tempo area recreates an Edo period street lined with Kyoto merchants’ homes, and here visitors can enjoy dining and shopping at numerous restaurants and shops. Karasuma Oike Station is the closest station to the museum.
Kahitsukan Kyoto Museum of Contemporary Art

3.5

32 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Higashiyama-ku Gionmachikitagawa 271

A three-minute walk from Gion-Shijo Station and a five-minute walk from Kawaramachi Station. This art museum is located just east of the intersection of Hanamikoji-dori Street and Shijo-dori Street. The museum has exhibition spaces on floors B1 through 5. Focusing on works by Kagaku Murakami, Kaoru Yamaguchi, and Rosanjin and has exhibition spaces dedicated to collections of pieces by each of these artists. In addition, the museum has numerous other modern paintings, calligraphy pieces, photographs, and other works of art and holds several special exhibitions throughout the year which make use of the entire museum excluding the Rosanjin exhibit. There's also a museum shop.

This is a 10-minute visit museum not worth your time or money. Would have written more if there was what to write about
Uji City Botanical Park

4.0

17 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Ujishi Hironochou Hachikenyadani 25-1

This public park in Uji City, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture lies on a hilly area adjoining the Yamashiro Sogo Undo Koen athletic park. With 3,675 planters and a huge tiered platform, it boasts one of Japan’s largest multi-storey flower beds—the famous “Flower and Water Tapestry”—and a variety of patterns are on display depending on the season. There are a number of noteworthy spots including a greenhouse containing tropical and subtropical plants and a garden of flowering trees. The spring has cherry blossoms, the autumn has changing colored leaves, and from the end of May across June one can see watch fireflies floating among the trees.

宇治市にある植物公園。広い園内では四季折々の草花が見られて、大人から子供まで楽しめる。冬でも温室には花が咲いているので、訪れる価値はある。近くに電車の駅は無いが、近鉄大久保駅やJR新田駅からは、歩いてもさほど遠くない。
Sandanike Park

4.0

25 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Fukuchiyama-shi Izaki 377-1

The park is about 55 hectares in size and includes a zoo, a science museum, a general gymnasium, a martial arts hall, etc. Sandan Pond, located in the center of the park, was originally built as an irrigation pond to supply water to agricultural land, and when full, it is a vast pond covering an area of 4.8 hectares. The surrounding paths allow visitors to enjoy the scenery in all four seasons: cherry blossoms and azaleas in spring, waterside bird watching in summer, autumn foliage viewing in fall, and snow viewing in winter.

猪崎由良川河川敷グラウンドに車を駐めて坂を登って行くと、体育館を中心にスポーツ公園が整備されています。福知山マラソンではスタート、ゴールの会場として使用されています。 2022年の大会に参加しましたが、あいにく冷たい雨の大会で消耗しました。山の上がスタート、ゴールなので最後の登り坂は脚に応えます。
Fukuchiyama City Zoo

4.0

23 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Fukuchiyamashi Izaki 377-1

Fukuchiyama City Zoo is the only zoo in Northern Kinki and Sanin. There is a large pond nearby, and it's known for letting you get close to the animals. Their Japanese macaques are a favorite, and you can see them in their natural social groups at the facility's Monkey Island.

とっても小さな動物園、動物たちと触れあいやすく気軽にまた行きたいと思わせる雰囲気が良かった。大きな公園の中にあったので公園で遊んだりでき楽しい思い出が出来た。
Izumiya Hiroshi Furudate

4.5

34 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Kyoto-shi Sakyo-ku Shishigatanishimomiyanomaecho 24

Stunning paintings of Japanese Birds on parchment and cloth were impressive in their precision and detail. One large room, but not with all 3,000 Items on display, so very manageable. Then...
Nomura Art Museum

4.0

21 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Sakyou-ku Nanzenjishimokawarachou 61

An art museum located near the north gate of the Nanzen-ji Zen Temple. The museum was founded in 1984 based largely around the collection of Tokushichi Nomura, founder of Nomura Securities. The museum’s collection consists of tea ceremony implements, paintings, calligraphy works, Noh masks, and Noh costumes gathered by Nomura, who, while being active as an industrialist, also greatly enjoyed the tea ceremony and Noh theater. The museum displays selections from its collection of some 1,700 items, including seven Important Cultural Properties such as calligraphic works by Sesson Shukei and Syuho Myocho.

This is a great small museum, extremely well located in a beautiful neighborhood, near Nanzenji and the other great temples of Higashiyama. In our November visit they had a ground floor exhibit of...
Kodaiji Sho Museum

3.5

34 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Kyoto-shi Higashiyama-ku Takadai Terashita Kawaracho 530

This museum is on Neneno-michi street, on the west side of Kodai-ji temple. Its exhibits center around treasures of Kodai-ji, which was built at the behest of Kita no Mandokoro Nene to honor her late husband Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and its related temples. This museum also holds the statue of Toyotomi Hideyoshi seen so often in textbooks and on TV, as well as other items connected to Hideyoshi and Nene, like the Famed Men and Flowered Land standing screen, or the Kechimyaku Bako box. It conveys the quiet world of faith left behind by Kita no Mandokoro, and offers a sense of deep peace and relaxation. There is a combined ticket that allows you to tour both the museum and the connected Kodai-ji temple.

高台寺の近くにある掌美術館には高台寺にまつわる資料が展示されています。一部屋だけの小さな美術館ですが、ねねについてなど理解を深められます。
Shotenkyo Beach

4.0

30 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Kyoutangoshi Kumihamachouminatomiya

A beach northeast of the Shotenkyo. Situated on the westernmost tip of the six kilometer long Long Beach on the Sea of Japan, this beach is the best stretch of white sands and green pines in Sanin Kaigan National Park. During swimming season each year the beach bustles with visitors. The beach was also selected for inclusion in the 88 Best Swimming Beaches in Japan list in 2001. The waters here are shallow and excellent for families with children; another of the area's charms is its abundance of hotels nearby, making this a great destination for a trip. Beachside clubhouses and DJ booths operate during the swimming season.

Shotenkyo, that separates Kumihama Bay and the Sea of Japan. This beach is beautiful with its clear, shallow waters, white sand, and is lined by green pine trees. Some decades ago Shotenkyo was one...
Okazaki Park

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Kyoutoshi Sakyou-ku Okazakisaishoujichou other

This is a comprehensive public park which opened in 1895 using the grounds of the Fourth National Industrial Exhibition. The park is home to facilities such as the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art and the Kyoto City Zoo, and is located in a spot where many cultural exchange facilities can be found including Nanzen-ji Temple to the east and Heian Jingu Shrine to the north.
Porta

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto City Shimogyo-ku Karasumaru Saltwater Road Down Le Higashi Salokoji-machi 902

Kyoto’s first underground mall opened in 1980 and located below the north side of the Kyoto JR, subway, and municipal bus station. Porta was remodeled in 2014 together with Kyoto Station’s The Cube shopping facility and houses over 120 businesses offering fashionable clothing and cosmetics for women in their 20s and 30s, restaurants, and Kyoto souvenirs. Visitors can also find many great souvenirs for tourists here, making it a great place to visit while waiting for a train or bus.
Maizuru Brick Park

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Maidurushi Kitasui 1039-2

A historic site located a 10-minute walk from JR Higashi-Maizuru Station. This collection of 12 red brick buildings served as an ordinance warehouse for the former Japanese Navy from the Meiji through the Taisho period; eight of these buildings have been designated Important Cultural Properties. In order to make use of these structures, the site was opened up as a sightseeing and exchange facility by Maizuru City in 2012. Today, it is open to the general public as an event hall and museum with exhibits on the history of the former Japanese Navy. There is also a sightseeing cruise facility and a restaurant which serves the same curry as is enjoyed by the modern day Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
Orinasukan hand-weaving Museum

3.5

25 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto Ward Kamifuku-ji Temple Kamifukuji Upper-stand Distillery 692 Oguro Town

This museum which opened in the first year of the Heisei period (1989) in the traditional oriyadate “Nishijin Textile Building” displays materials and tools related to Japanese hand weaving including Kyoto’s traditional Nishijin silk fabrics. There are 90 items preserved and on display in various themed exhibitions, such as rare pieces of clothing including those worn from the end of the Edo period to beginning of the Showa period, reconstructed Noh theater costumes, and items that have completely disappeared from present-day Japan. There are also workshop viewing and hand-weaving activities available where you can make and take home your own piece. The nearest bus stops are Senbon Kamidachiuri or Imadegawa Jofukuji.

We thoroughly enjoyed this unique museum related to the weaving of high quality silk designs for kimono and obi. After reading several of the negative reviews here I though a few comments would be...
Kyoto School History Museum

4.0

23 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Kyoto-shi Shimogyo-ku Gokochimachidori Bukkoji Sagaru Tachibanacho 437

特定の日は無料で開放されます。２０２０年１１月１４日と１５日は無料です。他の日でも建物の中へ入らなければ、この写真に写っているグランド、建物前までは無料で入れます。特別展とか建物内は有料となります。日本で最初に開設された小学校、幼稚園(開智)の跡地です。興味ある人には良いけど、こう云う古いだけの歴史的建造物には興味が無い(江戸時代以前は別にして)と云う私みたいな人間には有料で入る気はしませんでした...
Kyoto BAL

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Prefecture Kyoto City Nakagyo-ku Kawaramachi-dori Sanjo Shimuru Yamazaki-cho 251

This building of fashion that opened in 1970 is located on Kawaramachi-dori Street in Kyoto’s shopping district and reopened in 2015 after being remodeled. The luxurious space has broad aisles so visitors with a large amount of luggage can shop with ease. Not only are there fashion-related stores, interior furnishings, books, miscellaneous goods, cosmetics and a café, a cluster of top brands, including some which have opened their first stores in Japan or first stores in the Kansai region here. Day after day it is visited by many shoppers which have made it a place that starts many of Kyoto’s fashion trends. The closest station is Kawaramachi Station.
Gorogadake Park

4.5

18 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Maidurushi Ueyasu Lovia 237

Gorogadake Park is located on the top of Mt. Gorogadake in the city of Maizuru in Kyoto Prefecture. It contains a plaque that commemorates the establishment of sister city relations with Nakhodka, Russia, as well as several plazas and lawns, one of which is named after Nakhodka. In addition, the observation room in Goro Sky Tower, located at the top of the hill, offers visitors who pay the admission fee a panoramic view of the city of Maizuru and Maizuru Bay. This view has been selected as one of the 100 best scenic views in the Kinki region.

The park has trekking routes, but I wouldnt recommend trekking there in hot months because its humid and the sun was scorching hot! Its in one complex with Goro sky tower where you can pay ¥200 to...
Chado Research Center

4.0

8 Reviews

Leisure / Hobbies

Kyoto Kyoto-shi Kamigyo-ku Horikawa-dori Teranouchi Agaru Teranouchitatecho

"This center exhibits mainly tea ceremony utensils and related arts and crafts, as well as documents and historical materials. A replica of ""Yuin"" tea room, one of the representative tea rooms of the Urasenke school, is in the gallery room on the second floor, and visitors can tour the interior of the tea room. At the tea service, visitors can enjoy a traditional Japanese confection and a bowl of matcha tea (reservation required by the day before, 500 yen for adults). In addition, there is a library specializing in the tea ceremony, ""Konnichian Library"", which houses about 60,000 books and other materials related to the tea ceremony (Opening days and times differ from those of the museum. Admission free)."

茶道に関する図書を収蔵・保管するための「今日庵文庫」、茶道の資料が展示されていたり、体験ができます。

Leisure / Hobbies Leisure / Outdoors

Amusement Park / Theme Park Pool Beach Park / Green Space Aquarium Museum / Science Museum Zoo Orchard Art Museum Art Gallery / Gallery Botanical Garden Event Complex Facility / Commercial Facility Camping / Auto Camping Hiking / Walking Boat Pier Fishing / Fishing Pond / Managed Fishing Ground Fishing Equipment / Fishing Bait Shop Other Leisure Facility / Other Outdoors Facility

Kyoto Areas

Its wooden tea houses, shuffling geisha, and spiritual sights have seen Kyoto hailed as the heart of traditional Japan, a world apart from ultramodern Tokyo. Despite being the Japanese capital for over a century, Kyoto escaped destruction during World War II, leaving behind a fascinating history which can be felt at every turn, from the fully gold-plated Kinkakuji Temple down to traditional customs such as geisha performances and tea ceremonies, which are still practiced to this day.