Kyoto, Japan Photo Gallery

Three Sites in Kyoto - Nijo-jo Castle, Kiyomizu Temple, and the Golden Pavilion

If your cruise ship docks in Osaka or Kobe, you might want to spend a day in Kyoto, Japan. Kyoto has over 1600 Buddhist temples, 200 Shinto shrines, and 3 imperial palaces, so it's easy to see why Kyoto is often called Japan's spiritual capital. While on our Seven Seas Voyager cruise from Sydney to Shanghai, the ship was in Osaka for two days, allowing passengers the opportunity to visit historical Japanese cities such as Kyoto.

Our full day tour of Kyoto included guided visits to three of Kyoto's most important sites -- Kiyomizu Temple, Nijo-jo Castle, and the Temple of the Golden Pavilion. Kiyomizu was one of the 21 finalists in the New Seven Wonders of the World contest in 2007. Each of these historical sites was interesting and provided a closer look at the culture of the Japanese people. Our February day in Kyoto was a snowy one, which added a magical element to the temples and the castle.