Self-guided Sightseeing Tour #3 in Kyoto, Japan

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Tour Facts

Number of sights 30 sights
Distance 9.9 km
Ascend 386 m
Descend 193 m

Experience Kyoto in Japan in a whole new way with our self-guided sightseeing tour. This site not only offers you practical information and insider tips, but also a rich variety of activities and sights you shouldn't miss. Whether you love art and culture, want to explore historical sites or simply want to experience the vibrant atmosphere of a lively city - you'll find everything you need for your personal adventure here.

Activities in KyotoIndividual Sights in Kyoto

Sight 1: Kyoto railway museum

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Kyoto railway museumCheng-en Cheng from Taipei City, Taiwan / CC BY-SA 2.0

The Kyoto Railway Museum is a railway museum in Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The original Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum opened in 1972, but was expanded and modernized in 2016, becoming the Kyoto Railway Museum.

Wikipedia: Kyoto Railway Museum (EN), Website

0 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 2: C61-2

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C61-2 Photo and / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Class C61 (C61形) is a former class of steam locomotives operated in Japan. The class was the first type in Japan to use the 4-6-4 "Hudson" wheel arrangement. A total of 33 locomotives were built between 1947 and 1949 and designed by Hideo Shima,. The locomotives were not built entirely from new, however, but used the boilers from former D51 2-8-2 "Mikado" freight locomotives.

Wikipedia: JNR Class C61 (EN)

1 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 3: 8630

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The Class 8620 (8620形) is a type of 2-6-0 steam locomotive built in Japan from 1914 to 1929. It was Japan's first mass-produced passenger locomotive. A total of 672 Class 8620 locomotives were built. Originally they had a symmetry of line with shapely cast iron chimneys which gave way to plainer chimneys and smoke deflectors were added in later years.

Wikipedia: JGR Class 8620 (EN)

120 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 4: C57-1

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C57-1ja:User:TC411-507 aka JobanLineE531 / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Class C57 (C57形) is a type of 4-6-2 steam locomotive built in Japan from 1937 to 1947. A total of 201 Class C57 locomotives were built and designed by Hideo Shima. Another 14 Class C57 locomotives were built for export to Taiwan in 1942 and 1953.

Wikipedia: JNR Class C57 (EN)

5 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 5: C56-160

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The Class C56 is a type of 2-6-0 steam locomotive built by the Japanese Government Railways (JGR) from 1935 to 1939, and later operated by Japanese National Railways (JNR). They were numbered C56 1-C56 164 a total of 164 were built from 1935 to 1939 locomotives numbered C56 1-C56 90 and C56 161-C56 164 were sent to other countries in Asia during the Second World War. The locomotives were retired in 1974. They were designed by Hideo Shima.

Wikipedia: JNR Class C56 (EN)

5 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 6: B20-10

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The Class B20 is a type of 0-4-0T steam locomotive built for the Japanese Government Railways during the period 1944–47. They were built by Tateyama Heavy Industries who manufactured a total of fifteen Class B20 locomotives.

Wikipedia: JNR Class B20 (EN)

5 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 7: 1080

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The 6200 type is a tender steam locomotive manufactured by the Nelson Company of the United Kingdom in 1897 (Meiji 30) and 1900 (Meiji 33) and imported by a government railway.

Wikipedia: 国鉄6200形蒸気機関車 (JA)

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Sight 8: 9633

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The Class 9600 (9600形) is a type of 2-8-0 steam locomotive built by Japanese Government Railways from 1913. The Class 9600 was the first type of locomotive to be mass-produced by Japanese manufacturers. The Class 9600 were popularly known as Kyuroku (nine-six), and were extensively used for freight service throughout Japan. They were numbered 9600-9699, 19600-19699, 29600-29699, 39600-39699, 49600-49699, 59600-59699, 69600-69699 and 79600-79669. All 770 remained in service until the 2nd of March 1976, when all steam-hauled service on JNR's network has been phased out.

Wikipedia: JNR Class 9600 (EN)

9 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 9: C11-64

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The Class C11 (C11形) is a type of 2-6-4T steam locomotive built by the Japanese Government Railways and the Japanese National Railways from 1932 to 1947. A total of 381 Class C11 locomotives were built and designed by Hideo Shima.

Wikipedia: JNR Class C11 (EN)

5 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 10: 7105

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7105100yen 23:22, 26 July 2007 (UTC) / CC BY-SA 3.0

The JGR Class 7100 is a class of Japanese steam locomotive which was first used in Hokkaido, upon the establishment of the government-sponsored Horonai Railway in 1880. The locomotives were imported from the United States.

Wikipedia: JGR Class 7100 (EN)

32 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 11: C62-1

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C62-1 No machine-readable author provided. NekoJaNekoJa~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Class C62 (C62形) is a type of 4-6-4 steam locomotive designed by Hideo Shima and built by the Japanese National Railways (JNR). The "C" classification indicates three sets of driving wheels. The C62 was rebuilt with the boilers of older Class D52 2-8-2 locomotives.

Wikipedia: JNR Class C62 (EN)

4 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 12: D51-1

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D51-1 Alt_winmaerik / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Class D51 (D51形) is a type of 2-8-2 steam locomotive built by the Japanese Government Railways (JGR), the Japanese National Railways (JNR), and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company, Kisha Seizo, Hitachi, Nippon Sharyo, Mitsubishi, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries from 1936 to 1945 and 1950 to 1951. 174 units are in preservation in Japan, including five operational examples. A further 13 are preserved in Russia and Taiwan, bringing the total number of preserved units to 187.

Wikipedia: JNR Class D51 (EN)

5 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 13: C55-1

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The Class C55 (C55形) is a type of 4-6-2 steam locomotive built in Japan from 1935 to 1937. A total of 62 Class C55 locomotives were built and designed by Hideo Shima.

Wikipedia: JNR Class C55 (EN)

5 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 14: C58-1

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The Class C58 is a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement steam locomotive type built by the Japanese Government Railways (JGR) and Japanese National Railways (JNR) from 1938 to 1947. A total of 427 Class C58 locomotives were built and designed by Hideo Shima. Two members of the class are preserved in working order.

Wikipedia: JNR Class C58 (EN)

5 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 15: D50-140

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D50-140

The Class D50 is a type of 2-8-2 steam locomotive built by the Japanese Government Railways (JGR), the Japanese National Railways (JNR) and various manufacturers from 1923 to 1931. The class name indicates that the locomotive has four sets of driving wheels (D) and belongs to one of the classes of tender locomotive allocated a number in the series 50 to 99 in the Japan Railways locomotive numbering and classification scheme of 1928. Hideo Shima designed the rest of the class until 1931.

Wikipedia: JNR Class D50 (EN)

16 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 16: D52-468

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The Class D52 is a type of 2-8-2 steam locomotive built by the Japanese Government Railways and various manufacturers: Kisha Seizo, Nippon Sharyo, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company, Hitachi, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries from 1943 to 1946. The name consists of a "D" for the four sets of driving wheels and the class number 52 for tender locomotives that the numbers 50 through 99 were assigned to under the 1928 locomotive classification rule.

Wikipedia: JNR Class D52 (EN)

4 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 17: C59-164

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The Class C59 is a type of 4-6-2 steam locomotive built by Japanese National Railways. The C classification indicates three sets of driving wheels. The C59 could haul 17 passenger cars. World War II limited their use as express trains, a function for which they were designed. C59s were transferred to Kyushu after electrification of the trunk lines after the war. They were rebuilt into 47 Class C60 Hudson Rebuilds between 1953 and 1961 at the railway's Hamamatsu works and Koriyama works. In 1970, the locomotives were retired. Only three are preserved. C59 1 is preserved at the Kyushu Railway History Museum on display. C59 164 is preserved at the Kyoto Railway Museum. C59 161 is preserved at the Hiroshima Children’s Museum. They were designed by Hideo Shima.

Wikipedia: JNR Class C59 (EN)

10 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 18: C53-45

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C53-45

The Class C53 (C53形) is a type of 4-6-2 steam locomotive built in Japan from 1928 to 1929 designed by Hideo Shima and built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company Kisha Seizo and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Hitachi. A total of 97 Class C53 locomotives were built they operated until all 97 were retired in 1950. C53 45 is the only example of the class to be preserved.

Wikipedia: JNR Class C53 (EN)

5 meters / 0 minutes

Sight 19: C51-239

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C51-239 Kone / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Class C51 (C51形) is a type of 4-6-2 steam locomotive built by Kisha Seizo Mitsubishi and Japanese National Railways (JNR) Hamamatsu Works. The C classification indicates three sets of driving wheels. The C51 introduced 1.75 m diameter driving wheels to Japan. C51s raised the average speed on the Tōkaidō Main Line from 47.3 km/h (29.4 mph) to 55.3 km/h (34.4 mph). In 1930, a C51 hauled the first Tsubame (swallow) express, reducing travel time between Tokyo and Kōbe to 9 hours.

Wikipedia: JNR Class C51 (EN)

883 meters / 11 minutes

Sight 20: Umekoji Park

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Umekoji Park is a municipal park (general park) that spans Kankiji -cho, Shimogyo -ku, Kyoto -shi, Kyoto, Hachijo Bomon -cho, and Umekoji -cho.

Wikipedia: 梅小路公園 (JA)

139 meters / 2 minutes

Sight 21: Kyoto Aquarium

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Kyoto Aquarium Own work / CC BY-SA 3.0

Kyoto Aquarium(京都水族館) is an aquarium located in Umekoji Park in Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture's Shimogyo Ward, Japan.

Wikipedia: Kyoto Aquarium (EN)

754 meters / 9 minutes

Sight 22: Fudoudo Myououin

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Fudodo Myōin is a temple located in Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The main statue is a statue of Fudo Myō called Spirit Stone Fudo, and since it is sealed deep in the ground, it is now worshipped as a statue of Fudo Myō in front of the Imperial Palace. It seems to have been an esoteric temple in ancient times, but now it is a Nishiyama sect of the Pure Land sect. The temple crest is a double cherry blossom, which can be seen as a relationship with Emperor Uda. The name is written as Fudodo, but it is familiar to the locals as "Fudondo".

Wikipedia: 不動堂明王院 (JA)

1161 meters / 14 minutes

Sight 23: Higashi Hongan-ji Temple

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Higashi Hongan-ji (東本願寺), or, "the Eastern Monastery of the Original Vow", is one of two dominant sub-sects of Shin Buddhism in Japan and abroad, the other being Nishi Honganji. It is also the name of the head temple of the Ōtani-ha branch of Jōdo Shinshū in Kyoto, which was most recently constructed in 1895 after a fire burned down the previous temple. As with many sites in Kyoto, these two complexes have more casual names and are known affectionately in Kyoto as Onissan and Ohigashisan .

Wikipedia: Higashi Hongan-ji (EN), Website

1683 meters / 20 minutes

Sight 24: Kyoto National Museum

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The Kyoto National Museum is one of the major art museums in Japan. Located in Kyoto's Higashiyama ward, the museum focuses on pre-modern Japanese and Asian art.

Wikipedia: Kyoto National Museum (EN), Website

1078 meters / 13 minutes

Sight 25: 安祥院

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Anshoin is a temple of the Pure Land sect located in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto. The name of the mountain is Higashiyama. The honzon is Amitabha. It is said that the Jizo Son, which is enshrined in the Jizo Hall in the temple grounds, will fulfill all wishes if you pray for a fixed number of days, and it is called Higiri Jizo. Luoyang Six Amitabha Tour No. 4 Temple.

Wikipedia: 安祥院 (京都市) (JA)

839 meters / 10 minutes

Sight 26: Jishu Shrine

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Jishu Shrine mariemon / CC BY 3.0

Shrines called landlord shrines are broadly divided into the following. When a shrine or temple is built, a shrine is built to enshrine the landlord god of the land. It may be built as a shrine within the precincts of the shrine, or it may be located adjacent to the temple. Most of the landlord shrines adjacent to the temple were originally part of the adjacent temple (Chinshusha), but most of them became independent due to the separation of Shinto and Buddhist shrines in the Meiji era. In this case, there are also places that read "jinushi jinja". A shrine located in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. It is adjacent to Kiyomizu Temple. It is particularly famous among the many landlord shrines in Japan.

Wikipedia: 地主神社 (JA)

868 meters / 10 minutes

Sight 27: 日體寺

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Nichiren Temple or Nichitaiji Temple is a temple of Nichiren Buddhism located in Shimizu, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The name of the mountain is Mt. Tokosho. The former main temple is Ōmotoyama Honkuji Temple (Rokujōmon-ryū), Yushi Hoen. One of the 12 Zodiac Mysteries of Luoyang (known as the Great Bodhisattva of the Snake and the Zhen Residence of Qingshui). In the precincts is the grave of Tanaka Obigen (a painter of the Edo period).

Wikipedia: 日體寺 (JA)

370 meters / 4 minutes

Sight 28: Two-year Slope

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Ninenzaka, or Ninen-zaka (二年坂) is an ancient 150m stone-paved pedestrian road and tourist attraction in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The road is lined with traditional buildings and shops, and is often paired with the similar road, Sannenzaka.

Wikipedia: Ninenzaka (EN)

975 meters / 12 minutes

Sight 29: 松林廉之助碑

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Matsubayashi Iiyama was a Confucian scholar of the Omura clan during the Edo period. His name is Iiyama, his name is Hou Hong, and his nickname is Rennosuke.

Wikipedia: 松林飯山 (JA)

889 meters / 11 minutes

Sight 30: Higashiyama Mount Peak Park

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Higashiyama Summit Park is a park located in Higashiyama, on the east side of the Kyoto Basin, on the border between Higashiyama Ward and Yamashina Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. With the opening of the Higashiyama Driveway in 1960, it was opened as a park with an observation space overlooking the city of Kyoto.

Wikipedia: 東山山頂公園 (JA)

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