It’s no secret that the temples and shrines are some of Kyoto’s main attractions. However, after battling with the crowds at places like Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, and Kiyomizu-dera, it’s only natural to crave a break, as the temple fatigue sets in.
Luckily, there is also plenty to see and do in Kyoto when you’re tired of temples, if temples are not your thing, or you simply don’t feel like trudging around in the rain.
From scenic hikes to cozy cafes, vibrant markets, relaxing onsens, and charming railways, there is so much more to Kyoto than its beautiful and historic temples and shrines, especially if you’re willing to wander a little off the beaten path.
Here are 14 ideas for a rainy day or non-temple Kyoto itinerary!
First time to Kyoto? You’ll want to download my new Smooth Kyoto Travel Guide below, with insider and expert tips on how to skip the lines and crowds, plus other secrets only locals know about!
14 Things to do in Kyoto When You’re Tired of Temples
Contents:
- Gion Kagai Art Museum
- Nishiki Market Food Tour
- Traditional Tea Ceremony
- Sake Tasting Near Fushimi Inari
- Day Trip to Uji – Tea Ceremony, Incense Making, and Onsen Visit
- Onsen Day Visit
- Private Kimono Photoshoot
- Walk the Philosopher’s Path
- Hike from Kurama to Kibune
- Sagano Scenic Railway
- International Manga Museum
- Try a Bento Cooking Class
- teamLab Biovortex
- Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama
1. Gion Kagai Art Museum
Located in the heart of the famous centuries-old Gion district, the museum, which opened in May, showcases exhibits related to Kyoto’s cultural heritage, including hand-painted kimonos and personal belongings used by maiko (apprentice geisha).
You can watch a dance performance by a geiko or maiko, have a commemorative photo taken with one, explore the 100-year-old Chisen Water Garden, and, between May and October, explore the traditionally-built Kaburenjo Theater, built entirely from Japanese hinoki cypress. It’s the perfect way to immerse yourself in the world of old Kyoto.
- Where & When: Yasaka Club, 570-2 Minamigawa, Gion-machi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
- More Information: Gion-museum.com
2. Nishiki Market Food Tour
Known as ‘Kyoto’s Kitchen,’ Nishiki Market is a 400-year-old shopping street and a haven for food lovers. It is the best place to experience Kyoto’s unique food culture in one lively setting. Packed with stalls offering local specialties, including sweets, seafood, and kitchenware, this popular market can become quite busy with locals picking up ingredients or tourists sampling local dishes, so a guide is always recommended.
Arigato Food Tours offers a friendly and informative 3-hour guided experience where you will stop at some of the market’s family-owned stalls to sample local dishes before having lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant.
- Where & When: Meeting Point: Naramonochi 375, Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Shimogyō-ku
- More Information: Arigatojapan.co.jp
3. Traditional Tea Ceremony
Kyoto is the perfect place to experience an authentic tea ceremony, due to its deep historical and cultural connections to the practice, dating back almost 600 years. To experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony is to see, feel, and taste Japanese culture in a way like no other.
Tea Ceremony Koto is a traditional Japanese tearoom close to Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) that offers tea ceremonies for reasonable prices, starting at 3,000 yen per person. They also have options to do private ceremonies, hire a kimono, and try ikebana (flower arrangement).
- Where & When: Nishi-Goshonouchi-cho Kinugasa Kita-ku Kyoto
- More Information: teaceremony-kyoto.com
4. Sake Tasting Near Fushimi Inari
The Fushimi district in Kyoto is not only famous for its shrine of never-ending torii gates, but it’s also a famous area for sake breweries. The area, nicknamed Fushimizu, is known for its pure spring water, which is ideal for making sake, a process that requires 14.4 liters of water for every 1.8 liters of sake. This sake brewery tour with lunch allows you to visit several breweries in the area and learn about the unique local sake brewing process, in addition to sampling some of the different varieties of sake.
- Where & When: Meeting Point: 4-291-1 Ryogaemachi, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
- More Information: Arigatojapan.co.jp
5. Day Trip to Uji – Tea Ceremony, Incense Making, & Onsen Visit
Escape the crowds on a day trip south of Kyoto to nearby Uji, a small city famous for historic temples and matcha green tea. Uji is synonymous with Macha in Japan. The tradition dates back almost a thousand years, when monks brought seeds back from China, and Uji’s soil and climate offered ideal growing conditions.
Make the most of your visit to the tea capital of Japan, and enjoy a tea ceremony, try your hand at making cute matcha incense shapes, or relax in a traditional onsen (hot spring). Uji is the ideal day trip for history, culture, and tea lovers alike.
- More Information: City.uji.kyoto.jp
6. Onsen Day Visit
Kyoto’s incredible landscape offers a variety of onsen experiences located alongside peaceful mountains, scenic canals, and traditional architecture, and they are open to guests for a relaxing day of rejuvenation. Located anywhere between 20 minutes and 2 hours away, whether you’re looking for some romantic seaside tranquility, a therapeutic historical escape, visiting an onsen in the city, or venturing out to a nearby rural area, bathing in these natural hot springs is the ideal way to unwind after a hard day of exploring.
Some places that accept day trip visitors include Ohara Sansou, Kyoto Hot Spring Hatoya Zuihokaku Hotel, and Hanaikada in Arashiyama.
7. Private Kimono Photoshoot
Kyoto is packed full of locations that complement a kimono look, so what better way to capture your memories of Kyoto than with an elegant and timeless photoshoot in a kimono with a professional photographer? In addition to the attire, many kimono rental companies also offer hair styling and makeup. Package sessions vary in price, and can include the kimono rental, hair, photo retouching, and a set number of photographs taken in various popular locations, or hidden scenic spots that tourists don’t know about. Photo Trips is one such company that specializes in arranging photo shoots for tourists around Japan.
- More Information: Photo-trips.com/kyoto
8. Walk the Philosopher’s Path
The Philosopher’s Path is a scenic footpath that follows a canal and passes by several shrines. The route is 2km long and takes only 30 minutes to complete. It is named after a famous Japanese philosopher, Nishida Kitaro, who is said to have walked the route daily as part of his meditation. Along the pathway, you’ll find boutiques, cafes, and restaurants to stop in. It is a pleasant stroll at any time of year, but during Sakura season in spring and momiji season in the autumn, it transforms into one of Kyoto’s prettiest and most popular sightseeing spots.
- Where: The path begins near Ginkaku-Ji Temple, which can be accessed by the following buses from Kyoto Station: 5, 17, and 32
- More Information: Japan.travel
9. Hike from Kurama to Kibune
The hike from Kurama to Kibune is one of Kyoto’s most popular short hikes due to how easy it is, and the ideal balance it offers between nature, culture, and history. Highlights along the way include the Kurama-dera Temple, a beautiful mountainside temple linked to the Tengu mountain spirits, and the tree root path, where you can see the giant roots of old cedar trees stretch across the footpath.
The route begins at Kurama Station and ends at Kibuneguchi Station, and can take you anywhere between 1.5 and 2.5 hours, depending on the route you choose.
10. Sagano Scenic Railway
Also known as the Sagano Romantic Train, this charming, old-fashioned train is one of Kyoto’s most beautiful sightseeing experiences, and offers visitors the chance to view the beautiful Hozu River and the surrounding Hozugawa River Valley in all four seasons.
The 7-kilometer journey meanders slowly between Arashiyama (Saga Torokko Station) and Kameoka Torokko Station, and lasts around 25 minutes. One of the carriages, known as the ‘Rich Car’, is completely open-air, offering unobstructed views and photo opportunities along the way. Standard tickets cost 880 yen for adults and 440 yen for children.
- Where: Sagamizuohatogasu, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto
- More Information: Sagano-kanko.co.jp
11. International Manga Museum
A museum in the heart of Kyoto devoted to Japan’s most famous art form, manga. Visitors can see rare original first editions, pick books off the shelf to read, or wander through the many exhibitions. One of the museum highlights is the Wall of Manga, a 200-meter-long wall filled with 50,000 manga books dating back to the 1970s.
Other exhibitions worth visiting include the Manga Hall of Fame and the Manga Expo, which features manga from around the world. The largest dedicated manga museum in Japan is the perfect stop for both casual and serious fans.
- Where: Kinbuki cho 452, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
- More Information: Kyotomm.jp
12. Try a Bento Cooking Class
Discover your creativity with the art of Bento making in Kyoto. Bento making is enjoyed by millions across Japan and Asia because of its versatility. Ingredients can include anything from salad, shredded pickled vegetables, to sticky rice, or breaded chicken.
In this hands-on class, you’ll learn the origins and cultural history of the bento, follow a master chef as they demonstrate traditional Japanese cooking techniques, cook authentic dishes such as miso soup, tempura, and tamagoyaki (Japanese egg rolls), and create and customize your own bento box. When you are finished, enjoy the colors and flavors of your hard work and take home the recipes you have learned.
- More Information: This Bento Box Cooking Class is a great way to enjoy Kyoto cuisine
13. teamLab Biovortex
The popular international art collective teamLab is opening a new permanent art museum in Kyoto this year, and it will be their largest and most ambitious yet. Spanning over 10,000 square meters, Biovortex offers visitors the opportunity to experience a diverse range of exhibits that cannot be found anywhere else in Japan. They include floating sculptures, spheres of light, and other interactive elements, all based around the concept of cyclical regeneration and interconnection.
Through this new museum, teamLab aims to redefine immersive art through perception. You must step inside to truly understand. Tickets are already on sale at the link below.
- Where & When: The installation opens at Higashikujo Higashi-Iwamotocho, Minami Ward, Kyoto. From October 7, 2025. Opening hours are between 9 AM and 9 PM
- More Information: teamLab.art/kyoto
14. Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama
The Monkey Park is an uphill walk, so it’s best to tackle it at the start of the day, whilst you have full energy. The 20-minute uphill hike is well worth the effort, as once you reach the summit, you are rewarded with a vista of the Kyoto region from the observation deck, whilst the monkeys roam freely.
There’s also a feeding cage in the park where you can purchase snacks such as peanuts and bananas to feed to the monkeys, but here’s the catch: it’s the humans who are placed inside the cage, not the animals. Spend an hour or so enjoying the area, which is home to around 120 Japanese Macaque monkeys, before heading back towards the town.
- Where & When: Arashiyama MonkeyPark, 61 Nakao Shita cho, Arashiyama, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto. It is open every day from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM
- More Information: Monkeypark.jp
Kyoto is about so much more than temple hopping. As Japan’s cultural capital, you really need to go beyond the famous sites and also explore the city through its natural landscapes, by discovering hidden gems in the urban back streets, and trying the regional cuisine in small family-run restaurants that you won’t find on TikTok.
If you’re looking for more advice on planning your trip to Kyoto, I have a few articles that might help:
Kyoto at Night: 14 Things to Do After Dark
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