Kansai Japan

Reserved for Ninaji Temple.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Nijo Castle, or Nijo-jo, is a walled fortified castle surrounded by a moat. This castle gets very busy so you may want to arrive early in the day. Nijo Castle is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Nijo-jo was built for the Tokugawa Shoguns. The floors were built in a way to specifically make a creaking noise to warn of enemies.

Getting to Nijo Castle

From Kyoto station buy a bus pass. The place to buy a pass is outside the station, straight ahead on the right hand side. You will want to take the City bus 9, 12, 50, or 101.

You can alternatively take the subway from Kyoto Station to Nijojomae station on the Tozai Line.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Kinkakuji Temple is known as the Gold Pavilion. However, its formal and true name is Rokuon-ji. If you look at Unesco’s list of sites they list this temple as Rokuon-ji. Kinkakuji was built in 1397 by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and covered in gold to display great presence. Kinkakuji was destroyed by fire in 1950 and was rebuilt in 1955 better than its ever looked before.

Why is it called the Gold Pavillion?

The temple is covered in gold leaf. However, the first floor is not gold at all.

Temple Grounds

The grounds of Kinkakuji are great to wander through. The path takes you around the back of the temple and up the stone steps and a slight hill to the Shinun Shrine where there is also a shopping opportunity. Sample some bean curb sweets here too.

All over Japan’s famous sites you will see loads of school children on field trips, much more than you may be used to seeing anywhere else in the world. Kinkakuji is no different, in fact its the most popular. Westerners are guaranteed to be approach by kids wanting to practice their English. Questions such as “where are you from?” are regular. You may even be asked to take pictures and sign autographs.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Kansai airport is a man made island offshore in the middle of Osaka Bay. Built over the course of 7 years at an enormous cost of 1 billion dollars it was opened in 1994.
The airport resembles a whale from the inside, but you would never know that from the outside. The building is one long sleek undulating silver roof and on the inside there are lots of mobiles and sailsthat turn due to the circulating air.

Highlights of Kansai Airport

• The airport code for Kansai is KIX.
• American Airlines, Northwest, and United have direct flights to KIX from the US.
• Kansai airport is the longest terminal in the world.
• Kansai aiport withstood the effects of the 1995 Kobe earthquake

Transportation to Kansai Airport

Official train schedule from JR

Official train route map to and from Kansai Airport

*If you want to goto downtown Osaka, known as Umeda, from KIX, the best way would be to take the Airport Express “HARUKA” to Shin-Osaka and take either a rapid or local train to Osaka (Umeda train station). The difference between Osaka and Shin-Osaka is that Shin-Osaka is a little further out from the city center and it can accomodate the Shinkansen trains which are also known as Bullet Trains. Shin-Osaka and Osaka are 1 stop apart.

*If you want to transfer to Kyoto from KIX, the best way would be to take the Airport Express “HARUKA” to Kyoto direct. They have direct and non-direct lines so pay attention.

*If you want to transfer to Tokyo via rail, the best way would be to take “HARUKA” direct to Shin-Osaka, then get tickets on the Shinkansen Lines to Tokyo.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Kyoto is home to 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The 17 sites are:

Kamomioya-jinja

Kyo-o-gokoku-ji (To-ji)

Kiyomizu-dera

Enryaku-ji

Daigo-ji

Ninna-ji

Byodo-in

Ujigami-jinja

Kozan-ji

Saiho-ji

Tenryu-ji

Rokuon-ji

Jisho-ji

Ryoan-ji, Kinkaku-ji
Hongan-ji

Nijo-jo

Popularity: 9% [?]