I recently got a chance to join a Kyoto Afternoon Tour by Sunrise Tours! In addition to visiting three popular Kyoto sightseeing spots, I also took advantage of the hotel pickup and dropoff service, which made me feel like I got a great bargain for only JPY 5,600!

The picture on the left is of the pickup counter at the New Miyako Hotel. It's directly in front of Kyoto Station, and the last pickup point before tours begin, so it's possible to step directly off of the train to Kyoto and join a Sunrise Tour! To see the full list of hotels with pickup service, click here.

First we visited Nijo-jo Castle, built over 400 years ago and former Imperial residence. Kyoto is most famous for its religious sites, like the many World Heritage temples and shrines, but Nijo-jo Castle is unique in presenting a chance to experience the history of the Tokugawa Shogunate. On Tuesdays in January, July, August, and December (or the following day should they be national holidays) the castle is closed, and the tour visits Ryoanji Temple instead. If you're interested in visiting the heart of Zen Buddhism in Kyoto, try a tour that visits Ryoanji!

Our first stop was Heian Jingu Shrine. Built in 1895 to commemorate 1,100 years since the beginning of Kyoto's tenure as Japan's capital, Heian Jingu's goal was to show that Kyoto truly is the heart of Japan.

Although the temple's official name is Rengejyo-in, this temple is more popularly known as Sanjyusangendo for the thirty-three (sanjyusan in Japanese) openings between the pillars of the long main hall. The temple's highlight is the 1,000 Kanon statues arranged in ten rows. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the main hallway, but this temple is definitely worth seeing with your own eyes!

The last stop of the tour never fails to amaze. Kiyomizudera Temple features my favorite view in all of Kyoto: from its main deck you can take in a sweeping unbroken view of the city laid out before you. In spring the temple's cherry blossoms are beautiful, in summer the verdant greenery refreshing, in fall the trees are ablaze in color, and in winter the snow covered grounds silent and serene. Kiyomizudera Temple only gets more beautiful with each visit.

After visiting Kiyomizudera, our tour was over. We all parted ways and took advantage of the dropoff service to hotels around Kyoto. Following the Kyoto 1-Day Tour, it's possible to join the Kyoto Maiko Night and Kyoto Special Night tours, for those who would like to explore Kyoto further.

The chance to see six popular Kyoto spots in one day makes this tour a great choice for Kyoto first-timers. Give it a shot!