"Kyoto, Japan" a Kyoto Travel Page by stmlnyc

If temples and shrines are your thing, then Kyoto is definitely for you. There are a lot of them to see, in addition to museums and your basic tourist shops. The temples are heavily influence by those found in China...many of the same designs and architecture were borrowed during the time of construction. Some temples were constructed without the use of binding materials (such as nails, adhesives, rope, etc.), instead they were fitted together like Lego sets.

Next door to impressive Kyoto Station is the much less impressive Kyoto Tower, which seems like an
affront to the traditional beauty of Kyoto.

Just some of the many temples to visited arre:

Nijo Castle-large medievil castle with ducks and swans in the moat.
Sanjusangen-do Temple-has hundreds of Buddhist figures, across the street is the Kyoto National Museum with an exhibition on the 'Art of Star Wars' when I went.
Kyomizu Temple-located on a side of a small mountain (or large hill), the trek up there is interesting, dotted with nice shrines and shops.
Nanzen-ji Temple-pleasant wandering the temple
grounds; peaceful place to sketch.
Heian Shrine-a colorful orange, its vicinity include many museums and a picturesque pond.
Kyoto Imperial Palace-within a large, well-kept park, don't the serene pond with large fish.