Kyoto Western Lights Tour

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Please be aware that these illuminations are a seasonal event, so this is an exclusive, limited-time experience.

The Kyoto Nishiyama Take-akari

Kyoto Nishiyama Take-akari is a bamboo illumination event launched in 2024 as a local initiative to make use of a powerful local resource: the area's plentiful bamboo. Over the course of a month take-akari, or 'bamboo lanterns,' will light up the walkways and grounds of three selected shrines and temples consecutively, creating a magical autumn evening unique to Kyoto's Nishiyama area. Visitors can experience the solemn atmosphere of historic sights beautifully blended with the gentle glow emanating from bamboo lights, and learn about the non-profit driving the event, and the temples and shrines supporting it.

Where is the Nishiyama Area?

The Nishiyama area lies to the southwest of Kyoto city central, and includes both the Nishikyo-ku area of Kyoto city and the surrounding Muko and Nagaokakyo city areas. The nearest JR Katsuragawa Station is only a six-minute train ride from Kyoto Station, and the whole journey takes less than an hour each way. Collectively, Nishiyama is untouched by the ever-increasing crowds you will feel in Kyoto city central, and it's perfect for visitors looking for the unknown or some peace and quiet. Prominent sights of Nishiyama include Oharano Jinja Shrine, Shoboji Temple, and the three hosts of the Kyoto Nishiyama Take-akari event: Yoshiminedera Temple, Otoshi Jinja Shrine, and Yokokuji Temple.

The tour includes a pickup and drop-off back to the nearest train station, so guests can rest at ease and enjoy themselves.

Highlights:

• A visit to Oharano Shrine with its extensive grounds and Shoboji Temple, where guests will have dinner while viewing its beautiful garden (these are in addition to the evening illumination experience)
• An exclusively prepared dinner in a bamboo bento box available only for this tour, featuring locally grown vegetables
• Hearing directly from the local bamboo non-profit supervising the illumination event
• A tour guided by a real local. Organizer Asako Matano is not only a Nishiyama area resident‐she's also experienced, bilingual, and a City-certified interpreter guide

Three different tour courses are offered depending on the dates of the Kyoto Nishiyama Take-akari illumination event

Overview of Each Area:

Yoshiminedera Temple: Yoshiminedera is a Tendai school Buddhist temple located in the forested mountains of Oharano in southwestern Kyoto. Numerous cherry trees, hydrangeas, and maples cover the extensive grounds of Yoshiminedera, adding color to the scenery throughout the year. Due to the high elevation, several spots throughout the temple offer scenic views of the city of Kyoto.

Shoboji Temple: There are many Buddhist statues enshrined at Shoboji Temple, and the most unusual is a sculpture of Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, with three faces. The temple is also well known for a dry landscape garden with rocks that represent animals, and for a series of painted screens depicting the Nishiyama mountains on the western side of Kyoto.

Otoshi Jinja Shrine: Otoshi Jinja Shrine is said to have been founded in 718. The shrine's autumn festival takes place on the third Sunday of October and includes prayer services and various types of offerings from the parishioners. Since the middle of the Edo period (1603‐1867), the head of the Kongo school of Noh has dedicated the ancient sacred performance Okina as a prayer for peace and prosperity.

Yokokuji Temple: Worshippers have been coming to Yokokuji Temple to pray for recovery from eye ailments since its founding. Its vast precincts are known for seasonal beauty, especially cherry blossoms in spring, hydrangeas in summer, and colorful maple foliage in autumn. In recent years, the temple's practice of creating hanachozu (artistic, flower-filled water basins) has led to an increase in the number of visitors.

Go Around Kyoto

Kyoto OFF Tours

Kyoto OFF Tours is run by bilingual, Kyoto city-certified guide Asako Matano, who actually lives in and engages with the Nishiyama area where she operates. Despite being rich in history and sights to see, the area is untouched by commercial tourism, and Kyoto OFF Tours offers authentic, bespoke tours to visitors who want to explore a largely unknown area of Kyoto, or just escape the crowds. Asako also runs the website https://oharano.jp/en/, offering visitors a chance to take a peek at the area before they come.