Find Inner Peace At The Stunning Temples Of Kyoto In 2017

Diago Ji Temple, encased i -cherry blossom in the spring Kyoto, Japan

Oliver Broad

True Japanese culture can be no better expressed than through the sacred temples of Kyoto city. Home to over 1600 Buddhist temples, of which 15 were awarded UNESCO status in 1994, Kyoto is one of the finest destinations in the world to immerse oneself in ancient religious ritual, blissful tranquillity and beauty. Why not include a selection of these world heritage sites in your travel plans for 2017.

Step Into Paradise At Daigo-ji Temple
For an afternoon submerged in natural charm, the Daigo-ji Temple is one of the finest spots in Japan. A renowned World Heritage Site, this collection of buildings stretches across the Daigo-san Mountain and is well-known as the ‘Temple of Flowers’. Since 874, Buddhist monks have contributed to the construction of the various parts of this temple and the five-story pagoda is now the oldest building in Kyoto, having survived the Onin War in 1400. Celebrations of the glorious flora surrounding this temple are held throughout the year, particularly during two of the city’s most esteemed periods – the spring blossom and autumn koyo months. For more information, visit http://kyoto.travel/en/shrine_temple/129.

Revel In Japanese Tradition
Kodai-ji Temple is renowned throughout the country for its beauty. A true example of Kyoto landscape architecture, the site offers afternoons of quiet reflection and stunning walks through the bamboo grove. Views of Kyoto are rewarded to those who reach the top of the hill and the two teahouses on site pay homage to the leading master of the ceremony, Sen-no-Rikyu. Rich in history too, this temple contains the mausoleum of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598), the great warlord who unified Japan after centuries of ceaseless warfare. What further sets this monument apart from other great sites in the city is the building’s furnishings’ intricate lacquer, which is flecked with glistening gold flakes. For more information, visit http://kyoto.travel/en/shrine_temple/157.

Awaken The Senses At Taizou-in Temple
Known for its two charming gardens, this small temple can be found within the sprawling grounds of Myoshin-ji Temple. Inside, visitors are treated to a glimpse of one of Japan’s oldest surviving ink paintings and a special wash basin, into which water drops echo in a hidden underground chamber. – making for a thoroughly mysterious Zen experience. What is more, guests here can take the opportunity to practise traditional Zen-inspired arts such as calligraphy or meditation, as well as partake in a tea ceremony, for a truly unforgettable experience. For more information, visit http://www.taizoin.com/en/.

Pray For Prosperity At Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Perhaps for its breath-taking views, Kiyomizu-dera Temple is one of the most popular in Kyoto. Visitors and locals alike pay homage to the World Heritage Site to not only admire the sunset from the veranda but to also drink from the gushing spills of the Otowa Waterfall and pray for a romantic match in the Jishu-jinja shrine. The pure water here has long been named ‘Enmei-sui’ (life-prolonging water) and is drunk in a bid to improve one’s health and achievement. Furthermore, visitors hopeful of finding true love are often found walking the path between two stones with their eyes closed, since ancient tale suggests those who find the way successfully will come to good fortune romantically. For more information, visit http://kyoto.travel/en/shrine_temple/131.

Kodai Ji Temple, Kyoto, Japan

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Zain Qazi

‘As usual, Sam at RB Collection arranged our recent Iceland/Scotland cruise with attention to every possible detail. He remembered what had worked for us previously and used that knowledge to enhance our experience. No question was too much trouble for either Sam or his colleague Clare. We would not consider anyone else for our holiday arrangements; RB Collection are truly superb!’

Hilary Carroll

Wonderful way to book a wonderful holiday. Such a personalised & attentive approach to helping us find the perfect family holiday! Couldn’t recommend more!!!

Pandora Bahrami

They found us the perfect hotel for our London stay. Exactly the right balance of perfect location, incredible breakfast and they really listened to what we wanted. I even had access to one of London best gyms included in the stay!

Katie May Medley

RB Collections are a wonderful family run firm who welcome you into the family from the first holiday you book with them. My special thanks go to Clare who always ensures my booking runs smoothly and takes the stress out of the process of decisions by ‘knowing’ and implementing my preferences using information she has ascertained from previous bookings. I don’t have to remember…..Clare does it for me.

Janet Goodwin

Having just returned from a fantastic long weekend at Disneyland Paris, we had to leave a review for Sam and the team at RB Collection. They removed all the stress from organising the trip and ensured everything was in place for a truly memorable trip for all the family. We can’t thank them enough and we will certainly be back for future holidays. Our experience has been 10/10 👍🏻

Mike Boyden

Just returned home from a wonderful holiday in Madeira arranged by Sam from RB Collection. Every detail from flights, hotel, transfers, recommended restaurants and "must to do's" was excellent and all documents arrived by post in good time for checking before departing on our holiday. Due to the weather, our journey was delayed by two days. However after contacting RB on the emergency number in the holiday package, all was sorted by the team - an upgraded hotel room at the same hotel, flight, transfers, taking away all the stress from ourselves and allowing us to enjoy our extra two days. One cannot put a price on a phone call and text messages when something unfortunate happens and you feel vulnerable. On our return, the excellent service has continued by Sam and colleagues who are now dealing with the necessary correspondence with the airline company. My husband and I and children at home who were concerned when we were stranded, cannot thank the team at RB enough for their support and professionalism and we are looking forward to many more holidays using the company. Tom & Janet

Tom&Janet Marks

We came to RB Collection with an idea of some of the places we wanted to visit in Rajasthan, India - and they made it all happen, expertly and efficiently. Oliver and Clare were a pleasure to deal with, sorting every aspect and adding their own ideas to really enhance this wonderful trip. They checked in while we were away to make sure everything was going well (which it was) and I knew they'd be on hand if we needed anything. Thank you!

David Page

The purpose of this review isn't to confirm that our holiday was a 5 star experience (which it was, by the way) but it's a review to say that RB Collection's involvement in planning, booking and safety netting our holiday experiences has been truly 5 stars. Are people bothered if my wife and I had a great holiday - I suspect no...... Are people interested in the company that was instrumental in creating 5 star holidays - I suspect yes ......and so it's RB Collection's skills and involvement that get this 5 star rating. As a family we have booked our own holidays almost exclusively by ourselves for 35 years - until a year ago when we used RB Collection's services for the first time to book a holiday to the Ice Hotel in Sweden. We chose to book through them because we had no experience or knowledge of the Ice Hotel and their exclusive Ice Hotel Website was great. Their involvement made all the difference - in particular their personal commitment to making things work and since the first contact, they have been getting to know our travel "needs, wants and likes" more by each contact. Our next holiday was a Silversea Cruise - one that we could easily have booked ourselves, but RB's influence allowed us to save a significant (4 figure!) sum. Reason alone to recommend! Our third and most recent booking with RB was a safari which could not have been a better holiday experience. The reasons for this are as follows: 1. Up until raising the possibility, I knew nothing about safaris i.e. where to go / at what time of year / for how long etc. Within 72 hours of a discussion of a suggestion by me for a Tanzania trip (based on a google AI search), I was infinitely far better informed and after weighing up possibilities, we opted for a Kenyan trip to Amboselli and the Masai Mara. What a brilliant decision! 2. Whilst the travel options were perfect for our particular needs, RB's involvement to seamlessly arrange the multiple transfers on our journey came to the fore. This was particularly evident on coming back from Zanzibar (beach unwind) to Nairobi International, which would have presented a significant challenge had we opted for self booking, due to the (multiple) security & immigration stages. (Yes, of course - we would have negotiated the stages - we're grown ups - we can look after ourselves, but oh my. the loss of wasted heartbeats would have been significant!) Turns out that what was arranged for us was faster than "fast track" and I certainly became aware of lots of people looking enviously towards us and our safari representative as we whizzed by! 3. Photography is an important aspect of our holidays. Good photographic subjects / scenes are our means of ensuring that we're seeing good stuff, which - IMHO - is a main focus of a holiday. Our safari guides had been well briefed about my photography wishes and from the get-go, they discussed what we were looking for from our holiday and so every day we had a mutually planned itinerary for the wildlife that never disappointed. Our guides had been particularly selected from the briefing given by RB pre-travel to the safari people. In a nutshell, RB have changed our attitude to holidays and their associated experiences. In our time with them, we have undertaken holidays that we have never done before and we are now definitely thinking differently about what to do in the future. Add to this, the reassurance and safety net that travel agency booking confers and I think that RB Collection definitely deserves a 5 star review. By the way - we live distant to their location - all of our dealings have been by telephone and email so don't think you need to be locals to use their services.

Colin Scott

A big shout out for RB Collection ….they have done it again !!!! Made our World touring a pleasure AGAIN ….having done the cruising in various parts of the world …the Canada trip…..the India & Nepal trip…& just recently the Hongkong Australia New Zealand trip…it’s like being transported on a Dreamliner !every attention to detail from getting to the airport arriving at the destinations & being picked up & taken to the various types of accomadation ….Thanks Team RB & especially to Sam for this last one 🌴☀️😎

Linda Taylor

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