Sanjusangendo walking tour

Sanjusangendo Buddhist Temple

This is a walking tour that usually departs from the Kyoto Samurai & Ninja Museum at 10:00 in downtown Kyoto. The fee covers 10 people. The tour is about 2 hours. Your tour guide is a government licenced tour guide. Whether you are a couple or a group of 10 people the price is standard. The tour guide escorts you all the time and you take public transportation or ride a taxi as a group.
Please read more below about the venue:

Originally established in 1164 by Taira no Kiyomori, the powerful samurai warrior, at the request of Emperor Goshirakawa, The name of Sanjusangendo comes from 33 spaces between its columns of the main hall.  The number 33 has a special meaning in Buddhism. There are 1,000 life-size standing statues of Kan’non bodhisattava who can transform herself into 33 different figures, so 33 symbolizes the number of incarnations of Kan’non.  The tall seated statue of Kan’non in the center is 3.3m, surrounded by four guardian angels who protect him/her(Kan’non does not have gender) in all directions.

Each Kan’non has 11 heads and 20 pairs of arms, symbolizing 1,000 arms giving hands to all kinds of people who have different needs. 40 arms are carrying different to tools to save people, each of which represents 25 Buddhist worlds. Therefore, 40 times 25 makes 1,000. It is said you can find yourself in one of the 1,000 kan’non bodhisattvas.  Please also look at 28 guardian deities who are originally from India where Buddhism was born.

The main hall of Sanjusangendo is 118 meters long. Since Edo period, Archery Contests have been held here and it is still a popular event known as Toshiya in January.

Having your local private tourguide on the ground makes the traveling experience way more rewarding and fun. Maikoya has constantly been rated as the top cultural experience venue in Osaka and Kyoto and we work with the best tour guides in Osaka and Kyoto who are experts in their field. The best part is we have actual locations in the heart of Osaka and downtown Kyoto, so you can always call us or come to our office if you should have any problems at all. You can also leave your luggaes in our locations.

By having your private government licensed private tour guide you will get

An experienced, licensed local tour guide with all the local knowledge and tips who will make sure that you focus on relaxing and having fun and not worry about getting lost.
A well planned itinerary prepared for you in advance and shared with you in advance so that you don’t have to worry about missing your train or missing the best museum in town because it closes early.
An opportunity to exchange emails with the tour guide and ask some questions you may have including but not limited to good restaurants in town, seasonal activities, local customs and the etiquette, what to bring along and so on.
Your local guide will not only escort you throughout the whole trip, he/she will also share all the interesting facts about the culture and history of your destination that only locals know.
Your local guide will show you the best photo spots, best souvenir shops and off the beaten tracks that may be of interest to you.
You don’t have to pay for your guide’s transportation or meal.
During this tour you get to choose whether to take a taxi or use the public transportation. In either case it is good to bring comfortable shoes and leave your heavy bag at your hotel. You can always leave your belongings at our locations in Kyoto or Osaka if you need to. Also don’t forget to bring some cash to use for the vending machines and the souvenir shops as in Japan some stores still do not accept credit card.

This tour can be adjusted based on your needs and desires. As soon as you make the reservation the tour guide will contact you with the details.