landmark
Fushimi Inari Shrine (Fushimi Inari-taisha)
An iconic Shinto shrine famous for its thousands of vermillion torii gates that wind through the forested slopes of Mount Inari.
10 km · about 20 min drive
AsiaJapanKyoto
Sayama
Kyoto, Japan · Asia
About Sayama
Sayama works well as a base: 10 minutes from Yawata, 17km from Arashiyama Bamboo Grove.
Sayama is in Kyoto, Japan, with about 15,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Yawata, about 4 km away.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Sayama?
Within an hour or so of Sayama: Fushimi Inari Shrine (Fushimi Inari-taisha) (10 km), Honke Daiichi Asahi (12 km), Gion District (14 km), Kiyomizu-dera (14 km).
Are there any good drives near Sayama?
The nearest famous roads are Philosopher's Path and Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Trail.
Where is Sayama?
Sayama is in Kyoto, Japan, about 4 km from Yawata.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 15,250
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- Japan
- Region
- Kyoto
- Timezone
- Asia/Tokyo
- Coordinates
- 34.8753, 135.7502
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Japan
Japan Helpline (24h English assistance): 0570-000-911. An International Driving Permit (1949 convention) is required to drive.
Full driving guide for JapanTags
Worth the detour from Sayama
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
restaurant
Honke Daiichi Asahi
A Kyoto ramen shop by the station serving soy-based pork-bone broth with stacked chashu and heaps of leek since 1947. Queues form outside from breakfast onwards, alongside its long-time rival next door.
12 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Gion District
Kyoto's most famous geisha district with preserved wooden machiya townhouses, traditional teahouses, and cobblestone streets.
14 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Kiyomizu-dera
A historic Buddhist temple perched on a hillside with a massive wooden stage offering sweeping views over Kyoto.
14 km · about 25 min drive
cafe
Kissa Soirée
A 1948 Kyoto tearoom lit entirely in blue, its walls hung with paintings by Seiho Takehisa. Famous for jelly punch, a glass of coloured gelatin cubes that glows under the blue light.
14 km · about 25 min drive
castle
Nijō Castle
A flatland castle in Kyoto built by the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, famous for its nightingale floors and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
15 km · about 30 min drive
cafe
Inoda Coffee Honten
A Kyoto kissaten founded in 1940, serving its Arabian Pearl blend pre-mixed with sugar and milk by default. The wood-panelled original room off Sakaimachi street is a working institution, not a revival.
15 km · about 30 min drive
natural wonder
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
A mesmerizing pathway through towering bamboo stalks in western Kyoto, creating one of Japan's most photographed natural scenes.
17 km · about 20 min drive
Driving roads near Sayama
- 17 kmPhilosopher's PathA peaceful stone-paved canal path lined with hundreds of cherry trees, connecting major temples in Kyoto's eastern hills.
- 59 kmMount YoshinoJapan's most famous cherry blossom viewing spot with over 30,000 trees covering an entire mountainside in waves of pink each spring.
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