Uji & Byodo-in

平等院

The temple on the 10-yen coin, in matcha country

Hours

Garden 8:30am–5:30pm (last entry 5:15pm); museum around 9am–5pm (check on site)

Tickets

Garden + museum about ¥700 for adults; Phoenix Hall interior +¥300 (timed, first come); check on site

Address

116 Uji-Renge, Uji

The Phoenix Hall on the back of Japan's 10-yen coin is this temple. With its corridors spread like wings over the pond and the reflection beneath, it looks exactly like the coin, and visitors line one up for the photo. The approach, Byodoin Omotesando, is a street of tea merchants, some over 300 years old: matcha parfait, matcha soba and a bag of tea to take home is the standard route. It's under 20 minutes by train from Kyoto Station, so half a day is plenty.