The five-story pagoda, Japan's tallest, illuminated at night is one of Kyoto's most enduring images. Founded along with the city in AD 794, Toji is a treasure trove of tantric Buddhism and associated with Kobo Daishi, the founder of the mystical Shingon sect. The admission fee allows you access to the various halls holding numerous esoteric Buddhist statues. This large temple also hosts a vast flea market on the 21st of each month and a smaller antiques fair on the first Sunday of every month.