A trip to Kyoto

Originally posted on May 14^th, 2014.

After sleeping very well in our Japanese style futon beds we departed early in the morning on our second day in Osaka to go to Kyoto.

First day in the city of the ten tousand shrines

From Shichijo station we walked to the Kyoto Santiago Guesthouse which is located very close to the Gion area. This area is famous and has developed to one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in Japan. 

The guesthouse was more modern than the one in Osaka. We stayed in a 12-person-dormitory. Cécile and Jérôme already traveled a lot in East and Southeast Asia so they experienced this type of accommodation already. For me, it was the first time. I think it is a very convenient and a priceless low-priced way to have a sleeping place. You have your own bed with curtains and once closing them you have your privacy. Also there are lockers for your valuables, fridges, computers and shower cabins to use.

On our first day we decided to explore the city by walk. Kyoto was the previous imperial capital of Japan and is well known for its many temples and shrines. There is a historical nickname for Kyoto which describes this city very well: the city of ten thousand shrines. Simply by walking around we saw historical sites almost everywhere.

Our first stop was the Sanjusangen-do temple. It is a buddhist temple from the 12^th century. Inside of it you get to see 1001 golden statues of Buddhist deity, 1000 standing statues and one gigantic seated statue. Also there are 28 guardian deities of which many of them have their origin from ancient India. The sight of them was very beautiful and astonishing. Once you entered this huge hall you became very calm. There is some peaceful and ancient atmosphere that we could feel. This should be visited once!

After that we walked through the small beautiful streets with these pretty Japanese houses. At some corners there were small shops from elderly women selling traditional Sakuramochi. It is a rice cake with red-bean paste inside wrapped with the sakura leaf. Such a delicious snack. I loved it.

After that we stopped to have Soba for lunch in the area of the Kyoto Station and then continued walking to the Nijo-jo Castle. We also passed Higashihonganji-Temple which is a huge Temple and visited that one too. It is  located in the middle of the city center where local people would stop by to have a short rest and pray during their working break or after work. When we finally arrived at the castle it was 4 pm which is actually the time when most temples and other attractions would close.

A man who worked at the entrance suddenly called us and signed us to hurry. We paid the entrance and were guided to the entrance of the Castle. We were really surprised and astonished by the friendliness of the staff as it was so important for them that even the very very last (and a little planless) visitors would get to the see the inside of the Castle. During our journey we had several different situations in which local people were always very friendly and helpful in a modest and honest way. This became one of the things we appreciated very much during our short trip.
Inside the castle we got to see the residence for the Toku-gawa shogunate. The rooms have splendid and beautiful wall paintings from the 17^th century painted by Kano school artists. After that we walked around the beautiful castle garden.

As we were a little exhausted from a lot of walking we went back to our guesthouse for a short rest and strolled along the magnificent Kamogawa river during sunset and through the Gion district where we spotted the first time a woman wearing a Kimono. For diner we went back to the Gion district and took a digestion walk around the area before we went back to sleep after a long day.

Second day in Kyoto

On the next day we had an unlimited one-day-bus ticket which we purchased the day before at the Kyoto Station for 500¥ about 3€. Whenever you are in Kyoto I really recommend this as it is really cheap and the best way to see many Temples around the city. Also the bus system is one of the best we all got to know so far.

Our first destination was Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine which is located in the southern part of Kyoto. The Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine's first structures were built in 711 and is well known for it's trail up to the mountain with the many smaller red-colored shrines. The Shrine is located 233 m above the sea level and the trail is approximately 4 km long. This place is very worth a visit. We also had wonderful sunny weather and as it was not the main tourist season the trail was not too packed with other visitors. We actually only made it to the small lake and went back down to have lunch and to visit the next temple.

The Ginkakuji Temple was the retirement villa for Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the 8^th Shogun of the Muromachi shogunate and was built in the 1480s. After his death the place became a Zen temple. The Kogetsudai and Ginshadan sand gardens are well worth a visit. Although the temple is not as spectacular as the others we have seen, the mossy, wooded hillside was very special and beautiful to walk through. And from above the hillside you had a nice view on Kyoto. After that we followed the Kyoto philosophers’ path to see two other temples that were close to the Ginkakuji Temple. But again we were too late and also exhausted from the long day so we headed back to the Gion district.

On our way back to the guesthouse we stopped by at the Yasaka Shrine near the Gion subway station at the early evening. We saw many families and other local people walking around the Temple. But what was special were the girls wearing Kimonos. As Cécile and I know from our Japanese korean classmate, usually japanese girls wear them after their graduation and would go to places like here to take pictures together with their friends and families. That day we were so lucky to get see so many girls wearing Kimonos. 💟

After having our last diner in Kyoto (I had a very delicious Tempura Deluxe Udon slurp) we stopped by the Kyoto station. From the top of it which you can access for free we had a last view on Kyoto at night.

The last day

Well rested on the last day we visited the Kiyomizu-dera Temple which was very close to our guesthouse. The Kiyomizu-dera Temple is an independent buddhist temple and an UNESCO World Heritage site. Founded in 798 the present buildings of the temple were constructed in 1633 where not a single nail was used in the entire structure. The large veranda that juts out of the hillside offered us an impressive view on the city. It was a perfect closure of our Kyoto trip!

Many thanks to Cécile and Jérôme! You have made this travel most memorable. It was so much fun traveling with you in Osaka and Kyoto. We had so many funny and a little crazy moments. 🤗