We went to Kyoto early in the morning. Kyoto is a city where it has kept most of its traditional value. You will see people riding bicycle and wearing kimono significantly more in Kyoto. We arrived at Kyoto station around 10.30 in the morning. Upon arriving, I noticed that the station is significantly larger than the one in Osaka. The station is connected to a hotel, movie theatre, and two shopping mall: iSetan and The CUBE. In Kyoto we will be staying in a Ryokan, a traditional Japanese style accommodation. We checked in to Ryokan Shimizu and had a meal in Ramen Alley before exploring Kyoto.
Our first destination in Kyoto is the Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavilion). It was first built in 1397 to serve as a retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, which then converted into a Zen temple by his son. The temple was burnt down twice by warfare, and once by a fanatic monk in 1950.
Kinkakuji, as per name says, is mostly covered with 24c Gold. It has a shape of a Japanese pavilion with a phoenix statue on the roof top. It looks so bright and majestic under the sun light. The pavilion is the main attraction to see, but there are couple of pedestal and statues to see on the site as well. In front of the statues there is a bowl in which you can throw in some coins from a meter or two distance. If your coin goes into the bowl, it will bring you some luck. Even though I don’t believe in it, it is a fun thing to try and helps you to dish out those small yen coins.
After Kinkakuji we went to visit Kiyomizu-Dera Temple. The temple lies on top of a hill. The road to the temple is filled in with many shops. You can buy a variety of things on the shops, such as: Kimono, Japanese sweets, mochi cakes, and some other Japanese traditional goodies. The temple is big and crowded. Its a very good place to take photo shots. The admission is free, but there is one temple which costs you 300 Yen to get in. Inside the temple you can find or pray to some of the Japanese god statues. The statues look cool and eerie, you definitely do not want to kid around in there.
A brief information about the temple taken from Kyoto Official Guide website.
Kiyomizu-dera Temple is perhaps the most beloved of Kyoto's temples, and is a fixture in the minds of the Japanese people. The temple's platform juts out of the side of a mountain supported by 13-meter-high wooden columns. The main hall with its distinctive hip-shaped roof of cypress bark rests on the platform, and houses within it a priceless statue of Kannon Bodhisattva, the goddess of mercy. From the platform, one can appreciate fine views facing west over the city of Kyoto. This is an auspicious place to watch the sun set, which may also explain the romantic associations accorded to the temple.
Finally our last destination for the day is the Gion Centre, which is Kyoto’s most famous Geisha district. We were scheduled to see a geisha show, but due to fatigue we cancel that and visit a shrine near the Gion Centre. Nothing special to say about the shrine, but it has a night market in it. Luckily, while walking on the market, we saw a geisha. Her outfit and looks look similar to the ones you see in the movie “Memoirs of a Geisha”, but she’s a lot more graceful and beautiful. Seeing the Geisha made me regret not going to the Geisha show. After the shrine, we tried to find something to eat in the Gion Centre and were not able to find anything good. Thus we decided to go back and had our dinner in the iSetan shopping mall.
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