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Published: March 29th 2018
Path of Philosophy
This is what I thought all of Kyoto would look like. I didn't know that Kyoto was actually a pretty sizeable city until I researched the place. We did, nevertheless, encounter a fair bit of sightseeing gold like this.My random observation the day I arrived in Kyoto was that "Tokyo" and "Kyoto" are anagrams in roman script, but their kanji characters ("東京" and "京都", respectively) are not. I knew from my limited Mandarin that Tokyo meant "Eastern Capital". I researched Kyoto and learned it meant "Imperial Capital". I also learned that Tokyo is traditionally called Tokyoto (東京都), meaning "Eastern Imperial Capital"). So, connection drawn.
Rather fittingly for an imperial capital, Kyoto turned out to be a sizeable city with lots of cultural sites. Before arriving in Kyoto, I was somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer number of sites listed on the
Lonely Planet, as well as the effort it would take to cover the distance between them. Fortunately, our
ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in Kyoto provided resources to help us whittle down our list and make our way between them.
Exploring By Bus
After leaving Omihachiman, we made our way to Kyoto via the local train. It took about 40 minutes to get to Kyoto station. Exiting the station, it took about 15 minutes walk in the rain to get to Ryokan Shimizu, our accommodation for the next three nights. After checking in, we found a cheat sheet
Kinkakuji
The Golden Temple is set on a lovely lake with little islands of vegetation on it. Pity our experience was marred by the crowds and their umbrellas. on the information stand detailing several suggested itineraries for sightseeing and how to get between them. That made things a whole lot easier for us. We took it easy that afternoon, dined at a vegetarian restaurant nearby, and then called it a night.
For our first full day in Kyoto, we decided to follow Ryokan Shimizu's suggested "greatest hits" route traveling between three sites by bus. It was raining when we woke up, and the rain was forecasted to last all day, so I put on my raincoat and my spare shoes. We walked to Kyoto station, bought a one day bus pass for 600 yen each, and boarded route 205 for our first destination of the day - Kinkakuji, also known as the Golden Temple - and hit a snag immediately. After two stops, the English recorded announcement on the bus informed us that the next stop would be the last on that route. We'd boarded the correct bus route but in the wrong direction! We got off the bus, crossed the street, and boarded another 205 bus headed the other direction.
It took 45 minutes to get to Kinkakuji. After alighting the bus, we walked to
Ginkakuji
The grounds of the Silver Temple were really pretty. The temple itself wasn't silver, but we learned that this structure glows silver in moonlight. the temple along with a swarm of other people from the bus, and we were dismayed to see a horde of people - many recently disembarked from tour buses - and a sea of umbrellas in front of us. We paid the entrance fee and followed the directional signs. The temple itself was pretty, and it was set in the middle of a lake. The grounds were really pretty. But, the crowds and the umbrellas spoiled the whole experience. I wasn't too impressed with this overly-curated experience.
The next stop was Ginkakuji, or Silver Temple, a short 20 minute bus ride away. I liked this monument a lot better than the Golden Temple. It was far less crowded, and the grounds were simply spectacular. The temple itself wasn't silver, but we overheard a guide telling his charges that the temple appears silver when moonlight shines on it.
After exiting Ginkakuji, we saw a treelined path alongside a stream and we decided to walk along it. The walk was pretty and atmospheric. About 20 minutes into the walk, I realized that we had stumbled onto the Path of Philosophy without knowing it. Sadly, I didn't get any epiphanies or
Honen-In
Located just off the Path of Philosophy, this was my favorite unplanned discovery. Set in a pine forest, this temple was pretty and there was a small art gallery on the premises. become any wiser while walking that path. We tried seeing a couple shrines just off the path but they were closed. Close to the end of the path, we diverted to a road parallel to the path and stumbled across Honen-In, a beautiful temple set among pine trees. After exploring that temple, we made our way back to Ginkakuji, had a quick bite, and took bus route 100 for our next destination.
The advantage of riding on a bus pass is that one can disembark when one sees something interesting, and we did just that when we saw Heian-Jingu, a massive, brightly painted temple with a massive torii gate nearby. We explored that temple before heading to our final stop for the day, Kiyomizu Temple. En route, the bus passed through Gion, the famed geisha district. We decided not to stop there.
Kiyomizu was yet another grand temple complex, this time perched on the top of a hill. To get to the temple, one has to walk up a road, walk past a pagoda, then through a massive wooden shrine, and then walk along a path to a pagoda set away from the main temple. During the walk
Kiyomizu Temple
One of my favorite photos of this trip. Here, high school students caught water flowing from pipes above them and used the water to ritually cleanse themselves. I had a difficult time capturing this shot because of the annoying umbrellas in my way. Even this shot wasn't perfect but it'll have to do. up the hill, small hailstones briefly rained down on us, but they weren't bad enough to deter us from continuing our hike up the hill. At this site, there were many people - mostly women, some men - in traditional dress. I was disappointed when I realized most of them were tourists wearing rented costumes. The first sight we saw at Kiyomizu was a pagoda, quickly followed by a very grand but dark wooden structure. After walking through this, we walked along a path leading to another pagoda on the hill. Along the way, we diverted off to a forest path and encountered a cat meowing pitifully. It looked as if the cat was domesticated but somehow found itself in the forest. The meows were heartbreaking but there wasn't anything we could do. After viewing the pagoda, we encountered a huge cemetary. So huge, in fact, that I could not capture the whole site in one photograph.
After visiting Kiyomizu, we made our way down the hill, piled onto a bus bound for Kyoto station, and made our way back to our
ryokan. We were both relieved to be warm and dry again. We ate dinner at a nearby
Inari Shrine
Jeff ascending the hill. He counted the gates - there were over 3,000 on the routes we took. Italian restaurant that evening. While walking to the restaurant, we encountered some more hail.
Exploring By Subway
Remember I said that Kyoto is a sizeable city? Well, it even has its own multi-line subway system. We spent our second and last full day in Kyoto navigating by subway. Thankfully, the rain had stopped, although we did encounter small patches of rain throughout the day.
Our first stop of the day was the Inari Shrine, which is the iconic shrine with thousands of brightly colored
torii gates. The walk through the torii began innocently enough; we walked in awe of the sheer spectacle. Along we way, we noted that there were many kitsune (fox) statues all over. Apparently, Inari is the god of rice, and kitsune are the protectors. Click
&feature=youtu.be">here for a hilarious YouTube video that succintly explains kitsune and their role in Japanese culture. While you're at it, click
RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew
Fat cat?
I thought that was a cute fat cat with tiny paws... until I read your caption and looked again at the statue. Not a cat. Not paws. I've always thought of Kyoto as a small tranquil old-world place too, had no idea it was so large. Hope the temple stay had more comfortable beds, but I doubt it :)