Observing protocols in Kyoto

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Kyoto was a great day trip to do from Osaka. Not only is Kyoto the headquarters of Nintendo, but as we stepped off the train, we saw the giant Astro Boy statue and realised it is also the home of Anime in Japan. Talk about a nerds heaven. Kyoto of course is much more than technology and is a city that is a great mix of ancient temples and shrines and modern restaurants and bars.

We headed straight to one of the more famous temples - Kiyomizu-dera which was up on the hill, making it a tough walk but giving it amazing views of Kyoto. On the way up to the temple, you walk up a narrow winding street selling many touristy things and I can't resist buying a Kimono, pretty funky Japanese pyjamas.

Kiyomizu-dera dates back to 798 and amazingly there is not a single nail used in the entire structure. It takes its name from the waterfall within its grounds, which runs off the nearby hills. Kiyomizu means clear water, or pure water. The main hall of the temple has a large veranda, supported by tall pillars, that juts out over the hillside and offers impressive views of the city.

Incredibly, people used to jump off the huge veranda which was an Edo period tradition that held that, if you were to survive a 13m jump from the stage, your wish would be granted. Two hundred and thirty-four jumps were recorded in the Edo period and, of those, 85.4%!s(MISSING)urvived. Luckily for me, the practice is now prohibited.

Beneath the main hall is the Otowa-no-taki waterfall, where three channels of water fall into a pond. You get a cup on a long wooden pole, like a fishing net and catch and drink the water, which is believed to have therapeutic properties. Drinking the water of the three streams is said to confer wisdom, health, and longevity. However, some Japanese believe that you must choose only two; if you are greedy and drink from all three, you invite misfortune upon yourself. I only drank from one due to the massive queues get get the water. Of course I chose wisdom over health and longevity. Who wants to be healthy and alive for a long time if you don't know anything!

After visiting the temple, it was lunch time and we head to a beautiful traditional Japanese restaurant, Takasegawa Nijyoen, with an amazing Japanese garden. We of course sat on the floor with our shoes off and ate some great sushi and tempura including some raw eel which I didn't enjoy so much. It was certainly a very authentic Japanese experience.

The afternoon was spent wandering the streets including enjoying some modern Japanese bars before heading back to Osaka.

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