Kyoto - Day 6

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What a day! We had a later start, as we didn't wake up until 10am for the first time on the holiday - probably recovering from the madness of the previous day.

We started the day with a trip up the Kyoto Tower, just around the corner from our ryokan. The tower is odd in that it is like Blackpool Tower, jutting upwards out of a building. The views were stunning and Kyoto really opened up before us.

We then set off for Kinkakuji, to finish off what we'd started the day before, I wasn't sure it would be worth it, after the problems getting there on Tuesday, but I was pleased to be proved wrong. The sight of the golden temple shining on a blazingly hot sunny day was stunning and it really was a jewel in another immaculate garden.

We next moved on to Kamigamo Shrine and we were afforded a great surprise - we were given a personal guided tour in English, which included a traditional purification ceremony and the story of how the deity housed in the shrine descended to a mountain 2km away that was difficult to climb, so therefore the ancestors of the priests at the temple invited the deity to reside in the temple. It was an interesting opportunity to find out more about the founding of these magnificent buildings.

We then moved on to Shimigamo Shrine, another magnificent set of buildings in a beautiful wooded location. Once again the shrine was a haven of peace in a hectic area, with the outside sounds disapeering once inside the shrine grounds. We even got to see a historical drama being filmed in the woods by the shrine, with actors dressed in traditional Japanese dress.

Overall it was great day with some magnificent sights, buildings and history. Thursday sees us spending the day outside Kyoto, visiting Himeji Castle (an hour by bullet train).

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Photos

View of Kyoto Station
Taken from the observatory of the Kyoto Tower

View of Kyoto
Taken from Kyoto Tower observatory

Kinkakuji Temple
Golden Shrine at Kinkakuji

Anthony at Kinkakuji
Yes, it is true - Anthony caught on camera!!

Torii gate at Kamigamo
Entrance to the Kamigamo Shrine

Kamigamo Shrine
Another stunning shrine building

Purifying before entering sacred ground
Before entering temples, visitors are expected to cleanse their hands and rinse out their mouth

Shimogamo Shrine
The housing of the deity at the shrine

Shimogamo Shrine
An example of the beautiful setting of the shrine

On set!
A Japanese historical drama being filmed at Shimogamo

On the buses!
Travelling on the bus, Japanese and in particular Kyoto style

Kyoto Tower
The tower jutting up from a local department store

Comments

[Helen]

Day 6
Jings! I'm sorry did I see Tony on a photo??!!!

[gill]

Kyoto Tower
Me thinks they nicked the CN Tower and painted bits of it red. Glad to see you're having a fab time. What a fantastic place to celebrate your birthday. We look forwrad to reading this before bed every night. Take care ,have fun!