The temples and shrines are some of the most picturesque places in Japan. You'll be walking down a main shopping district and run into a pristine Japanese temple, centuries old. Just a few that I've been to are:
Fushimi-Inari
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| From Kyoto 4 |
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| From Kyoto 3 |
Higashi Hongangi
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| From Kyoto 2 |
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| From Kyoto 3 |
Sanjusan Gendo
To-ji
[picture to come]
And There are still 2 or 3 more that I would like to visit. Each one is unique, and I'm always impressed with the Japanese ability to design and maintain the breathtaking temple gardens.
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| From Kyoto 2 |
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| From Temples |
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| From Tokyo |
This past weekend I went to the Toji Market, an open-air market where you can find food, textiles, knives, art, and antiques. The market is only on the 21st of every month, and if you find yourself in Kyoto, I highly recommend going. You would want to get there very early in the morning, because the crowds get pretty bad after about 10 or 11am.
[pictures to come]
We went on a field trip with my Buddhism class to Higashi Honganji (East Honganji), a temple that is within walking distance from Kyoto Station. Our professor pulled some strings and they let us into parts of the temple that people aren't usually allowed to walk through. As we were walking through, the temple staff was setting up for a 'Noh' performance on the largest 'Noh' stage in Japan.
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| From Kyoto 2 |
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| From Kyoto 2 |
Throughout the rest of the temple, the Japanese screens were incredible. Paintings of life-sized tigers prowling in the forest, water-fowl resting on lake Biwa, and garden scene were some of the screens that we saw. Unfortunately because they are so old, we weren't allowed to take pictures.
However, we were allowed to take pictures of the zen gardens:
[pictures]
The shopping is pretty good too. A great place to go is "Teramachi" (Temple Street), there are alot of trendy shops ($100 for a flannel shirt), but its also a great place to go just to walk around.
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| From Kyoto 1 |
The first time I went to Kyoto, there was a dance festival going on outside one of the larger temples. Most dances were traditional Kansai (the 'state' where I live) dances called "Yosokoi", but there were also groups doing modern dancing. There were tons of people out to see the dancing and about 6 stages where groups were performing simultaneously.
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| From Kyoto 1 |
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| From Kyoto 1 |
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| From Kyoto 1 |
At night the city takes on a new light. The streetlight, cars, bars, and restaurants feel like the Japan you see in movies; the bustling city overcrowded with people. However, the night is also a great time to see the temples lit-up at night. Spotlights illuminate the buildings of "Kiomizu-dera" and many of the trees surrounding the temple are lit-up for the fall colors.
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| From Kyoto 3 |
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| From Kyoto 3 |
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| From Kyoto 3 |
To me, Kyoto is much more fun than Tokyo. Tokyo, although fun, was too busy and crowded to be fun. It didn't seem like there was that much to see in Tokyo besides the city itself. Kyoto is different, there are temples, a castle, art museums, parks and shops, without the frustration of traveling through a sea of people.
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