Kyoto Part III: Kiyomizu-Dera Temple

The last part of three blog posts about the day trip to Kyoto.

The Kiyomizu-Dera Temple was the last place we visited after the first two (Golden Pavilion and Nijo castle) sites and a quick lunch break. To me, this was one of the more unique temples in terms of its location and its surroundings. The temple was quite a bit uphill and surrounded by the mountains and lots of forest. Also, I have to admit, the climb up to the temple was not as bad as I had imagined, although I am glad I wasn’t going anywhere else that night!

Once we got through the long walk up, it gave some of the most spectacular views I’ve seen. First, the view of Kyoto from the temple was tremendous and especially here (image below) of Kyoto Tower.

view of kyoto

From there as I walked along, it was great to see the actual buildings on the site, and like Nijo and Miyajima, it had some issues of construction as well. The buildings that weren’t getting worked on, however, looked amazing and just only added to how much I loved seeing these historic places.

kiyomizu-dera pagoda, kyoto

Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto

Finally, after looking throughout the temples, it was quite interesting to see the shops and people in the area. I got a chance to see a Monk stick out a bucket for donations as well as more schoolchildren having an enjoyable time. The shops were quite neat and fairly inexpensive, but I didn’t get anything as I was getting quite short on time. All in all, I thought this temple was quite neat in its secluded location and I definitely would make this place one worth checking out.

After seeing all three temples, it is quite clear that one day is nowhere near enough time to fully enjoy Kyoto. That said, I definitely enjoyed all three sites and cannot wait until next time to see the other places.

Kyoto Part II: Nijo Castle

The Second part of three blog posts from our trip to Kyoto for the day.

After wrapping up with the Kinkaku-Ji Temple, our group then went on to the Nijo castle in the central part of Kyoto. Unlike the golden pavilion, I really had no idea of its significance and history beforehand, so I was trying to take in as much as I could during our walk around the castle.

Nijo Castle, Kyoto

The first thing that got to me was how complex the area was. Some of it for obvious reasons, like the moats and tall walls for defensive protection. From the inside, something like a squeaky floor in the palace to allows for one to catch on who is sneaking in was interesting as well.

Nijo Castle Japanese Garden

However, the beauty of the gardens stuck out to me as well. I really liked the trees and plants there and it made it a very pleasant place to walk around. Like the Kinkaku-Ji garden, there was a koi pond as well, which I found very neat. In terms of the appearance of the park, I happened to overhear someone mention the process of maintaining the trees there. In particular, there is a certain process the landscapers must follow. Although, I couldn’t get all the details, it did make me think of how much work is involved to keep Nijo a beautiful looking place.

Like a lot of other places our group has visited, it also had its share of areas that were getting fixed up. Hopefully the next time I visit, Nijo will be in great shape and looking even more spectacular.

Kyoto Part I: Kinkaku-Ji (Golden Pavilion)

This is the first of three blog posts on our day trip to Kyoto as each site we visited was very unique. So much so that they all deserved their own individual posts.

Kinkaku-Ji (Golden Pavilion), Kyoto

Well, it finally happened…seeing the golden pavilion for the first time ever was so awe-inspiring and breathtaking. I’ve always seen pictures of it when reading about Kyoto and I was so glad to finally see one of the most popular temples in all of Japan. Not only was the golden color so special, but the surrounding areas were quite fantastic as well (which I’ll discuss below). Interestingly enough, I did learn some new things as well, primarily its use for the storage of relict Buddhas.

Besides the main highlight of the shrine, I really loved the landscape around the temple. The trees that surround it, the koi pond, trails leading to other small buildings, etc. All of it was very impressive.

Koi Pond, Kinkakuji, Tokyo

A waterfall at Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto

Lastly, like most of the other places we have visited, I continue to be amazed at the Japanese schoolchildren visiting and enjoying themselves at these places. It is always wonderful to see these children learn and appreciate (hopefully) the wonderful treasures their country has to offer.