After returning from Fushimi Inari-tasiha, I took the train to Kiatoji station and from there I inquired how to get to Kinaku-ji temple. Fortunately there is a tourism help desk with an English-speaking staff to assist, and I was instructed to take bus 204.
The bus bays are like this. Each door is reserved for specific buses, and it only opens when the bus has arrived at the door.I had to wait around 10 minutes for the 204The bus fare was ¥230 (₹120/$1.8/€1.7)From the bus stop, you have to walk for at least 10 minutes to get to the ticket counterThe entry fee to Kinaku-ji costs ¥400 (₹215/$3.26/€3)As you enter the main grounds, you can see the Kinaku-ji temple in the distanceI swapped lenses and took a close up shot of the Golden pavilionThe Kinaku-ji is one of the most famous Zen Buddhism shrines in all of Japan. Iconic due to its golden exterior and its location in a pond.
That said, there were other structures inside the compound. These were the living quarters of the priests. It’s off limits for tourists.I couldn’t stop myself from photographing the Golden temple of KyotoI walked around the pond to get a closer lookDucksJapan has a lot of these trees, especially at spiritual places. Any idea what they are called?They’re all aroundFrom the back. I guess tourists are not allowed inside the pavilion.I don’t know what this golden rooster is meant to symbolizeVery serene surroundingsAhh, the usual ‘toss a coin at the right spot for good luck’ gameHello Kitty Kinaku-ji merchandiseTourists were trying to ring the bell by swinging this heavy ropeThat was it. I left the compound after spending half an hour inside.
I walked back to the bus station and since I only knew where bus 204 would take me, I boarded the same to head back.
But as the bus rode along, I was realized it was taking a full circle and would take a long time to return to Kitaoji station
So I got down at a bus stop… honestly, I don’t know where. I walked to the nearest train station after opening up Google Maps on my phone and figured out how to get to Kawaramachi station from there.
I don’t even remember the name of this station
By the time I was out of Kawaramachi station, it was nearing 4:30 PM. Fearing I would be late to enter Kiyomizu Dera, I decided to take a taxi there.
Taxis are quite expensive but I didn’t want to waste time trying to figure out how to get to Kiyomizu Dera
It was a short ride, at the most 10 minutes, but it still cost me ¥940 (₹500/$7.6/€7.1).
I walked my way up through the many street-lined shops leading up to Kiyomizu DeraI was in Higashiyama district and a few sakura trees were beginning to bloom hereThere was still some walking to do from where I was dropped offThis is the entrance to Kiyomizu deraMore steps. There is an entry fee of ¥300.Many women in kimonos, although not all of them are Japanese. I also saw a few Chinese and Korean tourists dressed up in kimonos too.There seemed to be renovation work going on at Kiyomizu DeraKiyomizu Dera is Kyoto’s most famous and one of the oldest Buddhist temples
Like many old temples in Japan, it too is made entirely of woodThis is the main prayer hallA panorama from the main prayer hallKiyomizu Dera is also home to other smaller shrines, like this one honouring Okuninushi, the god of loveThat’s a statue of Okuninushi-no MikotoSo this spot is popular among younger folk who try many things like lift a heavy stone in hopes of earning good luck in finding love and good fortune in lifeI decided to head thereA lot of tourists were catching the sunset from hereThis angle would have been far more beautiful had the tree fully bloomedI walked furtherFrom this viewpoint you can see the whole of Kiyomizu DeraA panorama of the entire complexI had seen enough and decided leave the other way that leads out to the same entrance/exitThe entire temple structure stands on a network of wooden pillars, which now has metal support to strengthen itI was back on the shop-lined streetI saw this pastry being filled with green tea cream. So I bought one to taste. It was alright.Passed by a small park where people were capturing whichever flowers had bloomedThis sakura tree was a darker shade of pinkPulled rickshaws are for hire to tourists in this part of KyotoLovely isn’t it?I found myself back near Toji Temple… and just like yesterday, it was closed by the time I got near it. Ugh.I walked all the way back and found myself at Yasaka shrineThe shrine was at the end of Shijo streetInside the shrine grounds was this vendor selling crab sticks. It was cold, this was hot. So I knew what I had to do.It was pretty pricey (¥500) for what it actually turned out to be. He advertised it as crab leg meat. What it actually tasted like was your usual mock crab meat that is made using surimi.
I was pretty tired from all the sightseeing, but while walking through Shijo Street, I thought I’d just check out Gion at night. I found myself at Gion Corner and went in just to see if tickets were still available for the cultural show. They were, and although I was on two minds over it, I decided to just go for it and sat down for the cultural show. But all that in the next post.
Naveena C K
18/11/2015Excellent and informative post. Thank you,
Mithun Divakaran Reply:
November 18th, 2015 at 2:23 PM
Thanks Naveena!