Day 1 in Kyoto started bright and early at Kiyomizu Temple (清水寺)!
It’s amazing that the main hall and veranda were built entirely without nails, merely supported by 139 pillars and 90 crossbeams! No wonder it’s a national treasure. At the base of the hall is the Otowa Waterfall, and it’s said that drinking from one of the 3 streams will grant wisdom, health, and longevity. I almost hit a poor guy with the heavy pole while trying to drink from the cup attached to it, oops.
Behind Kiyomizu is Jishu Shrine (地主神社), Japan’s dedication to the deity of love and matchmaking. There’s 2 rocks placed about 10m apart and if you walk from one to the other successfully with your eyes closed, true love will be yours. I did the walk so I’ll be back with an update if it really works, haha.
P.S. If you fail the rock test, write down your troubles on paper and submerge it in the “magical” bucket of water, which will apparently dissolve the paper and your troubles. I passed the test so I didn’t try this, lol.
From the shrine, we walked downhill to the stone-cobbled streets of Ninen-zaka (二年坂) and Sannen-zaka (三年坂), with lovely wooden buildings reminiscent of old Kyoto~
Then we passed by Ryozen Kannon Temple (霊山観音) and Kodaiji Temple (高台寺) before heading past Maruyama Park (丸山公園), one of the most popular spots for viewing cherry blossoms in Spring. Too bad it’s summer now, booo.
Next, it’s to Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社), a tribute to the gods of health and prosperity.
We are now officially in Gion (祇園), the setting of Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha! On Hanamikoji Dori (花见小路), Kyoto’s long-standing geisha district, we saw geisha wannabes, though no real McCoy spotted, sighhh. This is a very touristy area but once we walked away from the main stretch, it became very quiet and charming! I love the narrow side lanes dotted with traditional old-style Japanese houses~
Last stop of the day was Shirakawa Canal, extremely scenic with overhanging willow tree branches and so peaceful in the evening that even a crane decided to hang out with us 🙂
wah lao i misread your 二年坂 and 三年坂 as two/three year rice, so wondering where’s the 饭 in your pictures. 0.o
Hahahaha!! That’s a good one, Daniel.