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Kyoto Station Area, Central Kyoto, Eastern Kyoto, North-Eastern Kyoto & North-Western Kyoto

Kyoto

Tony Clemens
2005-08-31 22:08:29

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You will also see the small palace (Ko Gosho), the regular palace (Tsune Gosho) and a pond garden (Oike-niwa). Unfortunately you are forbidden to enter any of the buildings.

Also in Central Kyoto is NijÅ�-jÅ�, one of the few remaining castles in Kyoto. Surrounded by two moats this residence contains two palaces and a vast garden. It built in 1603 for the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu and is fitted with 'nightingale' floors and concealed chambers. Any fan of ninja movies will recognise the features, its pretty funny to hear the squeaking of the floor boards when a crowd of people walk down the hall.

If you've being to many castles or churches in Europe you notice a lack of furniture in most castles and temples. The floors are covered in mats and walls tend to be painted paper.

Eastern Kyoto Area

This area of Kyoto is between the Kamo-gawa river and the Higashiyama eastern hills and includes the Gion entertainment district where you might catch a glimpse of a geisha.

The Kyoto National Museum, one of three in the country, is worth a visit. There are over 1000 artworks, historical artifacts and handicrafts including 230 items classified as National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties.

Across the street from the museum is Sanjusangen-do temple, originally builted in 1164 and rebuilt in 1266 after the original burned down. The temples name refers to the 33 bays (sanjusan) between the pillars of this long narrow building. The building houses 1001 wooden statues of Kannon (the Buddhist goddess of mercy), the first one carved in 1254. At the back of the hall are 28 guardian statues. An impressive sight.

Kiyomizu-dera temple was first built in 798, the present buildings are reconstructions dating from 1633. This temple is one of the more famous in Kyoto which means its usually swamped ...