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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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originals, dating from the 17th to 19th century. The shrine is entered from a long approach through two torii.

At the fork of the Kamo-gawa and Takano-gawa is Shimogamo-jinja which dates from the 8th century and is dedicated to the god of the harvest. The hondo dates from 1863 and like Haiden hall at its sister shrine, Kamigamo-jinja, is an excellent example of nagare style shrine architecture.

North-Western Kyoto Area

Golden TempleThis area of Kyoto is predominantly residential but there are numerous temples with tranquil gardens.

The famed 'Golden Temple' or Kinkaku-ji is one of Japan's best-known sights. Originally built in 1397 as a retirement villa for shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu it was converted into a temple by his son. The three story pavilion is covered in gold leaf but was burned to the ground in 1950 by an obsessive monk. In 1955 it was fully reconstructed following exactly the original design, except the gold foil cover was extended to the lower levels. Its an extremely photogenic temple so expect plenty of crowds.

For people interested in Zen there is an area containing several Zen temples in a large park setting in a residential neighbourhood. The Imamiya-jinja shrine is also near, the Ryugintei moss garden torii spans a residential street. Within the temple district are 24 subtemples, but only 8 are open to the public, this is the place to visit for an intense look at Zen culture. I enjoyed the Zen gardens at Ryogen-in temple founded in 1502. An inner rock garden, Totekiko, is the smallest in Japan while I enjoyed the moss garden, Ryugintei.

Final Thoughts

The above passages just briefly describes the sights I saw while visiting Kyoto, there are more sights, with 17 on the World Heritage List, even more considered Important Cultural Treasures and most temples and shrines having Treasures Halls there is plenty to keep you busy in Kyoto for a while although you will eventually suffer from temple overload.

The transportation system is efficient and fast. If you don't have a Japanese rail pass, treat yourself to a ride on the bullet train. If you have a pass only ride the bullet trains, very impressive.

There are vending machines everywhere, its a shock to walk 50 metres and not see some sort of vending machine. You can purchase almost anything from a vending machine.

Although Kyoto is not as expensive as Tokyo, Japan is a first world nation with a high standard of living so it is one of the more expensive countries to visit. To save some money and to get a more unique Japanese experience I would recommend staying in a Ryokan or traditional Japanese Inn, a number of them are very accepting of gaijin. Don't worry too much if you are unilingual English, there are plenty of English signage. Announcements on trains are often bilingual and a lot of restaurants have English menus. The restaurants without English menus often have pictures or models of the dishes, just point. Many stores, including at the train stations, sell boxed lunches, another way to save some money. And noodles are always cheap. About the only thing I saw that was cheaper than home was cigarettes.

Japan is also probably one of the safest countries in the world. I noticed one jay walker in over a week in Japan. Many people get around Kyoto by bike and I noticed many left unlocked. You are more likely to lose your money than to have it stolen. Safe, polite but expensive.