We went to Kyoto, Takayama, and Osaka Japan. These are what we did. – Part 2

We spent 9 days at Kansai area and Takayama Japan. Here is the sharing of our trip.

See Part 1 here.

Day 3: Kyoto area sightseeing

Today could be considered as the most intensive walking tour of this trip. We did not measure the exact total distance, but it could be as long as 10km. We started and ended our walking tour near Heian Jingu Shrine. The distance could be shorter and optimized if more careful planning was done ahead. Thanks to the app we installed before hand (see here), the whole walking tour was smooth. Below are the route we took and the places we visited / passed by.

Our first stop is Heian Shrine. The compound is big. There is a big garden at the back (entry fee required). By observing the locals, we learnt to bow before entering through the main gate, and exit via the side gate.

Then we walked south, passed by a big torii gate, then Kyoto municipal museum of art. We did not stop there. The street started to incline a bit, but it is a quiet street. Then we reached Chion-in. From the outlook and the map it is a very big Buddhist temple. Since we have a long road ahead of us, we decided not to enter.

We took a short rest at Maruyama park. Then we reached the entrance of Kodai-ji. The location of Kodai-ji is actually at the top of the hill. We hesitated a bit but at last we climbed up to the hill. The distance is not far, and the view along the way was magnificent.

Upon exiting Kodai-ji, we continued south until we reached Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka, the historical shopping streets. I think less tourists like to take the route as we did. That’s why there were less tourists in Ninen-zaka then Sannen-zaka. Walking along Ninen-zaka was more comfortable and relaxing than Sannen-zaka.

After passing through Sannen-zaka, we finally arrived at Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Kiyomizu-dera is always a must-see temple in Kyoto. It is a wood structure built without a single nail. Therefore, it was the most crowded place we have been today. You can see how the structure stands at the cliff (I think we can call it a small cliff :), spans from the bottom until the top. It is definitely worth it to pay for the entry fee.

After Kiyomizu-dera, we walked back north towards Shijo dori. Along the way, we passed by Kennin-ji, and walked enjoyably around the Gion area. We had our lunch nearby Shijo dori.

After lunch, we slowly walked pass Maruyama park (again) and heading towards Keage incline. Keage inclide is an old and abandoned railway. However, due to the two rows of cherry trees along the railway, it has become a famous tourist spot to visit when the cherry trees are blooming in spring. Walking on the railway is not easy though, because of all the stones. It was not cherry blooming season when we were there. So we only saw cherry trees, but not cherry blossoms.

After Keage inclide, we decided to follow Philosopher’s path to go to Gingaku-ji. Philosopher’s path is long, but we followed from one end to the other. It is more like a back alley, along a river. The weather was nice, there was no cars, and only very very few pedestrians on that day.

At the end of Philosopher’s path, there is the bridge and short shopping street which leads to Ginkaku-ji temple. Other people told us that once you have been to Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji will give you an impression that it is so small. Nevertheless, we still think that Gingaku-ji is worth paying to enter and have a look. Although the area is not big, it has buildings, pond, rock garden, and a small hill. There must be great effort to maintain the rock garden (Zen garden), especially the Ginshadan (Sea of Silver Sand) and the Kogetsudai (Moon viewing podium). Above the hill, you can see whole temple area and the city beyond.

Ginkaku-ji is the last stop of our day. In retrospect, we should start our day at Kiyomizu-dera (instead of Heian shrine) and ends our day at Ginkaku-ji, or vise versa. With that, we shall save be able to reduce the walking distance. There are some places in the northern part of the city which we missed this time. It includes the famous Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji, and Ninna-ji. We should go next time.

Day 4: Nara half day trip

After walking for so long yesterday, we decided to slow down a bit today. So we decided to spend only half day at Nara. We took JR train from Kyoto station to Nara station in the morning. Upon exiting from the station, we directly followed the road heading east. About 6 to 7 blocks of distance we passed by Sarusawa ike pond. Then we directly headed north.  Via the fifty-two steps, we reached Kofuku-ji.

Kofuku-ji consists of a few wood structures, including a five-storied pagoda. I don’t think we can enter the pagoda though.

Next, we headed east and started to see many deers. We were at Nara park. You can always buy some food for them to eat. However, if they are already full, you will not be able to use food to lure them to come close. Of course, there are also warning signs to advise tourist beware of them attacking you.

After Nara park, we followed a small path which leaded us to Kasuga Taisha shrine. Kasuga Taisha shrine is famous for its lanterns. Along the way (which is quite long) to its main entrance, you already can see a lot of stone lanterns at both sides of the road. Some lanterns even have worships name on it. The building is mainly red in color. We did not enter the building.

After Kasuga Taisha shrine, we walked back to the main street, and followed the signboard to go to Todai-ji. Todai-ji is famous for the big Buddha statues and the roof structure which looks like deer horns. The building has been rebuilt for a few times. You can read the details in the temple.

 

Todai-ji was our last stop of the day. We followed same way back to the JR train station.

See Part 3 here.