Kyoto served Japan's capital for over 1,000 year before the capital was moved to Tokyo. During the 1,000 year capital period 100s of temples and shrines were constructed and the city still serves as Japan's spiritual "heart". You could spend many days visiting different temples without actually seeing much of the city or making a day trip to Nara, Osaka, Hiroshima, or Miyajima - you'll definitely want to have a game plan in place before you arrive. You want to know what temples you want to see and where those temples are in proximity to one another so you don't need to backtrack later. Kyoto is a spread out city and it can take a while to go from one end to the other by bus. I relied on Google images to find things that look interesting then grouped them by area so I wouldn't be taking a bus back and forth across the city. If there's a temple or shrine you really want to see it's best to head their first, early in the morning, before the crowds arrive. Not only will there be less people in your photos but there's a more "spiritual" feel to the temples when you experience them in the calm and early morning silence.
For the temple weary traveler Kyoto's two best sites, Arashiyama, a small bamboo forest, and Fushimi Inari Taisha, a series of Torii Gates leading to a mountain top shrine, are a welcome respite. These two sites are as impressive as anything I've seen during my year long travels even after seeing 100s of previous temples. The Gion district is an ideal place to stay because it allows you to make multiple passes at various times and various days through the area where a Geisha is most likely to be found. All three of these attractions are free while the temples average a 500 YEN entrance fee.
For the temple weary traveler Kyoto's two best sites, Arashiyama, a small bamboo forest, and Fushimi Inari Taisha, a series of Torii Gates leading to a mountain top shrine, are a welcome respite. These two sites are as impressive as anything I've seen during my year long travels even after seeing 100s of previous temples. The Gion district is an ideal place to stay because it allows you to make multiple passes at various times and various days through the area where a Geisha is most likely to be found. All three of these attractions are free while the temples average a 500 YEN entrance fee.
ARASHIYAMA - BAMBOO PATH
Just look at that image...the bamboo path is just as impressive in person. The 100 meter or so path is on the far side of Tenryu-ji temple but can be directly accessed without passing through the temple first. There's not much to it - it's just a path through bamboo but when the light shines through at just the right angle it feels like you've been transported to another world. I walked back and forth along the path at least five times - it never became old. But again, there's not much to this site. Don't set your expectations that this is a mile long path and a massive forest - it isn't - it's a couple hundred yards, less than a five minute walk from end to end. Which means, visit this site as early as possible.
FUSHIMI INARI TAISHA
Just look at these images...the torii gate path is just as impressive in person...and the gates go on forever. Or so it seems. There are two torii gate sections at the beginning of the shrine that run side by side for about 50 meters. This area jams up with everyone trying to take the same endless torii gate photo. Once you go beyond this area you can walk the shrine alone and really take the time to enjoy the spectacle. A loop up to the mountain top and back down takes about two to three hours.
This temple wasn't super packed when I arrived but some patience was required to take photos with no one walkthing through.
After passing through thousand of torii gates the top is a bit anti-climatic and you could start walking back down without realizing you passed the summit shrine...but nothing tops walking through all those torii gates and the experience can't be diminished even in pouring rain.
GION DISTRICT
Just as a watched pot never boils, loitering around the Gion District may not automatically lead to a Geisha siting. I stayed in the Gion area and when I walked around with the intent of trying to see a Geisha I never had any luck. As soon as I stopped looking they would appear. Loosely there are three types of Geisha's you may see: a full fledged, 100% real Geisha, a maiko / apprentice Geisha, and a tourist dressed as a Geisha. If you spot a Geisha you will instantly know the difference - the real Geishas radiate a presence that's similar to the way a lion struts around the African Savanah vs. one that's prowling its cage at the zoo. When a Geisha walks past you it doesn't feel real. I would live in that brief moment and not try to be a jerk and take a flash photo - seeing a Geisha is an experience that can't be captured by film.
TEMPLES
Kyoto has hundreds of temples - some you stumble upon simple walking from your hotel to a restaurant while others lay off in the distance and need to be searched for. Some are small complexes while others have large park-like setting. All seem to incorporate the natural surroundings. The obvious strategy would be to go for quality over quantity but that could mean winding up a temple with 1,000s of other people. Of the popular temples - Kiyomizo Temple, Ryoan-ji Rock Garden, and Kinkakuji, aka The Golden Pavillon. Kiyomizo stood out for the size of the complex and is near the Gion District. Ryoan-ji and Kinkaku-ji are both easy stops on the way back from Arashiyama.
The best temple experience I had was waking up early and walking to the Yasaka Shrine. The Shrine was a bit farther then it looked on the map but it was nice having the temple to myself along with a few early morning Shinto practitioners.
The best temple experience I had was waking up early and walking to the Yasaka Shrine. The Shrine was a bit farther then it looked on the map but it was nice having the temple to myself along with a few early morning Shinto practitioners.
Here's Ryoan-Ji:
And the Golden Pavilion:
The Nanzeji Temple aqueduct and the Yasaka Shrine:
The Kiyomizo Temple:
As for Kyoto? Is there more beyond the temples? Kyoto is a city of 1.5 million people and as I mentioned at the top it is a very flat, not a lot of tall buildings, and wide city which I think oddly makes it feel small. There's not a ton of congestion outside a few sites. There's a few tall buildings near the train station but otherwise there seemed to a lack of a true downtown/center city type area that pulled everyone together. This made restaurant hunting a little tricky but I remember eat a few good meals here too.
For additional Kyoto photos see FLICKR ALBUM.