Kyoto - Mt Daimonji hike

Day 5 - I caught the No. 100 bus back to Ginkaku-ji and found the start of the hiking trail to Mt Daimonji as described here Hiking in Kyoto: Daimonji

It was a pretty easy half hour up, hot and humid being summer and all but the oldies weren't breaking a drop of sweat, unlike me.

 The views up top were amazing.

 In this photo you can see one of the fire pits they use for the festival on August 16th, where several bonfires are lit at the end of Obon. They can be seen from across Kyoto.

Saw some pretty cool fungi on the trail too.

Another 20 minutes or so back down and then back onto the No.100 bus to Kyoto station. Nice half day before heading back home to Tokyo.

Nara - deer, shrines & a giant Buddha

Day 4 - Nara is an easy day trip from Kyoto. The JR express train takes 45 minutes and costs 710 yen. The express train leaves every 30 minutes. The JR Nara station is an easy, flat 20 minute walk to Nara Park where most of the sights are located.

The deer a big thing in Nara. For 150 yen you can buy a pack of deer biscuits to feed them with. I wasn't that keen to feed them. 

Maybe it was this sign that put me off?

My first stop was Yoshikien gardens, free entry for foreigners, whoo hoo.

Had a nice stroll around here for half an hour or so then walked to Todai-ji, the temple which houses the Giant Buddha. 500 yen entry.

The Daibatsu is pretty impressive, 14.98m tall, 500 tonnes. And I liked the giant guardians and the gate and inside the temple as well.

If you feel like seeking enlightenment, try and squeeze through this pillar hole, 50cm wide, same as one of the Daibatsu's nostrils. Guaranteed enlightenment if make it through.

After this I walked up the hill to Nigatsu-do. More awesome views up here.

Then I wandered around some more of the park area and made my way to Kasuga Taisha shrine. Free entry. About 2,000 stone lanterns line the pathway.

Wakamiya-jinja. is one of the sub temples in the shrine area. Wouldn't bother with the entry fee, wasn't too much to see inside the small temple buildings.

Did a spot of shopping along the arcades on the way back to the station. Oh yeah and I saw a deer using the zebra crossing. Too funny.

Kyoto - Northern Higashiyama

Day 3, Bus 100 from Kyoto station to Ginkaku-ji, a World Heritage listed Zen Buddhist temple.500 yen entry. The name translates to silver pavilion but the shogun who built it never got to realize this dream. It is one of the most popular sights in Kyoto but it is worth squeezing through the crowds to check it out.

A 10 minute walk from Ginkaku-ji and I stopped in at Honen-in. The temple buildings were not open on the day I went, apparantly they only rarely open to the public. It had some nice gardens but if you are in a rush I would skip this one. It is free entry.

From Honen-in I walked along the Tetsugaku-no-Michi (Path of Philosophy) which was stunning.

This half hour walk brings you to Eikando Zenrin-ji. Put this place on your to do list. Spectacular buildings and gardens.

These are the sleeping dragon stairs leading to the back of the temple complex.

Another 10 minute walk brings you to Nanzen-ji. I think I was too tired by this point to appreciate this temple that is known as one of the finest temples in Tokyo. Probably also had something to do with the walk I attempted see, earlier post Going Loco in Kyoto. 

There is a very impressive gate at the entry of the temple complex which you can climb for a fee of 400 yen but I felt like I had seen enough view of Kyoto for one day so I skipped that. I went up past the aqueduct and to the gardens of Nanzen-in. 300 yen entry fee. The gardens were quiet small but worth a look.

Next I went to the famous Hojo gardens and temple area, surprisingly I almost had this place to myself. 500 yen entry. Some beautiful screen paintings inside the temple but I don't really dig the combed sand and rocks so much. Still worth a look.

I caught the No.5 bus back to Kyoto station from the main road, about 10 minutes walk from the main gate.

Kyoto - Arashiyama & Sagano

On Day 2, I caught the No.11 Bus from Kyoto station and got off at the Tenryu-ji mae bus stop. At Tenryu-ji I skipped the buildings and went for the garden entry fee of 500 yen.The zen garden is the main attraction here and it was pretty but not amazing.

If you leave the gardens by the north gate you will walk through the Bamboo forest. The bamboo is pretty awesome but it is only a short walk through the forest, I somehow pictured it a lot bigger.

When you pop out the other side, its a 10 minute walk to Jojakko-ji. This Buddhist temple was one of my favourites. 400 yen entry. Great views from the top of the temple area behind the pagoda.Gorgeous mossy lanterns and maple trees. Loved it.

Next stop was a short walk away, Nison-in. This place was a bit underwhelming. In fact I walked right past it a couple of time before I realised it was behind the scaffolding.

The maple trees are supposed to look amazing in Autumn but I would skip it otherwise.

Another 10 minute walk and I was at Gio-ji. 300 yen entry. Only a small temple area but stunning mossy gardens that photos just don't capture properly. It was like being in a fairytale grove. Put it on your list if you are in the area.

From here I walked back towards the bamboo forest and followed the walking track down the hill to Kameyama-koen. This is a park where people come to kick back and go for a paddle on the water or go shopping along the main street.

Again, the leaves are supposed to look fabulous in Autumn but the water was green and gorgeous while I was there at end of August too. I caught the No. 28 bus back to Kyoto station from the stop on the far side of the bridge from the shops. Some kind lady pointed out that the stop I was standing at in the main street was not a bus stop on the weekends.

Kyoto - Southern Higashiyama

As previously mentioned, Kyoto has an amazing number of places to visit. Here are a few that I visited on my second trip. This time I was lucky enough to have 5 days to soak up some of the awesomeness. I spent 3 days in Kyoto, did a day trip to Nara and on my last day did a short hike up Mt Daimonji.

On Day 1 I headed to Southern Higashiyama, catching the 206 bus from Kyoto station. First stop was Shoren-in. Buddhist temple, 500 yen entry. This was one of my favourite places of the whole trip. Gorgeous gardens and stunning sliding screens with paintings from the 16th & 17th centuries. I got there at about 9:30am and had the place to myself for about half an hour.

A five minute walk down the road and I was at Chion-in. I walked around the outer buildings and gardens here. The main hall is under reconstruction and there was a worship service going on so I decided to skip the 300 yen entry to the inner building and garden. Lots more people wandering around this temple precinct, not surprising as it is the headquarters of the Jodo sect, the most popular form of Buddhism in Japan. Also has the largest temple gate in Japan which you enter before you make your way up the hill to the main buildings. 

Next I walked another 5 minutes to the north eastern corner of Mauyama-koen. This park is a pretty great spot to stop and have some food and people watch. I saw a wedding photo shoot, people feeding fish in the pond, cyclists, tourists, locals...

Down the hill from the park I wandered through Yasaka-jinja, also known as Gion-san and then onto the backstreets of Gion where I spotted a junior geisha.

Final stop for the day was Nishiki markets where I joined the throngs checking out the tasty food, drinks and souvenirs on offer. I walked from Gion, took about 20 minutes from the main shopping street, Shimbashi.

Bus 206 back to Kyoto station and some tasty food from the Porta restaurant area before passing out at the hotel.