Kyoto is one of those cities that everyone must visit when they come to Japan. With more than 1600 Buddhist temples and over 400 Shinto Shrines, Kyoto is one of the world's most culturally rich cities. There is so much to see that you can't see it all in one day or even a couple of days. Still, there are those Shrines and Temples that stand out above the rest and so we made a list and saw as many of those as we could.
We decided the funnest and least stressful way to tour Kyoto would be to do it by bike. Riding bikes made it so much easier to see so many places in one day while also avoiding traffic and crowds on the trains and buses. We found a great bike rental place right by Kyoto station and were the first ones there when it opened at 9am. We both got the plush seats and headed to our first destination.
Arashiyama
The first place we biked to was Arashiyama which is located 8km outside the center of Kyoto. The bike ride out there was beautiful and the weather couldn't have been better. Arashiyama is considered the romantic side of Kyoto. You can usually find a cool breeze since it is by the river and up close to the mountains. This area was originally developed as a detached villa for the imperial family so they could escape the heat of the summer. We loved the gardens at the Tenryu-ji temple and spent a good deal of time there. Right outside of the north garden exit was the bamboo grove that we were both excited to see. We went down a good stretch of it before turning around and heading back to our bikes. There were people everywhere but with Mike's help and my quick hands I was able to get a shot of the forest without anyone in it.
From here we hopped on our bikes and rode along beautiful country roads, next to green lakes and even got to bike right through some temple grounds. It was our favorite biking of the day.
Kinkaku-ji
Our beautiful ride took us to one of the most famous temples in all of Kyoto - the Golden Pavillion at the temple of Kinkaku-ji. Mike and I had been there together in 1998 when we were visiting my family who still lived in Japan at the time. It was a great day to see the beautiful temple with blue skies above and the sun shining all around us. It was quite crowded but that didn't stop us from elbowing our way to the front to capture some amazing shots of this beautiful temple floating in the pond. The temple that stands today is actually a replica built in 1955 of a 15th century structure that was re-covered in goldleaf in 1987. The original was burned down by a foolish Buddhist priest who thought that his sense of aesthetics might approach perfection if he burned down the very object that had enchanted him to begin with. Each of the pavillion's three levels reflects a different architectural style. The first floor is of the palace style, the second floor of the samurai house style, and the third floor reveals the Zen-temple style.
Nijo-jo Castle
Leaving the Golden Pavillion we headed into the heart of Kyoto city where the bulk of the shrines and temples were located. Our first stop was Nijo-jo Castle. We thought it would be a good addition to the temples and shrines. Although it was not our favorite location of the day it still had some impressive grounds. I especially liked the moats surrounding the castle and the garden on the north side of the grounds. Nijo-jo Castle was built in 1603 as the residence of the first shogun of the Edo period. After the Tokugawa Shogunate fell in 1867, the castle was used as an imperial palace before being donated to the city as a historic site. The castle is divided into three areas: The Honmaru (main circle of defense), the Ninomaru (secondary circle of defense), and some gardens that encircle both. The entire castle grounds are surrounded by stone walls and moats.
Kiyomizu-dera
Leaving the castle we headed to the temple at Kiyomizu-dera. This complex overlooks all of Kyoto and for that reason alone it was worth the very hilly trek to get there. We ended up walking our bikes up a less crowded side road that cut through a very traditional Japanese hillside cemetery. It was quite a site to behold. I am always amazed by the cemeteries in Japan. Kiyomizu-dera literally means Pure Water Temple and is on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the wooded hills east of Kyoto. This temple is best known for its wooden balcony that juts out from its main hall. Right inside the balcony there is a little "Sword in the Stone" like place where you can challenge yourself to pulling the heavy rods up out of the box. As strong as Mike is he struggled.
Nine of the buildings on the grounds were being renovated while we were there but it was still a beautiful place to be. At the base of the temple grounds is where the Otowa Waterfall is located and its waters are divided into three separate streams. Visitors use cups attached to long poles to drink from them. Each stream of water is said to bring different benefits - longevity, success at school, and a fortunate love life. We did not wait in the long line to drink from them but enjoyed watching others try their hand at catching the water in the cups.
Heian Shrine
The sun was fading fast but there was still one more shrine that I had really wanted to see. We got on our bikes and rode like the wind northward towards the Heian shrine. We got there only 10 minutes before 5pm and were a little too late to enter the gardens on the backside of the shrine. Still, we got to enjoy the open grounds of this beautiful shrine before calling it a day. We walked around a bit and then as it finally became dark we headed across the street to the park and had caramel popcorn and listened to some local musicians. It was nice to relax a bit before riding at night back to Kyoto station. We rode along the path by the river most of the way back. It was so beautiful even at night. We found a great restaurant in Kyoto station and had the most delicious margarita pizzas. What a station...wow! It was a perfect day!
