Last of my sightseeing in Kyoto
My week in Kyoto in 2012 involved as much sightseeing as possible as there are so many wonderful places to visit. One of the lovely places to walk through is the Gion District which is a traditional entertainment district. It’s also known as Kyoto’s most famous geisha district.
The area is packed with bars, restaurants and traditional teahouses, and is really at its most atmospheric in the early evening, when the lanterns are lit and apprentice geisha flit about the back streets on their way to their appointments.
We did see one young geisha walking along but I didn’t get my camera out in time unfortunately. But I did manage to snap a photo of one man in some sort of traditional garb; not really sure why he was wearing the clothes as he was just walking down the street.
We also visited Ginkaku-ji (the Silver Pavilion) and unlike the Golden Pavilion, this pavilion does not have a trace of silver on it.
When it was first built the plan was for it to be coated in silver leaf, but there was no money so the silver-less pavilion was converted into a Zen temple.
It does have a beautiful reflective pond and manicured trees, a raked sand garden, and a mossy wooded hillside from where you can see a low-rise urban backdrop.
We also took a stroll along the Path of Philosophy (Tetsugaku-no-Michi) which really is such relaxing way to spend an hour or two. It was named for a Kyoto university professor who took his daily constitutional along this route. There are also beautiful cherry blossom trees along the way.
Another wonderful place to visit is Chion-in temple which is the head temple of the Jodo sect of Japanese Buddhism.
The temple has spacious grounds and large buildings. The first thing you notice as you arrive at the temple is the massive main entrance gate and stands 24 meters tall and 50 meters wide. It is the largest wooden gate in Japan and dates back to the early 1600s.
Kyoto is definitely one place that everyone should visit; it’s absolutely beautiful.
twobrownfeet said:
Thanks Sue for sharing such a wonderful memory of Kyoto. We visited Japan in the month of November – seven months later. 🙂 There’s so much to explore in Kyoto. And the temples are all so beautiful. Although, exploring involves a lot of walking and tired, painful feet.
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
I agree with the sore feet as there is so much to do and all beautiful. Glad you had the opportunity too.
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Rotwein Wanderer said:
Glad you managed to see cherry blossoms in Kyoto. Taking a stroll down the Path of Philosophy – from Silver Temple to Nanzenji – is my fav to spend a day in Kyoto!!
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Amy said:
Beautiful all round here!! Some exquisite images. Can’t wait to see Kyoto!
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
How lovely to hear someone who clearly knows this place so well. Thank you.
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Thank you Amy as always.
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Sophie said:
Sue, this week my husband and I are on the edge of booking tickets for what would be our very first trip to Japan, and your Kyoto post right here might just be the ultimate argument to wipe off all sorts of hesitation on our side !!! You do make Fabulous Travels, as your blog states, and this post just is a Fabulous proove of it once more!!
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carentaylor said:
We are very lucky to be able to share in another of your visits, your pictures are lovely, such beautiful place to explore 🙂
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sileas said:
Oh we went to the same temples, I remember Ginkaku 🙂 Kyoto is so much worth the visit, I definitely wanna visit again! Your photos are lovely as always btw 😉
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Lovely comment Sophie. Can’t wait to hear when you have booked and do hope you make it to Kyoto. It absolutely was worth it. How exciting for you both. Just so you know I went and saw my parents after coming home from China and my dad said he read your post on Israel. He enjoyed X it immensely. We don’t know you in person of course but my dad always asks after you and enjoys reading your lovely comments to me on my blog. Have a fabulous food filled weekend. Look forward to your next culinary experience on your post. All the best Sue. X
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Thanks SO much Caren.
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Thanks so much. Julia. I love reading blogs when you have been to the places yourself. It’s always a nice memory isn’t it. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
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Sophie said:
oh thank you so much Sue! and thank your dad for me too! We talked about it before, but I do hope we’ll get the chance to meet in person some day!! Have a great weekend as well ! Just for you to know, I will cook tonight this dish from Tanzania that I made a while back, except that this time I will try a vegetarian version of it, by replacing the prawns by potatoes as you had suggested as well 🙂 i’m sure it’s yummy too!
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Edward Tan said:
Pleased to know that you enjoy Kyoto which is my favourite city in this world. It’s a place where tradition and modernity co-exist. I lover everything about Kyoto, its peace, harmony, ambiance, exquisite…
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Little Miss Traveller said:
Reading this makes me want to visit Kyoto even more now!!
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carentaylor said:
🙂
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
How lovely. Hope you do.
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sidran said:
Such a lovely place and you are lucky to see sakura.
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
I agree – a gorgeous place. I do find that I was very fortunate to see the blossoms. Just too beautiful as well as the wonderful temples.
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Sartenada said:
Wonderful set of beautiful photos presenting the town in which I would love to visit someday. Thank You for this lovely post.
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
What a lovely comment thank you very much.
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Ysobel Luna said:
I wish I’d had the time to walk along the Philosopher’s Path. Thanks for the great post!
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SueT唐 梦 琇 said:
Thank you so very much. How lovely of you.
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