Day 3 - Kyoto

Today was to be our big exploration of Kyoto. The morning we spent walking around Kyoto, just taking in the sights and atmosphere of the city centre.

Heading up the hill to the
Kiyomizu-dera temple

The gate and pagoda

After lunch we caught a bus to the base of the temple complex of Kiyomizu-Dera. Officially Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera is an independent Buddhist temple near Kyoto. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) UNESCO World Heritage site.  There is quite a long and winding cobbled path to the temple which is situated in the hills east of Kyoto. Because it's a major tourist attraction as well as a local place of importance, there are many small stalls and shops selling souvenirs along the way. It was mid-afternoon by the time we arrived and there were already many people heading back down the hill, with bags of shopping, including groups of school children.

The bell tower and bell-ringer

The three storied pagoda

The temple was founded in 798, and its present buildings were constructed in 1633. It takes its name from the waterfall within the complex, which runs off the nearby hills. Kiyomizu means clear water, or pure water.


The present structures consist of a Romon (two storied gate), Sanjunto (three storied pagoda), Shoro (belfry) and other minor buildings.

Tree branches supported by bamboo

Detail of construction without nails

The temple was impressive, not only for the size, but also its setting, overlooking modern Kyoto which is now butting up against its boundary. Although the main features were the buildings, there were many small details and incidental objects that caught our eyes, for example the bamboo structures supporting extensive tree branches that would hang to the ground under their own weight. Also, there is not a single nail used in the entire structure.

Taking in the last rays of the afternoon sun

View over Kyoto from the temple

The complex is vast, and there are many smaller buildings spread throughout the grounds serving different functins. For example there is a matchmaking shrine. Jishu Shrine possesses a pair of "love stones" placed 6 meters apart, which lonely visitors can try to walk between with their eyes closed. Success in reaching the other stone with their eyes closed implies that the pilgrim will find love, or true love. We thought we should give that one a miss, as we didn't like the thought of falling and injuring ourselves while in Japan

A traditional geisha house

That night we actually ate dinner in the Kyoto Station Hotel which also had a number of small restaurants. Before returning to the Miyama Ryokan we walked into the old town which has traditional cultural activities (geisha houses) and architecture and were fortunate enough to see a geisha arriving for the evening - no photo though.It seems there is still a demand for this traditional style of entertainment, but it's definitely on the wane in popularity and only exists in more traditional places like Kyoto.