K y o t o 3

We headed to western Kyoto to visit Arashiyama, a pleasant touristy district near the Hozu River.

The Togetsukyo Bridge is Arashiyama's most iconic landmark.

 I love this place as it offered many photo shoot opportunities.

Upstream of the Hozu River where you can rent a pleasure boat.

This is the best I could capture with my limited built-in zoom lens.

A bright red torii gate set amongst the forested green.

There are torii gates of different sizes in this temple.

Welcome to Kyoto

You can hire a rickshaw to ferry you around.

Tenryuji Temple - A zen temple once ruled by a Shogun

The bamboo groves path walk is the highlight of the visit.

It is nice to walk when the weather is cool, watching and hearing when the bamboo sway and rustle in the light wind.

Nonomiya Temple

Oh how I love the moss growth.

Where is my train? Did someone just say watch my back?

The Japanese love their 12 signs of Zodiac too.

A souvenir to bring home from the craft museum.

Sharon spotted a gift shop with loads of My Melody stuff.

On the whole, I love Kyoto for its traditional Japanese culture, its many UNESCO WHS registered temples, the beautiful gardens, the chance to spot a geisha or maiko at Gion(though we didn't), the stop-and-eat food market, and the seems-like-endless-walk indoor shopping street. It was a wonderful trip. Now, I am looking forward to more of Kyoto when I plan my next Japan holiday.

And another travel trip awaiting....

K y o t o 2

We started Day 2 to Kiyomizudera Temple, one of Kyoto's most prominent temples and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The temple is made up of several shrines within its complex, and is known that not a single nail is used for the construction of this majestic temple. 

The temple is a popular ground for cherry blossom and autumn maple tree watching. 

Spotted a blackie spotting me.

The steep & busy shopping street of Higashiyama on the way up to Kiyomizudera Temple.

Downward path to other temples in the vicinity.

As always, there are distractions along the way.

A Bhuddist monk collecting alms.

Entrance steps leading to the temple.

The iconic temple gate.

Ladies posing in their lovely kimono.

Fallen leaves and bare tree, the sign of winter.

Worshippers leaving their blessings behind.

Typical kawaii V-pose isn't it?

Parking mine next to daddy's.

A leisure walk down the temple, with plenty of shops to patronise.

Big head stone statues

Happy smiling face of a satisfied customer.

We chance upon this artist and decided to buy some handmade tops from him.

A security guard making sure everything is in order before closing for the day.

We start and ended the day in a slow pace as we were in no hurry to be there and see them all. In fact, I like it more like this as it allowed me to take more photos. Instead of taking public transport, we walked and take our time to soak in the environment and atmosphere, stop and eat as we wished. This is the epitome of a great holiday.

And another travel trip awaiting....

K y o t o 1

Kyoto, the former imperial capital, has got to be one of my favourite destination in Japan. I liked that the city is compact, and the places of interests are easily accessible by the comprehensive train & bus systems. The food was great, shopping was fun and importantly, there were many opportunities for the camera trigger happy me. 

 Our Kyoto trip started with a visit to Kinkakuji, a golden pavilion zen temple north of the city.

 The temple is built over a pond, and is not admissible to the public.

 The entire two upper floors are covered in gold leaf.

 A closed-up of the shimmering gold.

 Receive your luck by tossing coins at these statues.

 The persimmon look ripe to eat.

 Nothing beats a green tea ice cream cone on a winter day.

These ladies were certainly happy with theirs.

Nice bed of red & pink petals.

We made our way to Shijo-dori, where Nishiki Market is located.

 Nishiki Market is known as Kyoto's kitchen, with hundreds of stalls and restaurants selling all things food related.

 The narrow market is 300m long and is an ideal place for anyone looking for culinary delights that Kyoto is famous for.

 Most stalls sell local produce...

 ...and offer free sampling to tempt the taste buds.

 You could eat it there and then, like these dishes on skewers.

 Pretty pottery bowls & saucers to serve the delicious food.

 Stall selling Japanese dried seafood.

Sharon raiding the sweet stall.

The drink dispensing machine is a lifesaver. A can of warm milk tea essentially warm the cold palms.

Kyoto has countless of temples across the city. To fully visit and appreciate them all, it would take at least 4 days. We decided to stick to the popular ones, and take our time to enjoy the city.  

And another travel trip awaiting....