Day 1: East Kyoto

Kyoto was the second capital of Japan, from 794 until it was moved to Edo (now Tokyo) by Tokugawa Ieyasu at the beginning of the 17th century. The city is a virtual Disneyland for lovers of imperial history, with well over 2000 temples and shrines, as well as innumerable castles and palaces and tombs and Buddha knows what else. I spent the (long) first day attempting to see all of East Kyoto (in the pouring rain), and was mildly successful. (Note: Anyone who is the least bit obsessive-compulsive should avoid Kyoto at all costs. While Hiroshima and Nara each garner a mere five pages in most guidebooks, Kyoto fills over forty.)

I began the morning at Sanjusangen-do, an unbelievably long hall filled with 1001 gilded statues of Kannon, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. All statues are nearly idenntical (each with dozens of arms), but upon a closer inspection, every one of them is unique, differing in facial expressions, items held in their multiple hands, etc. In addition, the hall contains a couple dozen statues of demons, warriors, and demigods from Japanese Buddhist folklore. Unfortunately, my pictures don't do it justice, as pictures inside are prohibited. (This was the recurring theme of Kyoto.)



From there I walked through the cobbled streets of Gion, the oldest section of the city, on the way to Kiyomizu-dera, an 8th century temple that is arguably the most famous in Japan. Among its attractions are a man-made waterfall; taking a sip is alleged to cure any and all ills. I still had a headache from all the school groups there, but hey, maybe you have to be Buddhist for it to work...



Speaking of school groups, this group of middle school girls followed me for over a block until they finally got the courage to ask me for a picture. I'm famous!

Just north of Kiyomizu-dera is the Tomb to the Unknown Soldier.

I then stopped at Kodai-ji, a late 16th century temple presided over by the wife of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the knight who ruled Kyoto at the time. The temple's gardens were spectacular.


Yasaka-jinja, a shrine that served as a sacred spot for Shinto and Buddhist alike prior to the Meiji Resoration.


For lunch I had to try kaiseki-ryori, supposedly the most refined cuisine in Japan. The restaurant was over 400 years old, and dinner sets run about 300 bucks per person. I have no idea why, as the lunch sets are allegedly almost identical and cost just over 20 dollars.

Chion-in serves as the headquarters for the Pure Land sect of Buddhism, dating from the end of the 12th century.


The largest bell in Japan. To conceptualize the scale, I'm about twice the height of the flower design in the center.

So much historical [expletive--for the grown-ups!] that it's even in the road!

Heian-jingu, a late 19th century shrine (though it's more like an estate) built to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the city; now one of the city's most famous landmarks.




Konchi-in, a sub-temple of Nanzen-ji (next):


Nanzen-ji, a Rinzai zen temple allegedly one of the most important in the city. Dates from the mid-17th century.


I ended the day at Ginkaku-ji, the Temple of the Silver Pavilion. After trekking the 2 km Philosopher's Path--the daily route taken by early 20th century philosopher Kitaro Nishida--I made it to the temple. Modeled after its partner in rhyme Kinkaku-ji (the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, described above) in the 15th century, Gingaku-ji was a cultural center of Kyoto after it was erected. Unfortunately, most of the compound burned down during wars over the course of the centuries, but as Rough Guides so profoundly states, "It must be a glorious [glorious, I say!], ethereal sight under the reflected light of the moon."