Kyoto

Went to Kyoto last Saturday to catch its famous 紅葉 (Kouyou)　and see its beautiful shrines and temples. There are countless of them there, preserved to retain its ancient architecture and at the same time, modernised and teeming with activity and business to cope with the never-ending visitors, from Japan and other parts of the world.

Everyone keeps telling me that I have to visit Kyoto if I am in Japan and it was truly an educational and flavourful trip last weekend. I went with Yasu, and man... the place was so so so crowded, like our Chinatown during Chinese New Year.



The super-crowded streets of Higashiyama district as we walked to 清水寺.
I enjoyed the congestion and the life in the area. The atmosphere was so good! And the shops were packed too. Went into several shops to taste the different Kyoto products (sweets and pickles mainly) and some shops even serve the tired travellers tea for free.



Had lunch at one traditional, cosy restaurant. Apparently, reservations must be made first but thankfully, there were just 2 more seats left so we could eat a good meal. Very healthy food... toufu, fish, miso soup, vegetables... One thing about the Japanese is that they really take pride in presenting their food. The dishes are served beautifully arranged and asthetically pleasing to the eye. Haha, but of course I took this picture halway into the meal.. so that explains why they don't look so pretty anymore. And yup, another thing is that the portions are extremely small, and each side dish is served in a separate bowl or dish. Washing the dishes must be quite a chore...



Getting ready for sightseeing in Kyoto



And here is the famous Kiyomizudera temple 清水寺! It's one of the UNESCO world heritage sites. Look at the wooden structure that holds the temple together. It was really quite a site to behold, cos can u imagine how strong the structure must be? And imagine too how the architects and craftsmen of old build a steadfast structure in their time that stands till today.



One ryokan tucked away for travellers and visitors in the Kiyomizudera vicinity



A view of Kyoto from the top. Unfortunately, my camera is not so good. It doesn't really capture effectively the whole panoramic feeling.



Couples visit this temple to seek the deities' approval of their marriage.



Hmmm... I can't remember where I was when I took this picture.. Could be in Maruyama Koen.





And these two pictures are taken in Maruyama Koen. Koen means garden and the place, with its different shades of green, yellow, red is really beautiful. There were also some street artists and I saw an excellent performance of a juggler who tossed knives and fire batons around like it's second nature to him. It was really really good.

Yasaka Shrine is next to Maruyama Koen and that was our last shrine visit before going for dinner.

The many lanterns are lit after dark and make a beautiful picture. Yasaka Shrine is also known as Gion Shrine, and it is famous for its Gion Matsuri (Gion Festival). And Gion is Kyoto's most famous Geisha district.


I managed to catch a picture of 2 Maiko-sans. Maikos are geisha apprentices and they have to go through a rigid period of training where they learn various traditional arts such as playing instruments, singing and dancing.

Well, dinner was a good Okonomiyaki at Pontocho and a Starbucks coffee afterward.
Pontocho is a narrow street with many restaurants and teahouses. It is one of Kyoto's traditional nightlife districts.




And the last picture is Kyoto at about 830pm... The night has just begun.. :D