After making trips out to both Osaka and Kobe I realized I have yet to shine light on Kyoto. Before arriving at Kansai Gaidai I actually stayed in Kyoto for two weeks to sightsee. After 3 months I finally made a trip back and realized Kyoto has a very calming atmosphere when compared to Osaka. What I found interesting is that everyone, not just foreign students but even Kansai students all shared this attraction to Kyoto; it’s no wonder Kyoto is said to be one of Japan’s most beautiful city.
Kyoto use to be Japan’s capital, from 784 to 1869 summing up to be more than 1200 years of history. To this day there are still more than 2600 temples in the Kyoto Prefecture.
As November just passed, so did the peak of the Japanese koyo viewing tradition. Every autumn, travelers from all over the world come to Japan to view these colourful leaves, which was very evident when I made my way to Kiyomizudera last weekend. There were rows upon rows of people lined against the main hall trying to get a picture of the view. Kiyomizudera [Pure Water Temple] is one of the most celebrated temples in Japan and is known for its wooden stage that gives a breathtaking view of cherry blossoms, maple trees and Kyoto city. Kiyomizudera also encompasses Jishu Shrine [dedicated to the deity of love and matchmaking] and Otowa Waterfall [three separate streams that bring longevity, success at school and love]. When night time falls, Kiyomizudera is illuminated, however because there were so many people, I did not have a chance to enjoy this.
[Kiyomizudera Enterance]
[View of Kyoto City from the entrance]
[View from the main stage in Kiyomizudera]
[night time view of Kyoto City]
Overall I was a tad disappointed with this trip because a lot of patience was needed to endure the mass amount of people all coming to view the koyo. The route and view were breathtaking and something I would definitely recommend to anyone, but only if they plan on going on a weekday.
Reference:
Kyoto’s History
Koyo
List of Kyoto’s Popular Koyo Viewing Spots:
I think enjoying the crowds is part of the experience - we are anthropologists after all. Why not view the people viewing the view?
ReplyDeleteI like that different point of view, but at times that was even impossible. When the light show was about the start at 6pm, and the area became more and more crowded and all I could see was the back of the person in front of me, and the arms of the two people beside me.
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