When you think of Kyoto, you may consider golden temples, or endless series of orange torii gates at Fushimi-Inari, but if you were to pick the most iconic spot, the spot that most says “this is Kyoto,” it would have to be Kiyomizu-dera. It perches over Kyoto in the Higashiyama district. From the temple you can see the city stretching out below all the way to the mountains in the west. Kawara roofs of temples and shrines poke out here and there from the buildings and the really only visibly tall point is Kyoto Tower to the south.
This temple attracts many visitors, from legions of students on school trips to tourists from overseas. Kiyomizu-dera translates to “Pure Water” Temple, as it was built in 798 on the site of Otawa Waterfall. Today, patrons can line-up to drink from one of three spouts of water depending on their desire; one for health, another for academic success, and the other for love. I worked with a tour guide once who explained that some teenagers go here and believe that if they jump from the 12-meter high porch with an umbrella as a parachute and survive they will find love. She quickly adds to not try this. And, please don’t because you read it here. I don’t want letters.
The surrounding areas of Kiyomizu-dera, like most temples and shrines in Japan, have many gift shops and places to get local snacks. Here, though, are the two very old neighborhoods of Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka which are like taking a step back in time. This is the Kyoto you may imagine, with narrow streets and wood structure buildings. Women in kimono walk through and pose for pictures, tourists line-up for snacks and green tea flavored beverages or ice cream. From Kiyomizu-dera it is a nice little 25~30 minute walk. As we were passing golden light lit up the roofs and wood panels of these old shops.
Passing through Sannenzaka leads to a few more temples and shrines. One is the Great Buddha of Ryozen Kannon. This statue was unveiled in 1955 to commemorate the fallen of both sides of WWII in the pacific, and to promote peace moving forward. It sits at about 80 ft (24 m). Next to it is the entrance of Kodai-ji Temple, which due to late hour we did not go in and decided to end our trek in search of some dinner instead.
Though this is a walk that has been done many times, by many people, it is certainly worth a visit. It is a walk back in time, the mood, the atmosphere fulfill the promise of the traditional Kyoto you would expect. I have done this walk at least three times, but still have missed some temples and shrines. The walk ends with Yasaka Shrine, which I still haven’t been to yet. I am glad that on this particular day the rain from earlier broke and bathed these historic sites in a beautiful light.
Kyoto is a dream. It must be visited, quietly contemplated and breathed in.
One thought on “Higashiyama Walk in Kyoto”
Loved the photo of the bamboo with the contrast of lights.
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