Temple, temples everywhere!!

Kyoto is not Japan's capital of culture for nothing. I have never seen so many temples and shrines in one place (they lost their mystery a little after the 15th one in an hour!)
This is a wonderful city and full of history and beauty. Temples aside, there are many wonderful lanes lined with traditional tea houses and if you are lucky (which we were) the odd Geisha or two.

Day one in Kyoto and we dutifully followed the temple trail until curiosity took us down a pretty side road and into a land free from the crowds. It was so quiet in fact I felt like we were on a film set. Then from around the corner came three magnificent Geisha... I nearly jumped up and down with excitement as they glided past us and up the hill (but not without a photo request naturally - the usual point at the camera and 'photo?').

The temples themselves are rather impressive and in the sunshine you catch all the wonderful colours. They are not just for tourists either, they are very much still in use by the locals and seeing them in use helps us understand culture and tradition all the more.

Above is the Water Temple

These are little prayer / wishes made and offered up to the spirits for consideration.

After a day of much walking, a little bit of shopping and a Starbucks stop we crashed at the hostel for dinner. The pace of temple consumption was relentless, but with 2000 in the greater Kyoto area it is a necessity!

Day two Kyoto and we headed just out of town to Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine. This is a hillside walk following a winding path (4km long) of torii. The long and rather tough walk was unexpected, but very rewarding. Constructed in the 8th century to the gods of rice and sake, the path meanders all the way up the hillside and delivers a rewarding view of Kyoto from the top. We had definitely earned our bowl of Ramen noodles for lunch!

Back on the temple trail and we headed North of Kyoto to the Golden Shrine

and to find some peace (or just rest the legs) in Japan's most famous Zen garden at Royanji temple. The dry garden of 15 rocks (arranged in 5 islands set adrift in the sea of sand) has had philosophers and scholars puzzled as to its meaning since 1450. We didn't solve the mystery - just enjoyed the view!

And here is one of the man behind the camera - yes, he is on holiday with me!!