Travel Japan: Kyoto

Kyoto Part 1 (Kiyomizu Shrine & Golden Pavillion)

Before leaving the hotel, I'm just doing some lame stuffs in the hotel =P And so the story continues...

Visited this 2 historical sites in Kyoto town today. I was looking forward to this part of the journey as I love the culture and especially when history is paired up with architecture. So first up would be the ever so famous Kiyomizu Shrine which is famous for the Sakura viewing platform. I must say that this place was really majestic and everything there was just so well designed and maintained.

Entering Old Kyoto

Seriously a very nice place that was bustling with energy and there are just so many shops there selling weird stuff and traditional cakes. I enjoyed taking green tea and having a mochi tasting session through one of the shops there.

Inside The Shrine

This place was just so nicely adorned with peace and the beautiful scenery. Although i'm not really a shrine person, this was a super nice place to visit. Notice the balcony that is jutting out on the second picture? That is the highlight of the shrine where people can really view the town from the shrine which is situated at the highlands.

Popular Spot 1 (Love Stones)

About the love stones, it is said that if you are having a crush on someone, if you are able to touch one stone and walk to the next stone with your eyes closed and without the help of others, you would be able to find your true love. I don't know how true this was, but well, a myth to think about.

Popular Spot 2 (Mizu Shrine)

This other spot would be for people to be cleansed and wash their bad luck away. A lot of people were really lining up for this one! As for me, I just stood by the sides to watch how the people took the buckets and drank water flowing down from the spring above.

So after leaving here, We then headed off to our next stop, which was the Golden Pavillion. It was some sort a villa for one of the generals of ancient Japan and was now turned into a tourist spot open for viewing due to the fact that there was a really outstanding golden structure in the middle of his garden.

but besides his villa, of course there were other parts of the place that were really beautiful such as the waterfalls, Koi ponds, shelters, smaller structures and rest areas. It was cool that there were many spots were people could also make wishes by throwing coins into a specific place where there were little dressed up stones.

Anyway, this whole place was relaxing and peaceful with not as much shopping and eating compared to the other shrine but well, a day entering the cultural aspect of Japan was worth it! Next up Part 2 with the Kimono Fashion Show.