Kyoto Gallery

Our first day in Kyoto started out beautifully. We walked up Higashiyama in the hot, hot sun and were amazed at the way the city blends the old and new. Along the road we saw a foot bridge leading to a temple.

There was a ceremony going on, so we didn’t stay long. Instead we wandered up a narrow road where we found a cemetery.

It was beautiful and extended up and down a hill, and almost every grave stone had a small green incense jar. Down the road, we caught some monks trying to cross the street.

From there we continued down Higashiyama and found a five-tiered pagoda up another alley.

The alley led up to a cobblestone street where we saw, among other things, a rickshaw.

And we found our way to Kiyomizu-dera (a temple up on the mountainside).

We went into Tainai-meguri, a pretty strange experience. Apparently, walking down the stairs into the pitch blackness and following the rope through a hallway represents entrance into the womb of Daizuigu Bosatsu, a Bodhisattva who can grant wishes. We reached a small patch of light above a stone, which we spun around and made wishes before ascending the stairs.

We made our way to the main hall that has a veranda that sits a long way above the hillside. While we were up there, a thunderstorm rolled in over Kyoto, and the view couldn’t have been better.

When the rain subsided, we started the walk down and found a shinto monk still waiting in the drizzle.

We were soaked and waited the rest of the afternoon out in Gion. That night, we walked around this Geisha district, starting on Hanami-koji, where taxis lined the street waiting for businessmen leaving the restaurants and teahouses, and a hostess waited outside her establishment.

We walked around to the Shinbashi district, a really peaceful area around more teahouses.

We found the Tatsumi shrine, which is supposed to bring luck to entertainers, in the fork in the road.

We then walked toward Pontocho, an upscale club/restaurant area and toward Kiyamachi-dori, a less expensive place to hang out. We stopped to take a picture of the statue of the first geisha.

And that’s when we spotted a real one.

The veranda at Kiyomizu-dera with a great view of the city.

The first temple we stumbled upon.

The alley and pagoda on the way to Kiyomizu-dera

Monks cross the street while playing instruments.

A Shinto monnk waits in the drizzle near Kiyomizu-dera.

A daytime Kyoto tower near our hostel.

It’s a hot day to pull a rickshaw up this hill.

The pagoda on the way to Kiyomizu-dera’s main hall.

Flowers decorate a gravestone.

A Kyoto cemetery near Kiyomizu-dera.

The temple that sits on the hillside.

A storm rolls in over the city.

Rain moves in over the city.

A decorated temple gate

A gorgeous morning at a Kyoto temple

A restaurant/teahouse on Hanami-koji

Umbrellas going down the street from Kiyomizu-dera.

Gion taxis have cool decorations. This one has a fan on top.

A statue of the first geisha.

A look at Kyoto Station from the 11th floor.

A geisha walks down the street in Gion.

Taxis line the street outside of teahouses.

Kyoto view from the train station

A Hanami-koji teahouse

At night in a peaceful part of Gion

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