Japan, Day 3: Eastern Kyoto

Yours truly at the Kobe Luminaria.

Wow! Where do I begin? Well, let me follow up on last night. I finished my blog, hung around the hostel for a bit, and as I was reading messages on the community bulletin board, I came across an ad about the Luminaria in Kobe. Every year, for a week at the end of the year, Kobe hosts a huge event in the downtown shopping area in honor of the 1995 earthquake. So, at 8:15 pm, I hopped on a train for an hour ride back to Kobe. It was well worth it! There are millions and millions of colored lights on the buildings, in addition to a huge, brightly lit gazebo...words do not do it justice, so I'll post pictures as soon as I can. It was pretty emotional, actually, considering that 6,000 people died and the city was basically flattened by the quake. I got back to the hostel around 11:00 pm, hung out with some of the people in the hostel common room until 2:00 am, then finally fell into bed.

One of the buildings on the Kiyomizu-dera Temple grounds.

This morning I left the hostel around 10:00 am. I walked to the first, and probably my favorite temple of the day, Sanjusangendo. This place was amazing...it was built in 1164 and holds a huge Buddha flanked by 1001 man-sized bronze statues called Kannons. I then trekked up Teapot Lane through residential streets bustling with shops and visitors before reaching Kiyomizu-dera, a huge temple built in 798. From there, I visited Kodaiji Temple, built in 1605 and the Maruyama Park. I then checked out Yasaka Shrine, a place where visitors ring a bell before saying a prayer to Buddha.

The Heian-Jingu Shrine. 


Walking along the "Path of Philosophers".

More walking led me to Chion-in Temple. I then hustled through the Heian Jingu Shrine before following a huge canal to Nanzenji Temple. This temple is located on extensive grounds, complete with a large Zen garden. From Nanzenji, I followed the famous Tetsugaku-no-michi, more commonly referred to as the "Path of Philosophers". This peaceful path runs along a little creek, through rows of cherry trees before reaching Ginkaku-ji. Ginkaku-jiwas absolutely gorgeous, and the grounds were like nothing I had seen all day. Walkways lead you through the gardens, which include massive raked cones of white sand.

Ginkaku-ji, also known as the "Silver Pavillion". 


Meticulously raked sand garden and cones at Ginkaku-Ji Temple.

At this point it was 4:00 pm and after walking around all day, I happily plopped myself onto a bus. I decided to hop off the bus at Gion, the famous geisha district. I walked along the main streets and then found myself winding through narrow side streets, enjoying the beauty of the 17th-century homes. Finally, at sundown, I made my way back to the hostel.

It's only 8:30 pm, and I am so tuckered out that I feel like I can sleep for days! As I'm typing this, I have to keep one eye closed just to clearly see the screen! Tomorrow is going to be another big day of admiring more temples and shrines in Northwestern Kyoto.

If you fancy a "Froat," then Teapot Lane is the place to go.