Kyoto and Nara family trip

The folks and I went on a little trip to Kyoto and Nara before I have to start uni. It was pretty hot over there, but I got to see some really nice places. Kyoto is a city full of temples, so we just went to the main ones. The hotel we stayed in was pretty good, and cheap to - a walking distance to a lot of the touristy places (including Gion). It was a good trip to get away although it did get tiring in the end from all the walking around we had to do!

1. Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion) (World Heritage Listing)

Some people find this place amazing, but others find it overrated. The temple itself was originally the mountain retreat of Shogun Yoshimasa (1358-1408). In a tribute to his grandfather, who covered Kinkakuji in gold leaf (see later), Yoshimasa intended to cover his own pavilion in silver, but was unable to do so because of the Onin Wars in Kyoto. So even though it was never covered in silver, it still retained the name.

Ginkakuji wasn't as spectacular as Kinkakuji and unfortunately we weren't able to see inside any of the buildings there. But it has its own unique beauty to it so I didn't mind it at all. I did enjoy the walk through the garden - it was so serene and calming, and it was so well maintained as well! Some people might find it boring, but I liked it!

(standing in front of ginkakuji - me and mum)

(garden at ginkakuji)

2. Heianjingu (Heian Shrine)

The Heian Shrine was built in 1895 to boost Kyoto's morale and economy after Tokyo was made the new capital in 1868, and to celebrate the approaching 1100th anniversary of the city in 1896. The Shrine was built in the Eastern foothills of the city also to honour the city's founder, Emperor Kammu.

The Shrine is bright red, with other pavilions and buildings (also bright red) surrounding a large open space in the middle. It's pretty eye-catching to say the least! It also has a huge garden to walk around in. It wasn't really as well maintained as the garden at Ginkakyji, but it was still beautiful. There was a large pond filled with irses, and stepping stones accross it - I had to be careful not to fall in! There was also a covered bridge across the pond where we could sit and feed the carp, and there were even little cute turtles! The race to the food was savage, and the carp kept stealing the food I was trying to give to the turtle!

(Heianjingu Gate)

(outside Heianjingu)

(Mum and me outside Heianjingu shrine)

(Bridge across the pond)

(Can 'notice' be binding if it can't be understood? ha ha )

3. Gion District

That night we walked down to the Gion District to have a bit of a look around and eat some food. This District is Kyoto's best-known geisha quarter, and I desperately wanted to see a maiko (Apprentice geisha), but it was raining pretty heavily that night, and I didn't get to see any... however, I think I did see a couple of geikos but wasn't quick enough to ask for a photo with them.

There were plenty of bars and sweets stores, but not too many 'average' restaurants that we could find. We didn't feel like anything fancy and we just wanted to get out of the rain. In the end we settled for a simple donburi (egg, meat and onion on rice) eatery which didn't end up being too bad! Cheap and filling!!