The Shrine was built in the late 18th century to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the founding of Kyoto. The creamy puff tasted as good as it looks!ģ)Heian-Jingu Shrine (Northern Higashiyama) In this peaceful environment, you'll find that your worries will melt away.Īfter the walk, we worked up an appetite and indulged in a delicious green tea cream puff in a sidewalk store just outside the temple. The temple grounds has beautifully sculptured white sand gardens.ĭespite the light drizzle when we visited, it's still very pleasant to meander and enjoy the beautiful garden. Originally, the Shogun had intended to coat the building with silver but that never happened. The Gingaku, or the Silver Pavillion was built in the 14th century by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. The original temple was built in the 13th century by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.Ģ)Gingaku-ji (Unesco World Heritage) (Nothern Higashiyama) The current temple built in 1955 is a reconstruction of the original temple after it was burnt down by a monk. The Kinkaku-ji or the Golden Pavilion is really golden in colour - it's covered by gold foil. Kyoto is undoubtedly the place to go to experience the best of Japan's rich cultural heritage With 17 Unesco World Heritage sites, hundreds of Shinto shrines and thousands of Buddhist temples, you'll never be able to see them all in one trip. Whilst we may not have understood the finer nuances of all the performances, we definitely appreciated the glimpse to a tradition that is not our own. Later that night, we went to Gion Corner Theatre at Yasaka Hall in Shijo Sagaru to catch a one-hour performance of seven traditional arts of Kyoto. So we figured it must be a male impersonating a geisha performance? Next to the picture of the geisha was a head-shot of a dashing young man. We even saw a male geisha.Actually, we saw a poster advertising a performance (we think.the words were all in Japanese.). Just observe and photograph from a distance. After all, who would want to be mobbed by tourist paparazis on the way to work? So, if you do go to Gion, please respect the geishas and do not hound them for photographs. We could not resist taking a photograph of the geisha, from a respectful distance. Notice how beautiful and intricate her kimono is compared to the tourist geishas' kimonos. However, we later spotted a real geisha hurrying to work. Here, we walked the old part of Gion, Shijo-dori in the early evening, hoping to catch a glimpse of a geisha on the way to work.Īt Hanami-koji we saw three ladies in kimonos but soon realized that they were "tourist geishas", tourists who have paid to be made up as a geisha, or in this case, just dressed in a kimono. For a taste of Japan's fine arts, we visited Gion. Kyoto is more than just temples and shrines. I think the restaurant is at Yamatooji-dori (Nawate-dori).but if it helps, here is a picture of the restaurant.
This is what the Kyoto-style Okonomiyaki looks like.Delicious! What goes into Issen-Yosho? Thankfully, the restaurant had it written down in the menu. Then we were hooked by the tantalizing smells as the chef cooked at the front of the shop. We stumbled upon this restaurant at Gion and was first attracted by this cute figurine of a young man whose pants was being bitten by a dog. If you fancy some street-style food, try the Kyoto style Okonomiyaki (Japanese savoury pancake) called Issen-Yoshoku. So, you get food, shopping and heritage at one convenient location! When your feet aches, pop by a cafe for a green tea soft serve ice cream or a cup of Japanese coffee, or if you prefer, Yebisu beer.Īt the top of Chawan-zaka, you can visit one of the oldest temples in Kyoto, the Kiyomuzi-dera. If you're lucky (which we were), you might even catch a glimpse of a Geisha at work. Or maybe some Japanese green tea Kit Kat for folks at home? Fancy a hand-painted T-shirt from a sidewalk artist? Walk along the charming cobbled pathway and pop into any shop that catches your fancy. The other place I highly recommend is the street market at Chawan-zaka or Teapot Lane in Southern Higashimaya for more shopping and eating. It's a great place to buy gifts for family and friends back home. We could not resist the yummy goodies once we've had a taste. Let's just say it's a very successful tactic. You can find all kinds of food here in this long narrow indoor market - from fresh seafood to black bean tea.Įnterprising shopkeepers call out for you to try samples of their offerings with the hope of making a sale. Nishiki market, also known as "Kyoto's Kitchen" in downtown Kyoto is a fascinating place to spend a few hours. As a foodie, one of my favourite spots to visit whenever I travel are the markets, be it indoor or street markets.
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