January 17, 2011
9:35 PM
17 Jan 2011, Japan Day 10
2nd day in Kyoto! The snow from last night settled, and most of Kyoto was covered in snow. Bits and pieces here and there though, not as bad as Nagoya. That was literally hell frozen over.
First stop was Kiyomizu temple! One of the few epic sightseeing areas in Kyoto, imo. After seeing it in manga, being there in person is a whole new experience. Its the place with a 13m high stage, where if you jumped down and survived, your wish would be granted. Jumping is prohibited now though, for obvious reasons. The temple itself is also a complex of shrines. One of the shrines, the Jishu shrine, contains the famed love stones. If you manage to walk from one to the other with your eyes closed, its said your love life will soon be fulfilled. Not sure how well it works, but japanese girls are crazy over it.
Second stop was Ginkaku temple. Not much of the temple itself.. maybe the sand formations. The scenery there was good though. A tree dropped its snow over my head there. :(
Lunch was at some eatery nearby. The first crappy meal so far. Average tempura udon, relatively high prices. Bleh.
Next stop was meant to be the Kyoto Imperial Palace, but to enter, you had to have a reservation, and the place where you make reservations was closed today. So yeah, we didn't go in. The area was pretty close to a girls' school though, so we made a detour for a while. :D
Next, a handicraft centre. Sold a heck lot of stuff, especially swords. Pretty high quality stuff, but naturally, unaffordable. Left without getting anything.
The last stop was the Gion area. We took a guided walking tour of the area. Highly recommend it for those who want to tour the Gion. If you went by yourself, you probably wouldn't know where to go/what to look for. The place is amazing. Its as if you're in a whole different world once you enter. Before you know it, you got yourself immersed in the place. Almost like ancient Kyoto. Finding your way out may be a problem if you don't know the place well. Naturally, with Gion, there's the geishas as well. Managed to see a few while walking around. Must be a really tough life, but probably every girl's dream.