It is conveniently located near the train station, which makes using public transportation easy, as it is also the city bus terminal.
Here's my attempt at haiku:
Dueling umbrellas
on Kiyomizu-dori
Kyoto in the rain
For those of you counting syllables, the two speakers of Japanese assure me that Kyoto only has two syllables!
It was pouring when we arrived in Kyoto at lunchtime. We dropped our packs at the hotel, and set off sightseeing.
Entering Kiyomizu temple.
The street up to Kiyomizu temple was highly congested (mobbed, really) with groups of school kids visiting from all over Japan. Add the normal tourists and the umbrellas, and it was difficult to move. What a difference from walking the Nakasendo!
Thank goodness Roxana had another route planned for our exit, through the Buddhist cemetery.
We were all soaked by now, and Dave had had it. We took the bus and dropped him back at the hotel, then Cathy, Roxana and I continued on to Gion, the old part of Kyoto. We were in Gion at 3:50, but missed the Geisha rush hour because we got side-tracked by some beautiful hand made clothing in a handicraft store. Did see one geisha before we left Gion.
It seems that everywhere we turned we were at a World Heritage Site. It's no wonder because there are 17 in Kyoto alone. Kiyomizudera gets 4 million visitors annually. We were there with at least 2 million but we made the best of it by sampling the ubiquitous mochi wrapped sweet bean filled confectioneries which the area is famous for.
ReplyDeleteI always drink from the natural spring whose waters guarantee longevity. Maura & Dave are going to stick to Crystal Geyser.
The view of a distant yoto Tower even with the rain shrouded vista was thrilling. The wooden verandah was even more so.