Day 9: Kiyomizu Gion

We ordered egg muffin breakfast meal (similar to Mac's muffin meal) at Lotteria, a fast food chain, located in the underground mall of Kyoto station. Price: ¥390
First stop: Kiyomizudera (The Clear Water Temple) is the main temple of the Hosso sect of Buddhism. It was founded in 807 but its present buildings were rebuilt in 1633. Nearest bus stop: Kiyomizu-michi or Gojo-zaka. Open daily, 6am-6pm. Admission: ¥300.
We walked up a gentle sloping street (Ninnen-zaka and Sannen-zaka walk) lined with souvenir shops and restaurants and found ourselves at the entrance. From here, we walked under the Nio-mon or Gate of the Deva Kings. The Deva Kings, along with Korean lion-dogs (koma-inu) protect the temple from any evil that may enter.

View of the nearby town from the 2nd gate (the structure on the right of the previous photo)

This is Hondo or Main Hall of Kiyomizu Temple and is dedicated to Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of compassion.

Butai (dancing stage) is held up by 139 wooden pillars (each 49 feet high) that extends the stage 10 meters over a 12 meter cliff and offers beautiful views of the city. Note: Due to the high popularity of the place, it is impossible to take pictures of you and the main temple's platform without an extra human body, arm or head appearing!

Nurete Kannon (Water-soaked Kannon) - to pour water over the image is considered an act of purification. Actually, we thought it's for good luck... hahaha... We collected water from the small spring fountain, walked about 3m and poured the water over the image of Kannon in a water basin. Did it three times lor (cos we followed the person in front of us, haha)

Beneath the main hall is the Otowa-no-taki (Sound of Feathers) waterfall, where three channels of water drop into a pond. Visitors to the temple collect the water from the falls in metal cups with long wooden poles (they are sterilized via UV ray, so no worries) and drink it to bring health and good fortune. Just look at the queue!! We queued to drink the water (erh, no special taste; it's just water...) and if you are lazy to queue, you can buy the bottled version from the vendor.

Jishu-jinja, dedicated to Okuninushino-Mikoto, a god of love and 'good matches', sells countless charms to help you snag the one you love. There are two 'love stones' positioned around 18m apart which the lovelorn must walk between with eyes closed to confirm their loved one's affection. PS: With so many people around, I don't think it's a good idea to try this!

We left temple and strolled around the area. Right photo: Bought a bun with green tea powdered paste (¥300) which tastes average. Top left: Japanese geisha figurines for ¥1050 each; i bought one as souvenir! Bottom left: Green tea-flavored Kit Kat is only found in Kyoto and is an excellent (and expensive) gift to bring home.

We bump into geisha! White make-up and elaborate kimono and hair of a maiko is the popular image held of them.

Strolled through Maruyama Park to enjoy the lovely autumn scenery

Top: Cute dog in samurai custom. Bottom: Street performance in the park

The entrance to Chionin Temple is through the two-story San-mon (main gate) and then up a steep flight of stairs. Standing 24 meters tall and 50 meters wide, it is the largest wooden gate in Japan and dates back to the early 1600s.

Chionin is the head temple of the Jodo sect of Japanese Buddhism. Top: The massive Miedo Hall houses the temple's principle object of worship: a statue of the priest Honen, who founded the Jodo sect. Bottom: Gardens On the Chion-in grounds. Open daily, 9am -4pm. We didn't manage to explore the temple as we came too late and the place was closing...!! =( Gotta rush over to the next temple since everything closes at 5pm!

Admission to Heian Shrine is free. The torii before the main gate is one of the largest in Japan, and the main building, or shaden, is designed to imitate the Kyoto Imperial Palace on a three-fourth scale.

Yasaka (Gion) Shrine is open 24 hours. Top: Many lanterns decorate the shrine's stage and are lit after dark. Bottom: Honden (spirit hall), a single-story building with a wooden shingle roof. Here worshippers wake up the god with a rattle of the pan shaped bells at the front of the building, then pray before the altar.

We bought snacks from the street vendors in the park. Yummy takoyaki (aka octopus balls, 6 balls for ¥350) and tempura fishcake (¥250)

We walked through Gion, the most famous geisha district in Kyoto, and is filled with ochaya (tea houses where geisha entertain), theaters, shops and restaurants. The main attraction are its traditional wooden machiya style merchant houses, built in a design characteristic of Kyoto. Due to the fact that property taxes were based upon street frontage, the houses were built with narrow facades only five to six meters wide, but extend up to twenty meters in from the street. Food here is really expensive! and we had to settle dinner at one of the cheaper restaurants opposite. hahaha