Kyoto in the Spring

Kiyomizu (清水寺), one of the most beautiful and famous temples in Japan. In the foreground you can see some cherry blossoms in full bloom.





This spring break I had family in town and we all headed down to Kyoto and Nara. I've been before a few times, but this was the first time I've ever been able to make it while you can still see the sakura there. We went over the weekend of April 2nd, when it was just starting to really get warm, so it was absolutely perfect.




What can I say, besides just how beautiful and magical it all was. Once you moved past the throngs of people it was all just wonderful - like I was seeing the Japan I'd imagined when I was young come to life.





Two women explore the city in Kimono. If you happen to be in the area there are now a lot of shops that'll rent you a kimono for the day, and they rent to men and women.





Stone markers inside Kiyomizu Temple itself. It had rained a bit that morning and it was overcast all day, but I think that added to the overall feel of mystery.





The main deck of the temple. It's made of tons of huge planks of wood using no nails at all. Even with the massive crowds it was a fantastic place to see. I highly recommend a trip to anyone visiting the area. Also, if you go this time of year a lot of temples and shrines are open till 8:00PM or later.

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After passing through Kiyomizu we went north along the slopes and roads. Here you can find a lot of souvenirs and local snacks. We stopped for a brief rest and to have cream puffs made from yatsuhashi (one of Kyoto's standard snacks), and then headed on towards the shrine.

But before then we stopped off in a few smaller temples.




This beautiful alter was outside of Entokuin (圓徳院), a temple built in 1605 by Nene, wife of the lord and conquering leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi. I'd visited the area before, but usually when it gets to around 5 or 5:30 everything shuts down and you head for your hotel. This trip we could see how Kyoto looks after dark. And it was a fabulous experience.




Glowing lanterns of Yasaka Shrine (八阪神社). The main shrine inside is illuminated with a bunch of green, white and yellow lanterns. And beyond that were a ton of night stalls selling food and drinks, and it being cherry blossom season of course you had the usual crowds doing hanami. But here, next to this amazing shrine at night, it was completely different than the standard cherry blossom viewing parties.




Yasaka Shrine dates to the 7th century, and is still in use today and is one of my favorite places to see in Japan. It has a kind of peaceful aura that you can really feel. A lot of the big temples and shrines may be more impressive, but Yasaka has a kind of presence of its own.

I'll be posting about my travels about Nara in the next few days, so stay tuned.


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Fore more info on Kiyomizu, check out the official page: Kiyomizu-Dera. The site (in English) is really cool.
For more info on Yasaka Shrine, check the wikipedia page here: Yasaka Shrine.

Or for tips on where to go and what to see in Kyoto, I really recommend the Kyoto Travel Guide, one of several guides made by Japan-Guide.com.