Japan Day 6: Southern Higashiyama & Central Kyoto

Got up later than expected and I had forgotten that we had an appointment to tour the Imperial Palace in Kyoto at 10a. There was no way we were going to make that appointment and I was pretty mad at myself for not checking our itinerary the night before. Deep breath and a visit to the cafe from the day before set things right. The older gentleman was still there and still fun! Loved him.

1. Tourist Center and Bus Pass
This is a tip to all travelers. Always, always, always go to the tourist center. It is so helpful. Because of this, we ended up having a relatively smooth, awesome last day in Kyoto. Best decision ever.

Bus pass.

How to use the bus.

Tanai-meguri Ticket

2. Tanai-meguri Hall
By entering the hall, you are figuratively entering the womb of Daizuigu Bosatsu, a female Bodhisattva who has the power to grant any human wish. You basically walk through this pitch black hall while holding onto a wooden railing on the wall. If you let go of the rail, you will smack your face. We walked through with baby steps!


3. Love Stones and Jishu-jinja
This supposedly ensures success in love if you close your eyes and walk 18m between a pair of love stones. Trick is that you have to make it to the second stone "safely" and if you have help, you will have to ask for help in securing your love. Pretty hard to do actually.

Love Stone

Famous!!

The god of Jishu Shrine is Okoninushi no mikoto,
whose story appears in the most ancient history of
Japan, the Kojiki. When a rabbit gained what it
wanted by deceiving others, it was forced to peel
off its skin. Okuninushi, a sweet-tempered god,
healed it and made it mend its ways.

Kyoto Jishu Shrine: The Cupid of Japan
For 1300 years, Japanese young people have looked up to and relied on Jishu Shrine as the dwelling place of the god of love and matchmaking. Although the shrine is situated near the center of the Kiyomizu Temple, it is independent and does not form a part of the temple. After WWII, Jishu Shrine's name became known outside of Japan as many travelers came through Japan from every country in the world. It has now become popular among people from other counties to have Jishu Shrine charms promising 'splendid love'.

In a corner of the Shrine, there is a place where many small wooden plaques with pictures and writing on them are hung. They are called 'ema', votive pictures offering prayers with vows of love. Each plaque is a letter to the god for one's wishes to be granted. This is a form of prayer which began in Japan long ago.

4. Otowa-no-taki Spring
Visitors drink the sacred waters to bestow health and long life. "I drink from the Lakes of the Minatonka."

5. Shopping in the Temple District
There were tons of little shops in the street heading up to the Kiyomizu-dera (the buddhist temple where the hall, love stones, and spring were).

The stairs leading up to the Kiyomizu-dera.

Temple

Random man with axe.

Bell

 

I never did learn why they all have bibs/aprons.

View from the temple area.

Weird art we saw on the street.

Statue inside the temple

We tried to make it to the Imperial Palace again by 2p, but
got lost on the buses. We tried to ask directions a few times and even went to the police station where I had an awkward conversation and laugh with the policemen on duty. They did not speak English. We ended up having a really nice old lady, who I'm pretty sure went out of her way and off of her route, help us get to where we needed to go. Unfortunately, we still didn't make it to the palace on time for the tour. Guess it wasn't meant to be.

This is the map the policemen gave me.

In the end, this is all we saw of the
Imperial Palace in Kyoto.
The walls.

Gate to the grounds.

Signs

6. Kamo Mioya Shrine

The wooded area around this 8th century shrine is said to be a place where lies cannot be concealed. I lied while I was in there and I don't think that's true. 

Course I did say it under my breath so... It was a really beautiful area though.

Kamo Mioya Shrine History: It is located in a spot of great historical significance: archaeological excavations at the original site of the shrine complex have turned up relics from the Jomon period (ca. 10,000 BC - ca. 300 BC). As a shrine dedicated to the pacification and protection of the nation during the establishment of the Heian-kyo capital, Kamo Mioya Shrine counted numerous worshippers among aristocracy. It existed in its present form by the beginning of the 11th century, and was ritually rebuilt at regular intervals thereafter; however, most of the shrine buildings were burned to the ground during the Onin War (1467-77), together with the surrounding forest, Tadasu no Mori. It main shrine building has been rebuilt 8 times since the Edo period. It remains a place of calm, rest, and relaxation for local residents.

 

It took us a really long time to get back to the Kyoto Station and from there we went to the Kyoto Tower, which we decided not to do. It's pretty expensive to get all the way to the top. We ended up going to the Tokyo Tower later anyway and that was pretty cool. Once we got back to the station, we went to the hotel and picked up our bags and a few beers and snacks from the convenience store for our trip back to Machida. It took about 2-3 hours to get back in town and of course we stayed up late drinking and talking with Greg and Hisayo. I think that was the 'yoga girl' video on youtube night and we were all cracking up and having a good time. So happy that we stayed with them. They are super fun to hang out with!