Kyoto prefecture
Kyoto, such a special place to visit and a favorite among many when visiting Japan. Kyoto was the original capital of Japan and famous for its numerous Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Kyoto is home to many World Heritage Sites.
My first visit to Kyoto was back in March of 2001, exactly 20 years ago. Blake and I visited on a 12 day tour with my parents. This was before kids, before iPhones, before Facebook. This past spring break, it was my 3rd visit to Kyoto and luckily we were able to spend 5 nights in Kyoto and really enjoy its beauty during the most popular time to visit, Sakura season. It was so memorable.
Byodo-in, is stunning and beautiful. On a lovely sunny day, it’s beauty shines with a reflection on the pond. About a 40 min train ride south to Uji. A must.
With so many World Heritage Sites to visit, you must plan your days. In addition to visiting such historic World Heritage Sites and the many temples and shrines; Kyoto is also known for its Gion district (Geisha), home of Matcha, largest Matcha production, Kaiseki dining- many little dishes with lovely flavor and beautifully presented, and so, so, so much history.
Those who know me well, know that I LOVE matcha! Back home in Portland, I would make my matcha with milk each day. On our first full day on our last trip, we were fortunate to have our dear family friends Eichi and Mutsuko take us to the home of Matcha production- Uji. Uji is located about a 40 min train ride from Kyoto Station. Uji is also home to the infamous red Byodo-in World Heritage Site. Uji is also home to Ujigami Jinja, which is the oldest shrine of Japan. We also had our dear friend and Japanese teacher Yoko join us for the day. On our way back from Uji to Kyoto, we stopped by to see the Fushimi Inari Taisha, one of the most iconic sites with over 5000 red Tori gates.
Our friends took us to Nakamura Tokichi Honten (main location) for lunch. They are well known in Japan as a very popular Tea Company. From a long history, Nakamura Tokichi seems to go back to 1854. We all enjoyed Matcha soba, which was so delicious and we all had their special Matcha dessert. We each ordered our own dessert after a filling lunch and you will see from the pictures, the dessert was huge! It was very delicious including matcha ice cream, cake, strawberries, chestnut, some sort of sweet rice krispy crunchy thing, and other things inside this famous dessert. In additional, everyone gets tea with their meal and the tea was phenomenal. What a lovely meal.
Beautiful Kodaiji temple at night. This is a spectacular place to visit at night
On this latest trip, here are the World Heritage Sites we visited: Byodo-in, Ujigami Jingu, Toji Temple, Ginkakuji, Kiyomizu Dera, Nijo-jo. Other sites we visited were Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kodai-ji at night, Yasaka Shrine, Heian Shrine.
An experience to remember. If you are like me and interested in being dressed in a kimono and experiencing how it feels to wear one, just do it. My recommendation is Okamoto’s Kimono rentals. Their main store is near Kiyomizu Dera. They are the original Kimono rental shop that brought the concept to Japan. The staff was incredible. Not only are they expert kimono dressers, they can help you select all the details. I have never worn a kimono, so it was very special to be properly dressed by a kimono expert. As I was being wrapped with several layers and tied in the traditional way, it was an incredible experience and feeling. My dresser customized my fit and it was comfortable to wear. I ended up wearing it all day. My recommendation is go early, my appt was at 9 AM, and I was out the door all dressed and hair done by 10 AM. Like Cinderalla, you have a curfew and you will need to return back to the shop by 5:30 PM. I enjoyed a day at Kiyomizu Dera, meeting friends at Ginkakuji and walking the Philosophers Path. Definitely a special experience I will cherish and remember.
Here are some places we visited in Kyoto- lots of Unesco World Heritage Sites: Byodo-in, Ujigami Jingu, Toji Temple, Ginkakuji, Kiyomizu Dera, Nijo-jo. Other sites we visited were Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kodai-ji at night, Yasaka Shrine, Heian Shrine.
Most people visit shrines and temples during the day. In Kyoto, there are several shrines and temples that have evening illuminations, for each season. When you do visit Kyoto, check out what sites have night time hours for illuminations. We visited Kodaiji and Nijo-jo at night. Both had amazing Sakura exhibits.
