Opening Times Mar.–Nov. 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Dec.– Feb. 8.30 a.m.–4.30 p.m. Getting There Take buses #50 or #55 to the Ritsumeikan Daigaku-mae bus stop or bus #59 to Ryoanji-mae. Ryoan-ji is also a seven-minute walk from Ryoanji-michi Station on the Keifuku Kitano Line. Contact www.ryoanji.jp Admission Fee ¥500. While in the area After Ryoan-ji head to another of Kyoto’s main attractions, the gilded Kinkaku-ji (pages 9 and 22), which is just over a kilometer to the northeast and easily reached by bus from Ryoan-ji.
3 Kiyomizu Temple
Tradition and nature—a view of Kyoto from on high
From haiku poetry to the (Chinese originated) concept of “borrowed scenery” in garden and architectural design, traditional Japanese culture is deeply rooted in an appreciation and reflection of nature and especially the seasons. Kiyomizu Temple in eastern Kyoto is a particularly fine example of that.
The temple’s main hall (Hondo) has a backdrop that marks the seasons. In spring (the natural, academic and fiscal beginning to the year in Japan) the Hondo is accented by the delicate pinks of cherry blossom. Come summer, it’s immersed in a sea of lush green that gives way to rich reds and yellows in autumn, before the foliage thins and is occasionally dappled with snow in winter.
Kiyomizu Temple is comprised of many elements (including a three-storied pagoda that is especially magical when occasionally illuminated at night), but it’s the Hondo that steals the show. Dating to the 1600s, like many of Kiyomizu’s current buildings (although the temple was established much earlier in 778), the hall is built on a rock face that overlooks a small valley and features a protruding wooden veranda held up by 12-meter (40-foot) high keyaki (Japanese Zelkova) pillars.
Not only are the hall and its veranda one of Kyoto’s most memorable images, a Japanese idiom equivalent to “take the plunge” was born from it. It used to be said that anyone who leapt from the overhanging veranda and survived would have their dreams answered, while anyone who died trying would be rewarded by sainthood. It might sound like everyone is a winner with that deal, but don’t be tempted to leap yourself. Taking the plunge from Kiyomizu Temple was illegalized back in 1872 in response to a spate of leaping mishaps.
Opening Times The main hall is open daily from 6 a.m.–6 p.m. Getting There From Kyoto Station head to the Gojo-zaka bus stop, served by City Bus #100 and #206. Kiyomizu Temple is a ten-minute walk uphill from there (just follow the crowds). From the Kawaramachi and Shijo areas, you can catch City Bus #207 to the Kiyomizu-michi bus stop. Contact www.kiyomizudera.or.jp. Admission Fee ¥300. While in the area After the temple, check out the stores and cafes on the sloping Ninenzaka, Sannen-zaka, and Kiyomizuzaka streets nearby (page 26). You’ll find lots of old craft shops and places to try traditional sweets.
4 Nijo Castle
An Edo-era symbol of the Shogun’s power and prestige
Constructed in 1603 by the first Edo-era shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Nijo Castle (Nijo-jo in Japanese) was born as a powerful statement of intent, serving as a potent reminder to all in Kyoto of Tokugawa strength. Although Ieyasu ruled from afar in Tokyo (then called Edo), the mighty Nijo-jo left no one in doubt that Big Brother was watching and ready to pounce.
Located in the heart of Kyoto, just northwest of Nishiki and Shijo (see page 33 for a full day out in the area), Nijo-jo’s grounds are spread out over 275,000 m² (329,000 yd²) in which modern-day visitors will find a pair of palaces (the Hinomaru and the Ninomaru), remains of fortifications and landscaped gardens that together saw Nijo-jo granted World Heritage designation. In particular, it’s the Ninomaru palace that stands out. Its gardens, designed by famed Edo-era landscape designer Kobori Enshu, combine pines (to symbolize longevity) and rocks (representing loyalty) to appease Tokugawa’s ego, while inside the palace itself are some of the most ornate screen paintings and carvings in the country—the outer chambers, which would have been used for lower-ranked visitors, decorated with fear-inducing paintings that evoke strength and power, yet the inner chambers for trusted and higher-ranked guests being home to more calming, beautiful imagery.
Through the 265 years of Tokugawa rule, Nijo-jo’s defenses were never put to the test, but should anyone have been brave enough to launch an attack, the remaining giant stone walls encircling the castle’s grounds suggest that Nijo-jo would have withstood almost any onslaught. As for attacks more subtle, the artistry at the Ninomaru wasn’t restricted to paintings on the walls and doors—ninja beware, as the “nightingale” floors in the Ninomaru palace are designed to squeak like birds should an intruder try to enter by stealth.
Opening Times Daily 8.45 a.m.–5 p.m. (last entry 4 p.m.). Getting There From Kyoto Station you can get City Bus #9, #50 or #101 to Nijo-jo-mae bus stop. The same bus stop can also be reached from Karasuma Station by City Bus #12 or #101. Contact www.city.kyoto.jp/bunshi/nijojo/english Admission Fee ¥600. While in the area Combine Niji-jo with the other sites featured in the tour of central Kyoto on page 33, including Kyoto Imperial Palace Park, Nishikikoji food market, and the stores along Shijo-dori and in the Kawaramachi area.
5 Fushimi Inari Shrine
Kyoto at its mesmerizing best
Eye catching, enchanting, iconic—there are many ways to describe Fushimi Inari Taisha (shrine) in southern Kyoto. You could add “good exercise” to the list, too, if you decide to walk around the whole shrine.
Dating to the early 700s, Fushimi Inari Shrine is best known for its 10,000 vermilion torii gateways, which cover four kilometers (two and a half miles) of winding pathways that lead up and around a wooded mountain punctuated by small shrines and small fox statues, all combining to create an atmosphere that is at turns mystical, at others eerie, but always begging to be explored.
The grand scale of Fushimi Inari Shrine reflects its importance. It’s the head shrine of some 40,000 other Inari shrines across Japan, all dedicated to one of Shinto’s principal deities, Inari Okami, the god of rice, sake, prosperity, industry, fertility and numerous other things. Inari has certainly collected an impressive portfolio over the centuries. He or she has also collected numerous guises—Inari has been depicted as male and female, old and young, as a bodhisattva, and even as a fox. It’s the latter that often causes some confusion as the stone foxes scattered about Fushimi Inari Shrine are frequently called Inari, when in this case they are actually supposed to be just foxes (kitsune) acting as Inari’s messengers.
If you were to come in early January, the shrine would be packed with people doing the traditional hatsu-mode—the first visit of the year to a shrine to offer prayers for good fortune for the year ahead. In fact, on any visit here, you will see a fairly steady flow of business people and others hoping for a little fortune from Inari. Whenever you visit, there’s a good chance you won’t find anywhere else in Kyoto to be quite as mesmerizing.
Opening Times Daily from dawn to dusk. Getting