Visit to Kiyomizu-dera Temple and the Southern Higashiyama area in autumn

25 November 2016

Kiyomizu-dera Temple is one of Kyoto’s must-see attractions. It was another one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Kyoto. I last visited this Buddhist Temple in June 2016 and I did not really enjoy my visit. See post here.

As in all must-see places in Kyoto, Kiyomizu-dera Temple and the surrounding streets were crowded and to make things worse, it was hot and humid in June. We just explored the “free to visit” outside area of the temple before seeking shelter from the heat in a nice cool cafe. This time round, we came to see Kiyomizu-dera Temple again in the cooler and less humid autumn weather.

The temple can be reached from Gion by bus number 100 (15 minutes travel time, 230 yen). If we were to take the bus, we would need to get off at the Gojo-zaka or Kiyomizu-michi bus stop. From where it would be a ten minute uphill walk to the temple. Since the weather is nice and cool in autumn, we chose to walk to the temple from our hotel (APA Hotel Kyoto Gion Excellent) instead. That way, we also get to see the southern Higashiyama area of Kyoto.

Queer figurines spotted along a street in the southern Higashiyama area.

Yasaka-no-to Pagoda at Higashiyama.

Along the way, we saw the Yasaka-no-to Pagoda, and walk up Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka, two preserved streets that was crowded with visitors the last time we were here. Most of the shops on these two streets were still closed in the morning and hence the streets were relatively quiet.

Sannen-zaka’s steps leading to the road in front of the Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

We reached the temple at about 9.20 AM and paid the entrance fee of 300 yen per person to get into the paid area of the temple where the main hall is located. The main hall houses a priceless statue of the Kannon Bodhisattva, the Goddess of Mercy.

Spectacular view of the town of Kyoto city from the Kiyomizu-dera Temple. We could see Kyoto Tower from here.

Although many tourists came for the views, many locals came to pray at this temple. The expansive site, with an area of 130,000 square meters, contains many important cultural properties, including buildings and Buddhist images.

Worshipper engulfed in incense smoke.

The views get even better as we went further into the temple and came to the main hall of the temple that was constructed overhanging a cliff. The main hall was constructed in the 17th century and the viewing platform of the main hall is supported by 139 giant pillars. 

View from the platform the main hall of the Kiyomizu-dera Temple with autumn colours at its peak.

The three-storied pagoda in the Buddhist temple on the far side of the Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

Along the ravine to the south of the main hall there were many cherry and maple trees. This place is known for its cherry blossoms in the spring, and its red leaves during the fall. A three-storied pagoda in the temple precinct can be seen across the valley.

Bird's-eye view of the Otowa no taki that sits just below the main hall of Kiyomizu-dera Temple. The name Kiyomizu-dera literally means “Pure Water Temple” and it takes its name from the pure waters of the Otowa no taki waterfall.

One of the best views of the temple was along a hill-side path on the side of the temple that led to the 3-storey pagoda across the ravine, seen from the main platform.

View of the Kiyomizu-dera temple and the Sanjunoto pagoda from the hillside path.

Zoomed in shot of the Sanjunoto pagoda and the temple.

View of the Kiyomizu-dera Temple and the pagoda from the far-side pagoda.

View of the Kiyomizu-dera Temple and the structure supporting the wooden viewing platform. The viewing platform of the main hall is supported by 139 giant pillars.

We then descended into the valley and walked to the waterfall we saw earlier from the platform. This waterfall is called the Otowa no taki and it is located just below the main hall of Kiyomizu-dera Temple. The name Kiyomizu-dera literally means “Pure Water Temple” and it takes its name from the pure waters of the Otowa no taki waterfall.

Visitors queuing to drink from the sacred waters of the Otowa no taki.

A line of visitors, mostly locals, were queuing to drink from the sacred waters of the Otowa no taki which are divided into three separate streams that fall into a pond. Each stream’s water is said to have a different wish granting properties, ranging from health, longevity, to wisdom.

Students, using the cups attached to long poles, collecting water to drink. 

From the waterfall, a flight of steps led us back to the main temple at the top. This is good place to see a close-up view of the giant pillars supporting the viewing platform above.

 

There is not a single nail used in the construction of the entire structure.

We went to visit the Jishu-jinja next. Jishu Shrine is a shrine dedicated to Okuninushi, a god of love and matchmaking.

Path leading to the Jishu-jinja Shrine. This is a shinto shrine was characterised by a torii gate at the entrance. 

Many visitors were praying for love, luck and whatever they wish for at this shrine.

This statue is called the “okuninushino-mikoto”, a Japanese god who is in charge of love and good matches. The rabbit beside him is the messenger of the god. 

In front of the shrine are two love stones, which are 18 meters apart. Legend says that if you can walk safely from one stone to the other with your eyes closed you will find true love. If you miss the stone then your desire for love won’t be fulfilled for a long time. You can have help from someone guiding you to be successful, but this means that a go-between will also be needed for you to find love as well.

Sign explaining the legend of the love stones at the Jishu-jinja Shrine.

A wish granting deity at the Jishu-jinja Shrine.

Wishes hanging on a statue.

The Jishu-jinja Shrine was the last place we visited at the Kiyomizu-dera Temple’s ground. As we were heading out from main entrance, we saw more groups of students waiting to enter. This place is popular with students, for some reason.

Entrance of the Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

Students assembled at the entrance of the Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

Busy and crowded street in front of the temple.

We walked back down the Matsubara-dori to the Sannen-zaka.  The street is lined with traditional wooden shops selling snacks, green tea and souvenirs. Some of the more enterprising green tea shops were offering free cups of green tea to entice visitors into the shops.

The eyes of the face in this lantern formed the Chinese words for Prosperity.

Two of Kyoto’s most attractive streets are Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka, a pair of gently sloping lanes that lead down from Kiyomizu-dera Temple towards the Nene-no-Michi Lane. We saw many kimono clad ladies along this area and there were shops offering kimono rentals and makeover for a fee.

Ninen-zaka.

We made it a point to walk through the Ishibei-koji Lane again on the way back to Gion. This is one of the preserved streets that took us back in time, to the world of samurai and geisha. The narrow lane is flanked by rustic traditional houses, some of which had been converted to posh restaurants.

Entrance to Ishibei-koji Lane - according to some, this is the most beautiful lane in all of Kyoto.

A trio of kimono clad females squeezing through a doorway along the Ishibei-koji Lane!

The other entrance to the Ishibei-koji Lane. This one is near to Gion.

 

We managed to spot a couple of geishas as we approached the Gion area where our hotel was located.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple and southern Higashiyama were the last places we visited in Kyoto for this trip. Our next destination is Kobe City, where we would be staying for a couple of days.

 

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Lunch at Ramen Sen No Kaze in Kyoto

25 November 2016 

Before leaving Kyoto, we stopped for lunch at one of the best ramen restaurants in Kyoto.

This restaurant, called the Ramen Sen No Kaze, is located just a few minutes walk north from Exit #6 or Exit #9 of Hankyu Kawaramachi Station, and before the Tenman-gu Shrine.   

The restaurant is small and queuing seems to be the norm. We were given a queue number and told the estimated waiting time was about half an hour. With that, we had the option to go shopping or wait outside. A few seats were available inside the restaurant for the people at the top of the queue and there were additional chairs provided outside, with heaters to keep queuing customers warm.

An easy to read menu posted outside the restaurant showing the different configurations of the noodles that were available.

 

This restaurant serves one of the best chashu (pork slices) or char siu (as it is known back home) with the ramen. There were different configurations and that were displayed in an easy to read menu posted outside the restaurant. Options for the soup included the classic pork-based soup, soy sauce-flavoured pork-based soup, miso-based or even seafood- and soy sauce-based soup. The soup could be spicy or non-spicy.

The ramen could be configured to come with steamed rice or gyoza or with both rice and gyoza.

The best seller was the Kyo No Shio Ramen. This dish normally came with 3 slices of the cha shu. We added two extra pieces for 200 Yen. I was given 6 pieces!

We chose the best seller, according to the menu, which was the Kyo No Shio Ramen. This is ramen noodles in classic, creamy, slightly salty pork-based soup stock and three slices of savoury, well seasoned chashu pork slices for 830 yen. There was option to add two more chashu slices for 200 yen and a Shoyu Tama (soy-sauce egg) for 70 yen which we did.

Side order of gyoza to go with the ramen.

We added an order of the delicious gyoza (dumplings stuffed with minced pork and assorted vegetables) to share. They were served as appetisers and best eaten with the vinegar and soy-sauce dips.

Seating was at the counter and we got to see the lady owner, who speaks English, and her staff grilled and cooked the food we ordered. The time needed to cook each ramen serving was controlled using a set timer with alarm to maintain consistency and quality. In less than 10 minutes, we were slurping away on our bowls of ramen. We finished every drop of the soup!

This was one of the best ramen I tasted in Japan. Highly recommended.

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From Kyoto to Kobe and evening around Sannomiya

25 November 2016

Having spent the last three days exploring the best sights in Kyoto, our next destination in this trip was Kobe where we would be staying for a couple of days. Kobe is the capital of Hyogo Prefecture and one of Japan's ten largest cities. Its port was among the first to be opened to foreign trade in the 19th century. Located between the sea and the Rokko mountain range, Kobe is also considered one of Japan's most attractive cities and who has not heard of the delicious Kobe beef. It was also very close to Himeji, one of the places we intended to visit on this trip, and I found that the hotels in Kobe is generally cheaper than Osaka and Kyoto. Hence, a few days stay in Kobe was a good idea.

We figured that the best place to stay in Kobe is at the Sannomiya area, the largest shopping quarter of Kobe. More importantly, Sannomiya is very well connected because it is served by three major stations which are run by JR, Hanshin Electric Railway, and Hankyu Railway.

The best way to travel from our hotel in Gion, Kyoto to Sannomiya, Kobe is to take the Hankyu train from Kawaramachi Station. As usual, we had forwarded our main luggage to our hotel in Kobe and we only need to carry our backpacks containing items that we need for one day.

Kawaramachi Station is along the Shijo-dori, same street as our hotel in Gion (APA Hotel Kyoto Gion Excellent). The station was just a short walk away. Walking to the station, we saw the Minamiza, Kyoto’s premier kabuki theatre located along the Shijo-dori.

 

Minamiza is Kyoto’s premier kabuki theatre located along the Shijo-dori, on our way from the APA Hotel Kyoto Gion Excellent to Ramen Sen No Kaze restaurant.

Before leaving Kyoto, we stopped for lunch at one of the best ramen restaurants in Kyoto. This restaurant, called the Ramen Sen No Kaze, is located just a few minutes walk north from Exit #6 or Exit #9 of the Kawaramachi Station, and before the Tenman-gu Shrine.  See my post on this restaurant here.

We took the Hankyu train from Kawaramachi Station to the Kobe-Sannomiya (Hankyu) Station in Kobe, with a change in Juso.  The journey took slightly over an hour and cost only 620 Yen per person.

 

Sannomiya Terminal Hotel, located right above JR Sannomiya Train Station.

Our hotel in Kobe is the Sannomiya Terminal Hotel, located right above Sannomiya Train Station. This is a value-for-money hotel and its location cannot be beat. There is also a tourist information center near this station where we went to enquire about Kobe’s free wi-fi and get some maps of the area.

Kobe city at dusk.

There were many shopping areas around the Sannomiya Station ranging from large departmental stores to pedestrian-only covered shopping streets.

Sannomiya Center Street.

We walked on the southwest direction from the station to a covered shopping arcade called the Sannomiya Center Street. The 550 meter long arcade had boutiques, import stores, patisseries, department stores, and an array of restaurants.

From there, we came to another covered shopping street called the Motomachi Shopping Street.

Kobe Motomachi Shopping Street.

South of the Motomachi Shopping Street is the Kobe Chinatown or Nankinmachi. It is one of only three designated Chinatowns in Japan.  The area was developed by Chinese merchants who settled near Kobe Port after the port was opened to foreign trade in 1868. During that time, the Chinese people were referred to as "people from Nanking" by the Japanese, hence the name "Nankinmachi" (Nanking Town). The area has over a hundred Chinese restaurants, shops, and a Chinese temple dedicated to Guan Yu.

 

Kobe Chinatown at night, with the Changan gate in the end of this street.

The Kobe Chinatown is compact. Two main streets run through the district, meeting each other at a small plaza in the center.  The plaza is beautiful at night, with lanterns and a red pavilion with stone carvings of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs. 

The coming year (2017) is the Year of the Rooster. Hence a large Rooster took center-stage in this zodiac pavilion.

 

One of the more interesting shops we spotted was one with Bruce Lee and accessories associated with him. 

Life-size Bruce Lee model outside a souvenir shop.

Many Bruce Lee costumes on sale at this shop.

There were quite a few Chinese restaurants at the Chinatown area. We did not fancy coming all the way to Japan to eat Chinese food at a Chinese restaurant. When in Kobe, one must eat the famous Kobe beef. There were many restaurants offering the prized beef in this area too but we already planned to go to the Steakland Kobe restaurant. This restaurant was supposed to be one of the “value for money” Kobe beef restaurant in Kobe.

One of the Kobe beef restaurants in Chinatown area with the Spiderman as their icon. I wonder why.

Steakland Kobe is located very near to the Sannomiya Station and seemed to be quite popular with tourists. There was a standing queue to get in and we joined the queue. After about 30 minutes of waiting, we were ushered into a relatively dark dining room. We sat by one of the teppanyaki table with a few other guests who were already there. We ordered the "Special Kobe Beef Loin Steak Set" and red wine to go with the meat. The set included 200g of beef, soup, bread or rice, salad, grilled vegetables and coffee.

Well marbled Kobe beef steak on the pan.

Our steak was brought to the table and the teppanyaki chef started the cooking process while we ate our salad. First, slices of garlic were fried to crispy bits and left at the side.

Kobe beef prepared teppanyaki style at Steakland Kobe. Best eaten with crispy fried garlic and some salt.

The meat was seasoned with salt and pepper and fried on the pan using the oil from frying the garlic. During the cooking, the meat were sliced and diced into bite sized cubes, evenly cooked till medium rare, before being served onto our plates.

This was not the first time we had wagyu beef, cooked teppanyaki style. While the warm beef was “melt in your mouth” excellent, somehow the dining experience in this restaurant was not as pleasant when compared to others that we had been to in Japan.

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Trip to Himeji Castle from Kobe

26 November 2016

Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

After breakfast at the bakery at the ground floor of the Sannomiya Terminal Hotel,  we took the JR Special Rapid Service bound for Himeji from the Sannomiya Station. In less than an hour, we were walking out of the JR Himeji Station. 

Himeji Castle is about one kilometer down the broad Otemae-dori Street from Himeji Station. Exiting the station's north exit, we walked in the direction of the castle along the road that is lined with rows of ginkgo trees in their beautiful yellow autumn foliage. It was a beautiful day with clear blue sky. This also meant that this autumn morning was colder than the previous few days.

View of the Himeiji Castle, a kilometer down the broad Otemae-dori Street from Himeji Station.

Row of ginkgo trees in their beautiful yellow autumn foliage, on the road to Himeji Castle.

 

Himeji Castle is also known as White Heron Castle (Shirasagijo) since the white-plastered walls of the main keep resembles a white heron in flight. This is in contrast to the Matsumoto castle I had previously visited in Japan. That castle was called the “Crow Castle” due to its black on white exterior.  Click here to see my post on my visit to Matsumoto Castle.

Matsumoto Castle or Crow Castle due to its black on white exterior.

 

The Himeji Castle complex is over 400 years old and was completed in 1609. Unlike many other Japanese castles, it was never destroyed by war, earthquake or fire and survives to this day as one of Japan’s twelve original castles.  It was under restoration for a few years and finally reopened in 2015. 

Otemae-dori Street led us to the square in front of the main Otemon Gate of Himeji Castle. Like most feudal castles round the world including Japan, there is a water-filled protective moat surrounding the castle complex. We took some time to walk along the moat towards the Koko-en Garden that is next to the castle. My original plan was to visit this garden after our visit to Himeji Castle. We decided that we would save some time and money and not go into the Koko-en Garden after a sneak peek though its gates.

Visitors can take a paid boat ride on the moat surrounding the Himeji Castle complex.

Moat surrounding the castle complex, with the Otemon Gate in the background.

Otemon Gate at Himeiji Castle, as viewed from inside the castle complex.

We entered the castle via the Otemon Gate into the third bailey (Sannomaru). Here, we could get a nice view of the Himeji Castle complex, without paying a single yen.

View of the Himeji Castle from the third bailey, Sannomaru.

The castle complex comprises over eighty buildings spread across multiple baileys, which are connected by a series of gates and winding paths.

Hishi-no-mon Gate.

A ticket booth could be found at the far end of the bailey, where the Hishi Gate marked the entrance to the paid area. 1000 yen per person was a small price to pay to enter the castle, compared to invaders of old who probably need to make the ultimate sacrifice when trying to enter. The castle was built to protect the lords and keep out invaders and the design was quite good for warfare during those era.

Another perspective of the beautiful Himeji Castle or White Heron Castle as seen from the Sangoku-bori moat after the Hishi-no-mon Gate.

Path leading to the castles with openings in the wall on the right.

The zig-zag approach from the Hishi Gate to the main keep was uphill all the way, going from broad to narrow as it approached the main keep, with the purpose to slow down and expose attacking forces. Winding paths connected the different areas of the castle. There are 997 openings called Sama in the walls of the keep, towers and walls from which arrows and guns could be fired from. These holes came in shapes of circles, triangles and squares for guns, oblongs for bows and arrows.

Wooden door of one of the many gates in Himeji Castle.

There were multiple gates and baileys and those doorways were low!

The samurais and warriors in those days were short!

An interesting view of the multi-layered roof of the Himeji Castle’s main keep.

Nice garden at the West Bailey.

We had to remove our shoes and carry them in provided plastic bags before entering the main keep. The main keep appeared to be 5 storey from the outside but was actually a six storey wooden structure plus a basement. We entered the main keep through an entrance in the lower floor of the building and climbed upwards via a series of steep, narrow staircases.

The floor area of each level got progressively smaller as we ascended.

Model showing the wooden structural beams.

The topmost floor houses a small shrine. We could look out the windows in all directions, down over the castle roofs, at the maze-like defence below and also Himeji city.

View of the road leading from the Himeji Station to Himeji Castle with rows of ginkgo trees on both sides.

View of Himeji City from the top floor of Himeji Castle.

Close view of the fish-shaped roof ornaments that are believed to protect the castle from fire.

Beautiful roof and edge tiles with the family crests.

 

View of Himeji Castle from the 1st Bailey (Hon-maru).

 

After exiting the keep, we spent some time taking selfies and enjoying the morning sun at the Hon-maru Bailey (1st Bailey) before making our way back to the Hishi Gate.

The walk back to the Himeji Station was gorgeous and comfortably warm in bright sunshine. We had the option to walk through Miyuki-dori Street, a covered shopping street that runs parallel to Otemae-dori, but chose to walk outdoor to enjoy the views of the yellow ginkgo trees and bronze statues created by the leading sculptors of Japan.

Otemae-dori Street in autumn.

Statue of a girl along the Otemae-dori Street.

After visiting Himeji Castle, we took the train back to Sannomiya Station and then the subway to Shin-Kobe Station. Why Shin-Kobe Station? The answer: Kobe beef!

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