Contemplative in Kyoto

And so we come to our final destination - Kyoto. We’ll be flying back from Tokyo in a few days, but that will only include an overnight stop, so this really does feel like the end of our mammoth journey! 

We arrive from Hiroshima in the early afternoon, leave our luggage in the hotel, and set off for our first tranche of Kyoto’s many temples. The first shock is just how big the city is, and how difficult it is to recognise the ‘old Japan’ its famous for. The second shock is just how busy it is. We’ve had glimpses of over- tourism  in Japan, but nothing compares to the hoards filling the streets as we near our first destination, Kiyomizu-Dera temple. By now we’re in the older part of the city - possibly the outskirts of Gion. Streets are narrow and bordered by wooden houses most of which are shops, cafes or restaurants. The road is literally filled with tourists - either moving towards the temple, or returning. We can’t believe how busy things are when it’s only January; what must it be like later in the year? Apparently, we discover later, the Chinese have January holidays and decide to visit in large numbers. 

Of course, not everyone is a tourist. There are many people coming to pray here too, and in every temple visit we make, we notice people taking part in the rituals of worship - increasingly difficult with daily crowds. 

The temple is spectacular, its predominant vermillion colouring shining in the afternoon sunshine. Not only this, but colourful and intricate designs are painted on some of the beams of wood. We settle into a calm acceptance of the numbers around - and of course, we have to acknowledge we’re part of the problem too - and just explore as much as we can. 

Many visitors are wearing rented kimonos - or yukatas in the case of men. We’re not sure how comfortable they are feeling after the long walk up the hill in Japanese sandals and tabi socks, but it’s quite nice catching them in some of my shots. 

There’s a superb view out over the city from here - and once again we’re blessed with beautiful weather. There’s a pagoda further up the hill looking resplendent in its wooded setting, but I decide I’m not up to walking to it bearing in mind the walk we’ve still got in front of us. 

We set off back down into the narrow streets - along with what feels like a few hundred others, but as we make our way towards the second temple we plan to visit - Kodai-Ji - the crowds begin to thin out and amazingly we’re almost on our own. Unfortunately, renovation work means we can’t explore the temple complex as much as we’d like to, but the beauty of the gardens makes up for this. There’s the added bonus of a bamboo grove which we walk through, made even more beautiful by the golden light trickling through as the sun is setting. We decide this means we don’t need to fit in the larger and more famous Arashiyama Bamboo Grove - I’d love to visit, but I just don’t think we have the time …

So, two very different experiences on our first Kyoto venture. We make our way wearily back to our hotel and as we don’t have the energy to go out again, eat in the rather expensive hotel restaurant. 

My main is the bamboo grove at Kodak-ji Temple, in extras, there are scenes of hoards of tourists, general shots of the two remotes, and detail of the decoration at Kiyomizu-Dera temple.