Round The World and other travel

More sights & lots and lots of walking!

I was ready for another good day's sightseeing in Kyoto and, while the weather wasn't exactly perfect, it certainly looked as though it was playing along. As the things that I wanted to see were all reasonably close to each other and the first of them an easy walk from the hotel, I suspected that I would spend most of the day on my feet. (I wasn't wrong, either!) First stop was the Heian Shrine where, like many of the other temples, the main buildings vied with the beautifully manicured gardens for the visitor's attention. From there, I moved on to the Chion-in Temple complex - a most interesting collection of buildings, gardens and burial grounds set into a steep hillside. Unfortunately the main temple area was spoiled to a limited extent by the decision to allow cars to park right beside the buildings Most impressive, though, in spite of this transgression.

Next, I passed through Maruyama Park, where seeing hordes of picnicking schoolchildren made me realise that it was about time for a spot of lunch. As none of the offerings from the open-air vendors appealed, I was delighted to discover a rather up-market tearoom where I had an early afternoon tea of very nicely presented sandwiches, complete with scones topped with jam and cream. Not very Japanese, but so welcome!

Suitably fortified, I moved on to the Kodaiji Temple complex, again set into a hillside and providing a fascinating glimpse into traditional Japanese life and culture. Virtually next door to this was the Ryozen Kannon, containing a large image of the Buddha and a war memorial. I was surprised and pleased to find that the war memorial was actually in honour of foreign servicemen who had died in Japan or Japanese-occupied territory during World War II.

Finally, I made my way through crowded and touristy shopping lanes to what proved to be an absolute tourist trap - the Kiyomizu Temple. It was mobbed with visitors, over 95% of whom were Japanese - way too busy for my liking, but impressive nonetheless. Having done all that, I decided to be kind to myself and call it a day. Although it was late afternoon, I used public transport for the first time that day and returned to the Westin with the help of one bus ride and one subway ride. It was another quiet night in and another dinner at the now thoroughly familiar Aquablu. (I checked out some of the other restaurants, but decided that they were probably offering a more leisurely experience than I was looking for.) Before going to bed, I made sure that I was packed and that everything was in order for an early departure the next day.

Heian Shrine