If you venture out to the north east boundary of Kyoto, you will find a beautiful gym of an area filled with temples and animals where you can hike along the rivers in the to amazing forests and mountains! Head to Arishiyama via bus, train or taxi then take a hike over the bridge, through the money forest and along the river and enjoy the peaceful serenity. Afterwards circle back across into town and check out the Tenryu-ji Temple and then onto the bamboo forest for some amazing photos!
The beautiful Kiyomizu-Dera is located at the top of the hill, walk through the cemetery up to the top see the temples and then walk back down through Nineizaka Street, if you haven’t had lunch there are a few places offering free samples of Japanese sweets - they are delicious and I highly recommend popping in to sample so one the way down, we even had a couple of green teas too!
Yasaka Shrine and Maruyama Park are also located a short walk away too!
One of the most iconic symbols of Japan is the bright red wooden beams which line the paths of the Fushumi Inari Shrine! The beautiful path begins at the bottom of the mountain then winds its way up to the hill and then back to the base. It is quite hectic at the bottom unless you get there around 7.30am, as busloads of tourist flock the site including day trippers that catch the bullet train from Tokyo! One positive is that the higher you go up the mountain, the less people there are so you should be able to capture some phenomenal photos without anyone in the background! The layout is spectacular and we really enjoyed exploring the site!
Higashiyama Jisho-ji and then walk back down along the Philosophers Path, a winding track along the small river that runs through the town. At the end you will walk into the Nanzenji Temple which is also pretty specular and has an interesting storey behind it, along with a roman aqueduct.
Downtown Kyoto is full of shops and links up to the Nishiki Market where there is an abundance of food, clothes and souvenirs! If you keep walking east through the markets you will end up in the labyrinth of the Zaimokucho District which is full of tiny traditional bars and restaurants, and really make you feel like you are in olden day Japan!
Gion Corner is where people come to see the Geishas of Kyoto! You are more likely to see them at night and I am sure that you can even organise events.
Overall Kyoto is a truely stunning place. The location is set in along a river between the mountains and full of traditional architecture and temples!
There are so many incredible things to do in this amazing country, so if you are after more information on things to do, where to explore and what to eat! So click on any of the links for for information or email us at info@indyescapes.com :)