One of the wonders of Kyoto is that you can just walk along the streets and find yourself back in time… Old houses, temples, shop-filled streets. Everything is so charming. That’s exactly what we experienced when we walked along the streets of Higashiyama, on our way back to Gion area after visiting the picturesque Kiyomizu-dera.
Why Higashiyama?
The Higashiyama District along the lower slopes of Kyoto’s eastern mountains is one of the city’s best preserved historic districts. It is a great place to experience traditional old Kyoto, especially between Kiyomizudera and Yasaka Shrine, where the narrow lanes, wooden buildings and traditional merchant shops invoke a feeling of the old capital city.
Source: Japan-guide.com
There were plenty of people, Japanese and tourists alike, along the streets – and plenty of shopping for omiyage or Japanese snacks!
It was a downhill walk, which I enjoyed much better than an uphill walk (we took a taxi from downtown to Kiyomizu-dera).
And as we walked further, the sun started to set, casting a beautiful orange hue on the rooftops. PRETTY! Kireiiiiii…
I love the wooden houses around this area, they are so… okay, again I’m going to use the word “charming”.
Not so charming but equally cool, we saw some really weird masks/statues that were a little freaky in so many ways.
We then walked past a couple of temples and the majestic Yasaka Pagoda (above). Because we were walking sort-of aimlessly, I am not sure what the names of these temples are… But I’d say this particular one with lots of colourful sarubobo is worth the visit!
They’re great for photos, so why not right?!
We also walked past a lot of random things along the way, so I was camera-ready the whole entire way down…
All in all, Higashiyama area is filled with wonders and quirks. It really isn’t hard to love Kyoto…
In my next blog post, I will show you another side of town that I equally love… Until then, jya mata ne!
You can walk down the Higashiyama district from Kiyomizu-dera to downtown Kyoto in about 45 minutes. I’ll recommend taking in all the sights and stopping by at local shops and temples though, so you can spend pretty much as long (or as short) as you want, depending on your style of travelling.
Higashiyama district really does make you love Japan (Kyoto, particularly) even more. It’s worth the visit, if you are in Kyoto for more than 3 days and are templed-out.
Julie, is there a way to get in touch with you?
Emailed you, Sergey! :)