I told Sean that one of the things I wanted to do in Japan was walk around the cities and wander into temples and gardens. I had this lovely vision of relaxing strolls, tranquil shrines and meditative scenery.
The reality was a little different. Namely, that the cities are HUGE and the temples can be far apart or even off-the-beaten path. Simply wandering around wasn’t going to get us where we wanted to go. So, we came up with a new plan!But first this photo we took of Mt. Fuji from the bullet train on our to Kyoto to Tokyo. The clouds moved just enough for us to get this glimpse. So special!
Kyoto is very walkable and different from Tokyo in that the architecture is much more traditional with the lower buildings, modest homes and curved, tiled roofs. The city is surrounded by hills and mountains.
Our solution to wanting to see temples that were spread out and far out was to rent bicycles!!! Sean has been wanting to do this for a long time and I got on board because I knew it would help us see more places and because the city is fairly flat (this is true until you go further out, I realized later).
And we were off! Our first temple was right in Kyoto – we’d driven by it in a taxi and knew we had to return. Higashi Hongan-ji is a large and impressive Buddhist temple structure – and is said to be the largest wooden structure in the world. Seeing the mountains all around with the trees in full fall colors was wonderful.
Fountain outside of the temple.
Katherine Minerva came out at this random stop. Ha!
In addition to the temples, we went to lots of different food and open-air markets, and passed traditional Japanese restaurants and Kyoto locals in traditional dress.
Our 2nd day with the bikes we went to the outskirts of the city, out into the hills. On our single-speed bikes. It was a little rough and I definitely did my share of complaining but it was worth it. The temperatures held in the low to mid 50s and it was overcast but did not rain. Very comfortable for riding bikes.
First up was Kitano Tenmangū – a 10th century shrine that was filled with stunning fall foliage mingling with the colorful structures. Stunning.
We rode a bikes a short distance to the Golden Temple, Kinkaku-ji. Keep in mind that Sean was researching and navigating so he had some idea of what we’d see but I did not. Every single thing we saw was a surprise and it was incredible. The walk in to this temple was a path with Japanese maples in gold and red all around. We followed the crowd, rounded a corner and came upon this sight. WOW.
Japan is SO beautiful!
We visited the little market onsite and picked up some local sake, gifts for friends and family, a necklace for me with gingko leaves on it, our traditional souvenir of a Christmas tree ornament, and a matcha soft serve ice cream cone.
We then went for lunch before heading over to a rock and landscape garden called Ryōan-ji. I didn’t think the scenery or foliage could get better but I’m convinced it did here with a small lake surrounded by small cobbled paths that wound through smaller, manicured gardens.
Within the temple structures, I loved the use of wood for texture, integration with nature and warmth, as well as all the levels of the various buildings. Visually arresting but calming at the same time.
I’m sure Japan is stunning in the spring with the cherry blossoms but I do not feel like I missed out with the spectacular display of color from the Japanese maples and Gingko trees. Safe to say I’m still in awe of these sights.
