Today our itinerary covered Kyoto, it is Japan’s seventh largest city and formerly the imperial capital of Japan.
Our early morning itinerary included a bullet train(Shinkansen) ride to Kyoto(京都), it was just a one-station journey which took about 10 minutes but our tour bus had to take about 1 and a half hours to fetch us at our alighted station. Photos below are the Shinkansen Automated Ticket Machine, the Bullet Train and Kyoto Station.
The bus finally arrived to pick up our group at 9am and we moved on to Kiyomizu-dera Temple(清水寺), also known as the “Pure Water Temple”. It is one of the most famous temples in Kyoto and is designated as National Treasure. It is supported by hundreds of pillar and overhanging a cliff, offering a spectacular views of the city. The entry ticket is so nice that you can use it as a bookmark tag.
There is a 10 to 15 minutes walk uphill to the front gate Nio-Mon (Gate of the Deva Kings) of the temple. Along the way up are many shops selling a wide range of local specialties like sweets, handicraft, Kiyomizu-yaki pottery and various souvenirs.
Past the Nio-mon, there will be a second flight of steps to the Sai-mon (West Gate). Behind Sai-mon is the Sanju-no-to (Three Storied Pagoda).
Beneath the main hall is Otowa-no-Taki(Sound of Feathers Waterfall), where 3 streams of water drop into a small pond. At the time of visit(late spring), this place was very crowded with Japanese junior high school students. It is believed that drinking the water of the three streams confers intelligence, fortune(some says “beauty”), and longevity. But many also believe that drinking all three will invites personal misfortune. I am not the greedy type so I have chosen 2, guess what was that?
After our lunch at a typical japanese restaurant, we were set on the next location: Nara Park(奈良) where there are hundreds of deer roam around freely. Inside the park is where the famous Todai-ji Temple(東大寺, the Eastern Great Temple) located. It is the world’s largest wooden building and houses Japan’s largest Buddha statue, Vairocana Buddha. (See the dimension specification in the photo)
At around 2pm, we departed from Kyoto and took a long bus ride(about 3 hours) to Nagoya, where we stayed overnight at the hotel Westin Nagoya Castle. Through the window of my room was a perfect view of the ancient Nagoya castle.
