Shoren-In is certainly not one of the main temples around, but it really is a very nice one and has undoubtedly one of the most beautiful Japanese gardens in Kyoto. This is not a mere lighting up of the garden, but it is an actual light show.
While most people think “Cherry Blossom” when considering the Hanami season, it actually starts with the plum blossoms around the end of February. This is, a few weeks before the cherry blossoms, the actual beginning of spring in Kyoto.
Hanami (lit. “flower viewing”) is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers. “Flower” in this case almost always means cherry blossoms (“sakura”). From the middle of March to early May, the Japanese people …
Waking up early on Sunday, we discovered the city under snow. This doesn’t happen so often in Kyoto so no hesitation — we called a taxi and went to visit various temples, South (Fushimi Inari Taisha, To-Ji), North-West (Kinkaku-Ji, Genko-An) and North-East (Ginkaku-Ji).
If you’re in Kyoto on the 25th of every month, be sure to attend the “Tenjin-san” flea market. It is held at the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine. As many as 1000 stalls line up on the shrine precincts as well as in the area around the shrine.
Like in any other country in the world, December 31st is a special day in Japan. Lots of things happen from Midnight on, as the Japanese people observe the O-Shogatsu.
Looking at the picture, our first though is “Geisha”, one of the icon images of Japan.
A Maiko is actually an apprentice Geisha or Geiko (as they are called in Kyoto). Their job consists in performing songs,
Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺), officially Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera (音羽山清水寺) is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto. The temple is a Must-See UNESCO World Heritage site.
