Mini Kyoto trip Part 4 --- 2nd day-2 Toh temple

After Nishi-hongan temple, I went to Toh temple. It is also a World Heritage site.


There were only a few people as well as Nishi-hongan temple. Toh is very famous and known for its five-story pagoda. I wondered why there are few people. But it was best!


In the very wide beautiful garden, there are the five-story pagoda, some halls which are national treasures or national important cultural assets and so on.
Very beautiful! Look!!





Those scenes reminded me of my visit here when I was a student.

Oops! At the moment, my camera ran out of battery.
But, actually places I would see after that were all where photography was prohibited because of national treasures or national important cultural assets. Hmm... I wondered my camera had known that. Running out of battery was good timing. My camera worked until I needed it. Good job!

I entered some halls. There were many national treasures and so on. I reinforced the reality that Buddhism was from India.

The last in Toh temple was Kanchi-in. You can see old traditional Japanese house style. Beautiful garden which has meanings, living room, tea room, drawing room and so on.

I was really good to come to Toh temple. I recommend it strongly. You can see and feel atmosphere of all aspect of old traditional Japan just in there.

I had one feeling at there. It was often said in Japanese, but I don't know its English. Probably nothing. Direct translation is "I feel my heart is washed." I really felt it and said this sentence in my heart repeatedly in Kanchi-in. Then I found one hanging scroll. Surprisingly 2-kanji which means "my heart is washed" was written in the hanging scroll. What a coincidence!!

After all my sightseeing, I walked to Kyoto station. My legs were almost dying. It was good choice to go around Kyoto station that day instead of Suzumushi temple. If I had gone to Suzumushi temple, my legs would have run out of energy on the way, and I couldn't have seen Toh temple. Good choice!!

I want to visit Toh temple again when I come to Kyoto next time.

Mini Kyoto trip Part 3 --- 2nd day-1 Nishi-hongan temple

Next day, I was mulling which area I go. Before I came to Kyoto, I thought going to Suzumushi temple. But it is a bit far from Kyoto station, and according to a taxi driver, it is very very crowded.

I decided to go temples near Kyoto station. At first, Nishi-hongan temple.


This is Nishi-hongan temple which is a World Heritage site. There were few people around there, although Saturday. It was a far cry from Kiyomizu temple.


The entrance.


Going to inside, there were only a few people. I think this is the way temples should be. You can feel real temple's atmosphere.

Mini Kyoto trip Part 2 --- 1st day-2 Around Gion etc

After Kiyomizu temple, we tried to get to Yasaka shrine. On the way to the shrine...


Look! It is not a back lot of samurai drama. It's normal house. Wow! There are many houses like that in Kyoto. I feel as if I time-trip.


Maiko or Geiko. They are going to work.


Before we get to Yasaka shrine, we ran into this temple. Although it is in neighborhood of my friend, he said he hadn't seen and didn't know it. According to the guidebook, its name is Kennin temple and it seems to be famous. It was built in 1202 in imitation of one Chinese temple.


We finally arrived at Yasaka temple. It already got dark. This main building is a national important cultural asset. Gion festival at this shrine in summer is very famous.



After leaving from Yasaka shrine, we ran into this illuminated temple. Beautiful! I checked a map. It was Chion-in which is very very famous. We didn't intend to come to here, but it was very nice to encounter this beautiful Chion-in. Sorry but these photos cannot show its real fineness.


We walked and walked all day that day. Then we walked to downtown Kyoto.


Above photos are typical traditional Kyoto style restaurants. Those open on a river. What a nice atmosphere! But those are expensive. I want to come to one of them sometime.


My friend took me Ponto-cho. It is the street filled with Kyoto atmosphere, representing the evening in Kyoto. There are many kyoto-style restaurants on both side of this very narrow street. We tried to find a good restaurant but... there were TOO many people in Kyoto that day. Almost all of the restaurants were full, and long lines. We had already walked a lot to see temples and shrines, but we had to continue to walk to find a restaurant. Walking, walking, but we couldn't find. So in the meantime, we went to an Irish pub. We had a tipple and played foosball. It was the first time for me to play it. Hmm... a bit difficult.

Then we went to Ponto-cho again and tried to find a restaurant... but... we couldn't. We ended up going to izakaya. My legs were very tired because of walking too much and I couldn't walk fast any more.

After that, we met my friend's friend at the Irish pub, and we played foosball again. I was excited!!

After coming back to my hotel, I massaged my legs in a bath. Thank you for too long walking all day, dear my legs. haha.

Thanks to my friend, I really enjoyed Kyoto. (and even foosball. haha) Thank you my friend!

Mini Kyoto trip Part 1 --- 1st day-1 Kiyomizu temple

I went on an overnight trip to Kyoto. I chose the top season of autumn leaves so it was hard to book a hotel. I could find one hotel with difficulty. But according to news, autumn leaves season in Kyoto was very late this year. Oh, no!

I left Tokyo station around 9:00am. The station was very crowded because of three-day weekend.

I arrived at Kyoto station around 11:30am and went to my hotel. My friend who lives in Kyoto came to the hotel to pick me up.

We left for Kiyomizu temple first. We took a taxi but the taxi didn't move because a road to Kiyomizu temple was very crowded. So we got off the taxi on the way.

This is the street to Kiyomizu temple. Too many people!! My friend told me many souvenir shops on both sides of this street had a lot of samples, and we ate those, such as Yatsuhashi which was Kyoto's famous sweet food and Japanese pickles.


My Picture in front of Kiyomizu temple. Kiyomizu temple is a World Heritage site.


She is meeting many tourists' request to take a picture with them.


Let's go inside of Kiyomizu temple.


Three-story pagoda which is a national important cultural assets


I was worried about late autumn leaves. But it was pretty good. It was beautiful.


Really beautifu------l!!!


Really really beautiful!! And really too many people.


There was Momiji (autumn leaves) festival at Jishu shrine in kiyomizu temple. This shrine is famous for love knot so many young girls came.





Me with a beautiful scene in the background. Actually I was with my friend in this photo. But I don't ask him whether I can put his photo on my blog so I trimmed away his part.


This is Otowa waterfall in Kiyomizu temple. You have to stand in lo--ng line to reach the fall. People on front of the photo are in the middle of the line. Can you believe it?


On the way back. We didn't move because of many people. Too many people. I know Kiyomizu temple is one of the most popular temple for sightseeing. But... too many. People were saying that they haven't seen such a crowded Kiyomizu temple.

Try to blow the gloom

I will go to Kyoto next weekend. My friend lives in Kyoto and I will meet him too. I'm looking for that.

OK, I arrange the plan of my mini-trip to Kyoto and try to blow my gloomy feeling!

GLOOMY

I'm depressed very much. The cause is my laziness. I'm really disgusted with my terrible laziness.

Self-hatred.

And what is worse, some people informed things that annoyed me.

Sigh...

Report Card

6 months has passed since I started going to the English conversation school. And I received an assessment. It's like the report card. How many years have passed since I received the report card? haha.

According to the assessment, my English level has improved a bit. A bit. And my weakest is listening as ever. That's to be expected.

The assessment is with recommendations from my teachers. In accordance with those, I will replan my English study.

Romanian cuisine

I found a Romanian restaurant in my neighborhood. Romanian food?

There are various kind of restaurants in Tokyo. Probably there is no food we cannot eat in Tokyo. But Romanian restaurant is very rare. I don't know what is Romanian food and had never eaten it.

I went to the restaurant to have lunch. It was garnished with many folk goods, all staff were not Japanese (I don't know if they are Romanians though), BGM sounded folk music (I'm not sure it though).

I ordered "Friptura de porc la gratar cu legume". Price is 1,000yen which is an average lunch fee in the center of Tokyo, but VERY big portion. Salad, soup with a lot of vegetables (only the soup was enough for me), bread and large main dish! So 1,000yen is very reasonable. But it was too much for me. So at first I thought I shouldn't have eaten bread, but the bread seemed to be a bit different from others, such as French bread, so I tried to eat it, my tummy was very full though. It was high density and moist. I wonder it is Romanian bread?

After finishing eating main dish, I was full to burst and waiting a cup of coffee. Before coffee, unexpectedly cake was served. What!? I love sweet food... but...

Of course I ate the cake. hehe.

I found other dishes I wanted to eat next time, but I wonder if I can eat too big dishes again.

Christmas season has come.

Starbucks have already decorated their shops and started Christmas menu.

I tried to order one of them, "Creme Brule Latte".

Soon after the Halloween, Christmas decoration starts throughout the town in Japan.

Finally, Christmas season has come. It is a pity that Autumn I like will finish soon, but I'm excited to be able to see beautiful Christmas illuminations!

Feeling something

Suddenly, I felt kind of melancholy or dreary a little. I wonder why? Because it's autumn? haha.