Kyoto Prefecture

Kyoto was the capital of Japan before the Emperor finally moved to Tokyo. It seems to be unclear which year exactly Tokyo, or 江戸 (edo) as it was known back then, became the capital of Japan, but it seems to be somewhere in the mid to late 1800’s. Throughout Japan’s history, a portion of the city of Kyoto itself has experienced a number of fires, so some of the temples and shrines the city is known for have been rebuilt. Having said that, Kyoto still has more of the oldest temples, shrines, buildings, streets, and so on than a lot of other cities in Japan. If I’m not mistaken, the city of Kyoto itself has more UNESCO World Heritage sites than any other city in the world. After Tokyo, Kyoto is one of the (if not the) most popular places to visit in all of Japan. Kyoto city is not a very big city but does have quite a lot to offer. Kyoto is often featured in magazines, television shows, and so on, so I find myself constantly learning about new and exciting areas to visit in the prefecture, and despite having lived in Kyoto for a year have only discovered a handful of what Kyoto has to offer and find myself going back about once a year.

At the beginning of the month, I yet again found myself in Kyoto. You’d be surprised, but despite the fact that so many tourists from around the world visit this historic city, many Japanese people who aren’t from the Kansai region haven’t visited. Seeing as I love Kyoto, I found myself back there for 2 nights and 3 days in January. Seeing as the city of Kyoto itself is rather small and you can get around easily by bus you might think that 3 days is more than enough time to enjoy the city. 3 days barely gave me enough time to even scratch the surface of what Kyoto has to offer. Leave the main city itself and there are still so many historic sights to be seen. Seeing as I have a huge interest in traditional Japanese culture and collect 御朱印 (goshuin), stamps/seals written at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, I had goshuin written at some of the most well-known temples and shrines in Kyoto and in Japan. I hope to go back in the near future, venture further outside the main city and have a few more of the beautiful goshuin written. 

Kyoto has now become a giant tourist trap and wherever you go in the city there are large groups of tourists, but being one of the most beautiful places in Japan is a must on your visit to the land of the rising sun. Hopefully, you can get a few ideas of places to visit from some of the photos I took and some of the experiences I share with you.

My short journey started off at Tokyo station. It was about 6 in the morning, but there was already a store open with throngs of people in it serving 駅弁 (ekiben), a type of packed meal sold at train stations. There are wide varieties of these ekiben all across Japan (including some only found at particular railway stations) and there’s nothing greater than eating one on a 新幹線 (shinkansen) or bullet train while watching the beautiful and ever-changing scenery pass by out the window.

There are many foreign tourists who come to Japan to buy Japanese cartoon related goods that you can’t find anywhere else in the world. I’m a little bit different, not having much of an interest in Japanese cartoons. Despite this, I will say that there is one cartoon that I’ve recently gained interest in, ゲゲゲの鬼太郎 (Ge ge ge no Kitaro). I’ve talked about this cartoon before in a previous blog, but this is a cartoon that features what are known as 妖怪 (yokai), creatures, humans, animals, and so forth that (most likely) came from Japanese folk tales. Yokai are seen as scary but are friendlier and easier to come into contact throughout Ge ge ge no Kitaro. I’ve become a fan of the show, so when I saw this Ge ge ge no Kitaro ekiben, I knew that this was the one I was going to eat.

This is the best view I’ve ever gotten of Mt. Fuji while riding the shinkansen. 🗻

After arriving in the city of Kyoto the first activity planned was making Japanese sweets known as 和菓子 (wagashi). Fast fact, despite the fact that Japanese sweets look healthier than those made/sold in the west, Japanese sweets contain more sugar than western sweets. I made these sweets at a place known as Kyoto Suetomi.

These are some wagashi that the teacher made.

These are wagashi that I made. The drink alongside these wagashi is 抹茶 (matcha), a type of powdered green tea that I love.

A large portion of Kyoto (like the rest of Japan) has modernized. Many brand name stores and other unnecessary stores line the Shijo Karawamachi area, the center of Kyoto city. But when you venture past that area you’ll find many buildings such as these. Many of these buildings (if I’m not mistaken) are 京町家 (kyomachiya) or Kyoto-style traditional townhouses. This is scenery that’s dwindling in many of Japan’s big cities, and it’s these buildings that contain (I’m sure) much history and give a glimpse into how Japanese people used to live. I’d love to buy one of these styles of buildings in the future, renovate it with modern appliances and what not and live in it.

湯豆腐 (yudofu) or boiled tofu is a dish that’s a specialty in Kyoto. On day one, I had lunch at a restaurant specializing in this kind of tofu, Okabeya.

It might not look like it, but pretty much all of the foods in this picture are made of tofu.

The first stop after lunch was 清水寺 (kyomizudera) or Kyomizu temple. The Buddhist hall here was first built by a military officer in the Heian Period by the name of Tamuramaro Sakanoue, back in the year 798. They say that many of the buildings that are here now were built by Iemitsu Tokugawa over the course of 10 years from 1631-1633. The main temple that’s now open to the public was said to be rebuilt back in 1633. Due to construction that was taking place, I wasn't able to take many decent photos.

This is 地主神社 (jishu jinja) or jishu shrine inside of Kyomizu temple, a shrine where many people come to pray to be able to find a good marriage partner.

The goshuin from Kyomizu temple.

Next, I headed over to the city of Uji, famous for its matcha. There I visited 平等院 (byodoin). If you’ve been to Japan before, you may have noticed this building as it’s on the 10 yen coin and the ¥1,000 yen note. Pictured here is 鳳凰堂 (hoodo), the last remaining building of Byodoin temple.

"Byodoin Temple (平等院, Byōdōin) is a striking example of Buddhist Pure Land (Jodo) architecture. Together with its garden, the temple represents the Pure Land Paradise and was influential on later temple construction. Byodoin was initially built in 998 as a countryside retreat villa for the powerful politician Fujiwara no Michinaga, not as a temple" (from Japan-guide).

This is Kyoto tower, which shined purple in this nights sky.

Next, I made my way to 先斗町 (pontocho), a street lined with restaurants inside of buildings looking as if they were all Kyoto style machiya. If I’m not mistaken, Kyoto is known for its style of 鍋 (nabe) or hot pot. It turned out to be a little more pricey than I’d imagined, so I decided to go for a hot pot with typical ingredients found across Japan. It doesn't matter how it's made, hot pots are great in the cold winter months! Yum!

On the second day, I went to IYEMON SALON KYOTO for breakfast. Originally starting off as 福寿園 (fukujuen) back in 1790 by Iyemon Fukui, IYEMON is a company that produces tea (since being bought out by Suntory) and is well known for its matcha. IYEMON SALON KYOTO is a cafe that’s set up serving refreshing green tea along with some luxurious food.

Next, I went to 南禅寺 (nanzenji) or Nanzen temple, which you may remember from the movie ‘Lost in Translation’. “Nanzenji Temple (南禅寺), whose spacious grounds are located at the base of Kyoto's forested Higashiyama mountains, is one of the most important Zen temples in all of Japan. It is the head temple of one of the schools within the Rinzai sect of Japanese Zen Buddhism and includes multiple subtemples, that make the already large complex of temple buildings even larger. The history of Nanzenji dates back to the mid 13th century when the Emperor Kameyama built his retirement villa at the temple's present location and later converted it into a Zen temple. After its founding, Nanzenji grew steadily, but its buildings were all destroyed during the civil wars of the late Muromachi Period (1333-1573). The oldest of the current buildings were built after that period” (from Japan-guide).

The goshuin from Nanzen temple.

After Nanzen temple, I headed to the Silver Pavilion, known in Japanese as 慈照寺 (jishoji). It’s better known as 銀閣寺 (ginkakuji) as 銀 (gin) means sliver.

“Ginkakuji (銀閣寺, Silver Pavilion) is a Zen temple along Kyoto's eastern mountains (Higashiyama). In 1482, shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa built his retirement villa on the grounds of today's temple, modeling it after Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), his grandfather's retirement villa at the base of Kyoto's northern mountains (Kitayama). The villa was converted into a Zen temple after Yoshimasa's death in 1490” (from Japan-guide).

The goshuin from the Silver Pavilion.

For lunch, I enjoyed にしんそば (nishin soba) or herring soba. A local dish in Kyoto prefecture, this is a bowl of soba noodles with a herring fish included in the bowl. As you can see by the photo, the noodles here are green as I went with the 茶そば (chasoba) or green tea flavored soba noodles. The fish was great, but if I remember correctly the soup had a heavier taste than I would have liked it to be.

After lunch, I headed to the Golden pavilion, known in Japanese as 鹿苑寺 (rokuonji). It’s better known as 金閣寺 (kinkakuji) as 金 (kin) means gold. For whatever reason, the golden walls of kinkakuji are particularly popular with those tourists from Asia. Because of this, it's always noisy and crowded. Here it’s difficult to enjoy the peace, tranquility, and nature that you expect to find at Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, and Japanese-style gardens across Japan. Too bad.

“Kinkakuji (金閣寺, Golden Pavilion) is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. Formally known as Rokuonji, the temple was the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and according to his will it became a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect after his death in 1408. Kinkakuji was the inspiration for the similarly named Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), built by Yoshimitsu's grandson, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, on the other side of the city a few decades later” (from Japan-guide).

On this particular day, the bottom portion of the Golden Pavilion was open and you could see what was inside. As you can see from the picture, Buddhist statues and so on are what’s inside.

The goshuin from the Golden Pavilion.

In Kyoto, there are a number of famous and long-running stores that make and sell matcha. One of those long-running stores is 辻利 (tsujiri). I love matcha so much that almost every day I enjoy mixing matcha with milk. At the Tsujiri flagship store, I ate (probably) the most delicious matcha parfait I’ve ever eaten. Yum!

On the last day in Kyoto I stopped off at Kyoto’s famous Ogawa Coffee for breakfast. For those outside of Japan, you can enjoy Ogawa Coffee in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

After breakfast, I stopped off at 平安神宮 (heian jingu) or Heian shrine so that I could get another goshuin written. You may remember having seen this shrine too as it also appeared in the movie ‘Lost in Translation’. 

“Heian Shrine (平安神宮, Heian Jingū) has a relatively short history, dating back just over a hundred years to 1895. The shrine was built on the occasion of the 1100th anniversary of the capital's foundation in Kyoto and is dedicated to the spirits of the first and last emperors who reigned from the city, Emperor Kammu (737-806) and Emperor Komei (1831-1867). Heian is the former name of Kyoto” (from Japan-guide).

The goshuin from Heian shrine.

After Heian shrine, it was off to 嵐山 (arashiyama). Arashima is outside of the center of Kyoto and is well known for its picturesque cherry blossoms in the spring and autumn foliage in the fall. The first stop was lunch at よーじや (yojiya), a cafe well known for its matcha lattes.

Along with the beautiful scenery of the changing seasons, Arashiyama is known for its path along a bamboo grove. Other than just this bamboo forest, there are many bamboo forests like it across Japan. This one here in Arashiyama is always filled to the brim with foreign tourists, so, unfortunately, I can’t recommend it. Too many people make it difficult to have a stroll and take photos. Too bad.

I’m not 100% what the name for this is, but I believe it’s what’s known as 縮緬細工 (chirimen zaiku) a type of 日本伝統工芸品 (nihon dento kogeihin) or a traditional Japanese craft. There are many stores in Arashiyama selling these traditional Japanese crafts and other miscellaneous items. Seeing as I have an interest in traditional Japanese culture, I love wandering through these sort of stores.

I hope to come back to Arashiyama in the spring or fall and see the beautiful scenery for myself.

This may look like an ordinary matcha flavored soft serve ice cream, but believe it or not, it’s actually a 桜 (sakura) or cherry blossom and matcha flavored soft serve ice cream. It’s rich and distinctive flavors were to my liking, and I would definitely eat it again if I was in the area.

After Arashiyama it was back to Kyoto station to buy some gifts and then back to Tokyo. On the bullet train ride back I of course at an ekiben. I went with the 華小町 (hanakomachi) ekiben which contains a number of local specialties from Kyoto prefecture. When you make it to Kyoto, I highly recommend trying it.