A day in Kyoto

Let me describe an extraordinary Wednesday in Kyoto...

I got up at around seven o'clock, ready for another day of temple-watching and extraordinary polite people. After eating breakfast at a small café near the train-station, I saw Wolfgang off at around ten o'clock.

There are many temples around Kyoto, but one temple that had been spoken well off, was a temple to the northwest of the city, called Tenryū-ji. I figured that it would perhaps take a few hours to walk there - the train and bus-services are excellent here, but the weather was good (30+ degrees and scorching sun), and I was in no particular hurry, walking there seemed like a good idea. So, after studying the Lonely Planet guide, I set off from the train-station. The train-station itself is not directly in the center of town: "downtown" Kyoto is a bit further north. Walking through Kyoto was a nice experience in itself: the change from the busy station, with the many taxis and bewildered tourists to the even busier downtown was slow, but noticeable. The change was not only reflected in the people, but also in the shops and restaurants. There seems to be relatively few mom-and-pop noodle shops near the station, instead there are more izakaya's -  restaurants with a focus on serving snacks for beer -  but as I came closer to downtown, more even these restaurants were replaced by bigger restaurant chains such as Mos Burger and Mcdonalds. More ordinary shops also began to appear, with them the endless amounts of retail stores. The amount of tourists seemed lower in downtown as well, the majority of people being either sharply dressed youngsters or small groups of salarymen, always dressed the same way: a white shirt and black trousers. Downtown Kyoto is not so interesting if you're searching for temples. So, I hastily trod on, toward the hilly outskirts of the city, towards the temples.

Outskirts of Kyoto

As I moved on, the city changed again. The retail stores thinned out, the small noodle-shops began to appear, and ordinary one-story houses began to be a common sight. The people changed again: now the most common sight was the elderly and the housewives. The temple came closer, and I managed to spot a pair of geishas on my way there.

I've posted this one already, I know.

I finally arrived at the temple, after having walked a bit over four hours. It was, as most of the larger temples here, a grand sight, a truly wondrous creation. It seems as if every little detail has been thought of and taken care of: one can only guess how many times the paths are swiped every day to keep the leaves away, and how many times every tree and bush on the temple-grounds are nipped to keep them in the exact shape and form that is intended.

Small part of Tenryu-ji

Pond with carps

Well-groomed path in the forest

More carps, with reflection

Spotless path

After having seen the temple, I went to a nearby bamboo-grove. Another stunning sight: the slow breeze through the leaves, the kimono-clad women out for a Wednesday walk: an unforgettable sight.

Kimonos and bamboos

Tired and happy

Following this, I was quite full for the day. I walked back towards the nearest train-station, and took a tram-line back to central Kyoto, followed by another hour-long walk through the more-and-more densely populated urban Kyoto, back to the hotel.

On the way back to central Kyoto

End of the day: two very tired feet, many unforgettable sights richer. It's great here.