Tokyo | Kyoto | Nara | Nihon | Mt Fuji | Hakone | Nikko

Kyoto is known as a repository of Japanese culture. The city is the spiritual heart of Japan. Kyoto has surely gained popularity as a must-visit destination because of its incredible attractions for tourists. The city alone offers  2000+ temples and shrines.

I got an opportunity to visit this place couple of months back in December. We had planned to stay in Kyoto first for a couple of nights, followed by Tokyo for our remaining stay (generally, people do the opposite). Upon landing at Narita airport, we headed straight toward Kyoto by boarding a domestic flight.

Kyoto is much more beautiful than I thought. It appears to be any other city full of temples, and there is nothing much to do on the internet. But the city has amazed me by its natural beauty.

We stayed here for 3 nights. We reached in the evening here on Day 1 and relaxed for the rest of the evening

Day 2 started with the Arashiyama tour.

We went to our meeting point at Kyoto station, and from there, the tour began. It was interesting to travel in world famous train system of the country. There was a long walk from the station to reach our first destination, but it was pleasant due to the weather. It was the first time i saw a snow fall. The snow fall was very much unexpected but was exciting.

Our first stop was the Bamboo Grooves. Walking in the bamboo was so amazing. It was beautiful to watch the long trees surrounding you. I could have easily spent couple of hours watching beauty but our guide gave us only 15-20 mins. It was really beautiful.

Our next stop was Jojakko-Ji temple. The main attraction here is Tahoto Pagoda, a two-storied pagoda. It is said that when Shaka Buddha was preaching, the ground cracked open, and a stupa appeared from below. Another attraction is the view from the top.

Our next stop was the Temple of the heavenly dragon –Tenryu-ji-temple. It is one of the largest, most impressive, and historically significant first Zen temples. The temple is also surrounded by a beautiful Zen Lake and garden.

Our last stop was the beautiful lakeside Togetsu-Kyo bridge, an iconic landmark of Arashiyama. There is a very interesting but strong belief about the bridge. It is said that if an unmarried couple crosses this bridge together, they will be separated forever. Hence, no other unmarried couple dares to cross the bridge together.

Our rest of the evening was spent exploring roads of Kyoto followed by Dinner.

We woke up early on Day 3. Post breakfast, we hurried to reach our meeting point.  Our first stop for the day was Ryonji Temple (instead of Nijo Castle, as it was closed on that day). The temple is famous because of its Rock Garden. The rectangular Zen garden is completely different from other gardens. No trees are seen, it consists of only 15 rocks and white gravel. The walls are made of clay-boiled oil. And as time went by, the peculiar design was made of itself by the oil which seeped out.

It felt so good sitting here. We then proceeded to our next stop Kinkakuji Temple, popularly known as Golden Pavilion. It is a Zen temple whose top two floors are covered with gold leaf. The pavilion is surrounded by a garden and pond. The three levels of buildings are represented in three different styles. The first level is built in the Shinden style, while the second and third are built in the Buke style of warrior aristocracy and the Chinese zenshu-butsuden style, respectively.

Our last and final stop of Kyoto tourism was Kitano Tenmango Shrine. 

Post lunch we proceeded to Nara and later to Tokyo. Staying in Kyoto was certainly a very pleasant experience. It’s a must-visit place.