at Western Kyoto visit to ;
The Arashiyama : area to the west of the city is dismissed in most Western guidebooks in a brief paragraph suggesting "other attractions". However, the area is rightfully very popular with Japanese tourists, and is well worth a visit.
The walk through a forest of bamboo to Nonomiya Shrine and Okochi Sanso is a real highlight of a visit to Kyoto. Feeding the macaque monkeys atop the mountain in Iwatayama Monkey Park.
Just outside Saga Arashiyama station is the 19th Century Hall - a museum covering the unlikely combination of steam locomotives and pianos. Probably best to look at it from the outside, and listen to the amusing tinny music it blasts out.
Tenryu-ji : is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the main temple of the Rinzai sect of Buddhism in Kyoto; it's also considered one of Kyoto's Five Great Zen Temples. Tenryu-ji was founded in 1334, but the current buildings all date from the last century - pleasant, but unremarkable. However, there is a lovely garden and pond, designed by the Zen master Muso Soseki, that is worth a look. The main gate is just beyond the busy intersection with the Togestu-kyo bridge.
Otagi Nenbutsu-ji: is omitted from virtually all guidebooks, but it's one of the true unknown gems of Kyoto. It was founded in the eighth century, and went through an unlucky patch for a millennium or so; by turns it was destroyed by flood, fire and typhoon, and had to move location a few times. Today, it sits a short distance from the end of Saga Toriimoto, one of Kyoto's three historic preservation districts.
The walk through a forest of bamboo to Nonomiya Shrine and Okochi Sanso is a real highlight of a visit to Kyoto. Feeding the macaque monkeys atop the mountain in Iwatayama Monkey Park.Just outside Saga Arashiyama station is the 19th Century Hall - a museum covering the unlikely combination of steam locomotives and pianos. Probably best to look at it from the outside, and listen to the amusing tinny music it blasts out.
Tenryu-ji : is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the main temple of the Rinzai sect of Buddhism in Kyoto; it's also considered one of Kyoto's Five Great Zen Temples. Tenryu-ji was founded in 1334, but the current buildings all date from the last century - pleasant, but unremarkable. However, there is a lovely garden and pond, designed by the Zen master Muso Soseki, that is worth a look. The main gate is just beyond the busy intersection with the Togestu-kyo bridge.
Otagi Nenbutsu-ji: is omitted from virtually all guidebooks, but it's one of the true unknown gems of Kyoto. It was founded in the eighth century, and went through an unlucky patch for a millennium or so; by turns it was destroyed by flood, fire and typhoon, and had to move location a few times. Today, it sits a short distance from the end of Saga Toriimoto, one of Kyoto's three historic preservation districts.