TALE OF TWO CITIES

Kyoto, in many ways, feels like two cities. In Shijo-dori and Gion, a riverbank full of autumn trees and bicycles feels separated, in so many ways, from the gleaming towers of skyscrapers, beautiful lines of steel-coated architecture at Kyoto Station and the polished, brightly lit aisles of ISETAN from the modern skyscrapers.

The small overlaps you may see are in the lanterns of the pedestrian awnings or in the beautiful calligraphy decorating the walls of a shop inside the large shopping centres.

THE FOXES IN THE AFTERNOON

I've wanted to visit Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社) ever since being blown away by the beauty of that one scene from the Memoirs of a Geisha movie where Chiyo's running through the red gates (aesthetically beautiful movie, if a little questionable with its casting etc. ...but I digress).

As with a lot of other temples and shrines in Kyoto, the quiet escape of forests and the scattered sunlight filtering between the trees made it a wonderful escape from dense, bustling city life.

The shrine was much quieter than, say, Kiyomizu or Kinkakuji but there were still a decent number of visitors.

KIYOMIZU PILGRIMMAGE

Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺) was another famous, tourist-heavy area in Kyoto but definitely worth a visit. This was my second visit and I was glad to come back - though perhaps I was less eager to do the traditional 'tourist' activities like the Love Stone and drinking the water from the Otowa waterfall. It was a lot more interesting to just observe other people.

The street leading up to Kiyomizu-dera from Kiyomizu-michi bus stop is the Kiyomizu Monzekai loaded with store after store of traditional food and souvenirs and milling with lots of people in kimonos - not all Japanese (you can rent a kimono...it looked so fun to dress up). Definitely grab a few samples of mochi and tea while you work your way up

THEY PRAY IN RED & GOLD

Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺), Ryoan-ji (龍安寺) and Ninna-ji (仁和寺), three pockets of serenity and silence, removed in many ways from the urban sprawl of high apartments and tightly packed streets. Doesn't mean you won't find people seeking the same beauty you are, but even huge crowds can't quite upset the feeling of slow contemplation.

More writing about our temple-hop route at The Afterimage.