Japan Guide - Japan guides and Japanese Traditions

As a sequel to our guide book to Tokyo, here’s one for Kyoto, the former capital of Japan and current chief town of the homonymous prefecture. It is very famous for its temples, tea ceremonies and the Geisha.

Just like Tokyo, this town is filled with wonders, from ancient Japan to things from the present. It has everything from the headquarters of nintendo to a very large variety of beautiful gardens and temples. Allow us to step in, and tell you about the best tours;

Tour itinerary to Kyoto

RYOAN-JI is the most famous zen garden of the city. Of the many gardens in Kyoto this kind of garden, in which the rocks and the gravel represent water are very popular. Numerous plants also fill these gardens. As you can see below we have the traditional cherry blossom tree. This temple is placed in the North-West of Kyoto, and it is reachable via the bus line 59, stopping at Ryoan-ji-mae.

THE KATSURA RIKYU ESTATE built at the end of the XVI century, it is one of the most important samples of the ancient Japanese residential architecture. Yet again, this attraction has another huge and peaceful garden. To get there, take the bus line 33 and stop at Katsura Rikyu-mae, the it’s a 5 minute walk.

NIJO-JO CASTLE After visiting an estate of ancient Japan, you probably want to see something more exiting, like where the shogun would have lived!!! Completed in 1626, the Nijo-jo castle, was occupied by the shogun until 1939, when it was donated to the city and opened to the public the year after. It is made up of two fortified zones, the first is the Honmaru palace, and the second is the Ninomaru palace with kitchens, the guardian’s place and some gardens. In the garden there’s a large pond with a fall and three isles linked by four bridges. TO get there, take the Karasuma line, then stop at Nijojomae.

FUSHIMI INARI-TAISHA SANCTUARY is a shintoist sanctuary dedicated to the spirito of Inari, protector of fruitfulness, agriculture, industry and foxes. The road leading to the temple really stands out, since it’s surrounded by hundreds of torii, a kind of vermillion red columns usually put next to the sacred places. Many statues representing foxes can be found here, often represented with a key in their mouth. This place is 5 minutes far from the Kyoto station and 3 minutes far from the JR line of Nara.

To-JI In a South-West direction from Kyoto station, there is the biggest wooden pagoda of Japan, as it has an enormous height of 54,8m. In its main area 21 statues are put in a circle surrounding the Dainichi Nyorai; the cosmic Buddha. To get there, take the Kintetsu underground to Toji or the bus line 42 stopping at Toji Higashimon-mae.

KINKAKU-JI literarly means “the temple of the gold pavilion”, there’s a pagoda in the middle where the relics of the Buddha are kept, it’s three floors tall and the last two are covered in gold – that’s the origin of its name – there’s also a pond called Kyoko-”chi”. From the central station of Kyoto take the bus line 101 or 205.

GINKAKU-JI is similar to the Kinkaku-Ji and literally means “silver pavilion.” The shogun Yoshimasa wanted to cover the temple with silver to honour his grandfather but he could not because of the Onin war. It’s still very important because it’s the place where the tea ceremony, the Japanese theatre called Noh, the ikebana art of arranging flowers and the ink paint style have found their best expression. The temple is placed in the North-Eastern zone of the city and it can be reached with the bus line 100 to Ginkaku-ji-mae or by taxi.

MYOSHIN-JI TEMPLE was made in 1337, and unfortunetly destroyed during the Oni war. Thankfully, it was rebuilt, but just alot bigger! There are 47 smaller temples in this area and the most important are the Keishun-in, which is known for its four gardens and its tea tree (the Taiz-in). It has an ancient garden, a modern garden and the Daishin-in – which has three gardens. To get there, take the Keifuku line and stop at the Myoshin-ji station.

DAITOKU-JI TEMPLE is a temple strongly connected with the tea ceremony, but also has many minor temples promoting the zen rituals and Chado tank to the tea ceremony and the wonderful gardens. The Daisen-in is popular for its dry garden and the Koto-in for its maple wood, offering a breathtaking view in autumn. Take the Karasuma line to Kita-Oji or the bus lines 12, 204, 205 or 206 to Daitoku-ji-mae.

SANJUSANGEN-DO TEMPLE it was made in 1164 and is the longest wooden structure in the world; in the main hall the 1001 statues of Kannon, the merciful goddess, create a magical yes mysteryous atmosphere. Getting there: take the bus lines 100, 206 and 208 crossing the Hakubutsukan Sanusangen-do-mae stop.

KYOTO IMPERIAL PALACE is 110.000m2 wide and many gardens – a nice place to have a walk – and some buildings can be found inside of it; the Shinshin-den – where the most important ceremonies took place – and the Kogosho – where the ceremonies of succession were set. It’ situated next to the Nijo Station and the Karasuma line.

NINTENDO the head office of the creator company of Mario, Luigi e Zelda; videogames-addicted shouldn’t miss it. It’s next to the Gojo stop of the Tozai line.

Geisha

Kyoto is also popular for the geisha tradition, very skilled professional hostesses who master traditional arts, have a nice speaking and can keep a secret: this is why they are very respected and honoured. They are distinguished in two groups, the geiko (expert) and the maiko (beginners).

THE TEA CEREMONY

The main purpose of this ceremony is the tasting of tea, and in Japan it has a spiritual meaning too. The maccha, a kind of powdered green tea, is mixed with water thanks to a special bamboo crop. There are many ways to set the tea ceremony but the most popular is the one invented by Sen no Rikyu: in his opinion, the tea ceremony needs harmony, respect and tranquillity.

HOTELS IN KYOTO

Cheap

Average

Luxurious

Ryokan in Kyoto

Since the main transport in Kyoto is the underground, you should download the map of kyoto underground

So Kyoto is done too, I hope this guide will be useful like the Tokyo guide. Article edited & checked by my good friend Huw, translated by lassurdoinpersona.

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