East district part 3

This is a new day in Kyoto. Yesterday evening I spended a lot of time in an Izayaka (japanese pub) therefore this morning was a bit heavy.
A good way to refresh your neurons is to grab a bicyle !
I decided that I will only bicyle in Kyoto from now. The city being not too big (but still big),  it’s managable.

It feels great to move around with the good old bicyle. It’s cheap , healthy and you get to explore at the same time. It costed me 20 euro for a 4 day rent. Pretty cheap isn’t it.

This morning I needed a quiet temple. Away from the crowed. I had some recommendation from a local the other day. Chishakuin Temple is apparently the place to go to.

The temple had a sweet zen garden all around. There were almost nobody. This moment was precious. To be here in a contemplative state.

Japanese people love it too. They can spend a lot of time here just to appreciate the beauty of Nature. I’m fascinated by how Japanese culture put a strong emphasis to sublimate Nature. Nature feels so important here. I really love this aspect. To be able to stop and appreciate the world that surrounds you. It’s Inspiring.

The temple had more hidden gems. A must go in Kyoto if you want to experience the energy of a zen garden. All in a quiet environment.

Situated 5min away from the Chishakuin , there is another interesting temple to visit. It’s the Sanjusangen do.

This temple is the longest I have ever seen. I mean look the camera cann’t even capture it all. It has a lenght of 120 meter ! The longest in all Japan.

You may wonder why that long ? What its inside ? Well I wont be able to show you i’m afraid. We were not allowed to take pictures and as a responsable tourist I refrained from shooting inside. So inside you will find 1001 human sized golded budddha ! This was impressive. Almost intimidating in some ways. All theses golden buddha looking at you. Very special energy.

After an easy start of day it was time to relax to the Maruyama Park in the Gion district.

The good old park. Simplicity at his best. The forest was very close by. Kyoto is surrounded by small mountains and forests. It’s also considered to be the birth place of Matcha tea. You can feel the air being fresh nearby theses trees.

During week ends Japanese may put the traditinal Kimono / Yukata and enjoy Nature. I have seen that in Yoyogi park in Tokyo too.

This is the Yasaka jinja Shinto shrine. Located in the Maruyama park.

Traditionaly you should shake the rope to create sounds with the bell. This is meant to reppeal bad spirits I think.

Kyoto as many kimono rental shops and also these guys. Sexy pants guys.

A nice ride in beautiful Kyoto. If you want to feel like a princess this is good. These guys always have massive thigh muscles. Normal isn’t it.

I’m going away from the big temples toward the forest. I felt like discovering some hidden places.

 

I arrived at another nice temple. I forgot the name.

A ceremony was taking place at the top. I did’nt get what was happening but this was cool. The only “Gaijin” here.

I left the temple through a side entrance when I saw this.

Wow this is cute. It was a small tea house with a tiny garden. I couldn’t resist , I had to stop.
Matcha and sweet beans. An enjoyable good break in Nature and pretty much alone.
I felt like discovering isolated places after that. And guess what happened ?

You will find out on the next article 🙂
Adventure time.

Take care people.

Really ?
Honto ni 本当に