Finally, My Very Own Blog: Kyoto

Kyoto will forever remain in my mind as the "Rome of Asia." Don't dig too far into the comparison, I'm sure it's faulty as all hell. But like Rome, Kyoto is just overflowing with history; you could be there for weeks and still not see it all. Temples, shrines, castles, palaces...tons and tons of them, just like churches in Rome. Luckily, the US was considerate enough to spare Kyoto from bombing during WWII due to it's historical value, which is why so much remains.

And like Rome, Kyoto is brutally hot and humid in the middle of summer, which happened to be when I visited both cities. And for both, the memory of the discomfort, the sweat, the itching desire to just say "screw it" and spend the day in an air-conditioned cafe will sit on pretty equal ground with the memory of all the cool things I saw.

The two cities have also developed into busy, crowded, modern, polluted places as well, which puts a big dent in their charm. Downtown Kyoto is gross and annoying. At least for me it was. Plus I stayed at a dingy, uncomfortable guesthouse, whose only redeeming quality was cheap bike rental. I spent my days in Kyoto pedaling and sweating, climbing hills, seeking shelter, paying way too much to see things, and trying in vain not to get a sunburn. Admission fees for most sights are pretty high, and the start to add up fast. Everywhere I went, there were reminders that FALL and SPRING are the most beautiful times to come, with changing leaves and cherry blossoms. But of course, all of Japan knows that as well, so that is when Kyoto is the most crowded. I comforted myself by remembering that I was there when it was the least crowded.

But complaining aside, I did enjoy Kyoto because of the all the sites. It is the Japan I have always known from history book and movies, the sites really are incredible. I spend about 4 days there and only scratched the surface.

Heian Shrine

Heian Shrine Garden

Like Korea, Japan has a lot of goofy cartoon warning signs. I'm sure the Koreans claim that Japan stole this from them.

A very cool secluded hillside shrine behind Nanzen-ji Temple, which I found by accident. Hooray for straying from the beaten track!

And further from the shrine was a fairly large cemetary. The mosquitos had a feast of my legs here, so much that I almost regretted going.

I LOVE lotus flowers...

Kiyomizu Temple, one of the biggest and most popular

Small placards with wishes written on them hung everywhere near the temples.

Japanese temples are loaded with opportunities for ensuring good luck, romance, fortune, etc. But of course, blessings don't come free, you usually have to pay to get rid of the bad luck.

At Kiyomizu, there are two stones. Legend says that if a person can walk from one to the other with closed eyes without straying from the path, they will find true love.

I'm not sure what the aprony thing means, but I saw it tied on Buddhas everywhere.

Otowa-no-taki, a waterfall at Kiyomizu which is believed to have sacred waters, hence the people lining up to drink from it.

Usually the drinking cups are just shared, but since so many people come to this one, they have an ultra violet sterilizer to put the cups in once you are done. Pretty damn cool.