After a much drier night post-Gion matsuri, with a few too many adult soda pops, we awake hazy eyed and lethargic. But, when in one
of the most historical cities in the world, we’re excited to start the day.
After grabbing an iced coffee and a few Japanese pastries from the combini (convenience store) – which was
a staple breakfast stop when travelling around Japan – we were on our way.
First on today’s docket is Nijō-jo (Nijo castle), which keen eyes will discern is very different from Himeji
Castle which we visited earlier in our travels. Nijo was built much later
than Himeji castle, in 1626 CE, in a late
Edo period style by the Tokugawa
shogunate as a residence for the shoguns.
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| Karamon gate |
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| Nijo-jo |
Nijo castle was built as a palace of concentric chambers, utilising the
outer chambers for lower ranking visitors, while retaining the inner chambers
for high ranking officials. Surrounding the chambers are uguisubari, ‘nightingale floors’, which were specifically designed
to warble and squeak like birds when anyone walked across them. Annoying as it
may have been, it was a defence mechanism against assassins and ninja to protect the officials. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take
photographs within the castle.
Nijo castle, unlike Himeji castle, was full of art, mannequins depicting historical
scenes, and informative plaques telling the history of the palace. Outside was a beautiful example of Japanese garden artistry. I’d
thoroughly recommend you adding this to your list of places to see in Kyoto.
Next up was the iconic Kinkaku-ji,
or Temple of the Golden Pavilion, founded in 1397 CE. A Zen Buddhist temple covered entirely in Gold plating, Kinkaku-ji
is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan. And it showed. The
area was swamped with tourists from the street, to the entrance, right up to
the barriers.
That said, the beauty of the temple complex wasn’t marred by the amount
of tourists like some attractions, it had that much splendour and serenity about
it. Inside the pavilion are the ashes of
Buddha, which the public are not allowed to view. Surrounding the pavilion is
a beautiful pond and Japanese strolling garden which offered stunning views of the
pavilion and Japanese flora.
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| A crow perched a top the bronze Phoenix |
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| A rock that looks like a turtle... having a shower |
Last visit of the day, the beautifully scenic Fushimi Inari Taisha, a Shinto hiking trail up the Inari mountain lined with 10,000 torii.
Founded in 711 CE, the torii,
red Shinto ‘gates’, carve a 4 km path
up the mountain, ultimately leading to a Shinto
shrine.
The day we chose to hike this trail was 34°C,
the sun was raging down upon us, and the humidity was about 114%. It wasn’t a difficult hike by any
means, but the heat was a killer. Beautiful though it was, maybe attempt it in Spring.
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| View of Kyoto from Inari |
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| Finally reached the top of Inari! |
I hope you’ve enjoyed another day travelling around
the ancient capital of Japan! Next up is the even older capital city of Nara.
Stay tuned!
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