KYOTO: 3 Day Itinerary

Kyoto is a city with a huge amount of history and so many incredible sights, that sometimes it's hard to know where to start, especially if you've only got a limited amount of time. I visited Kyoto on a handful of occasions when I was staying in Osaka earlier this year, and then returned for a 4-night stay in October. I still haven't seen everything the city has to offer, but the below is what I would recommend as a 3 day itinerary to see the best of the city.

Day 1: AM

KINKAKU-JI
Spend the morning temple-hopping in Northern Kyoto. If you see just one temple in Kyoto, make sure it's the Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion. This Zen temple looks amazing all year around with its majestic golden glow and reflection in the water. It looks even more impressive when the autumn leaves turn red.

Kinkaku-ji

RYOAN-JI
This is a 20 minute walk from Kinkaku-ji, and also a Zen temple. It's most famous for its rock garden. The garden is located in the head priest's former residence, and you can sit on the edge of the walkway that surrounds the building, and admire the rock garden for a few moments of contemplation. The rest of the garden is worth a walk around too, with lots of other little things to admire, including a lake, pine trees and statues.

Buddha statue in the garden of Ryoan-ji

NINNA-JI
This is a 10 minute walk from Ryoan-ji. Unlike the other two temples, this belongs to the Shingon sect of Buddhism. You can walk around the grounds and see various gates, a five storey pagoda and the main hall. The temple contains a cherry tree grove, so is particularly popular during the cherry blossom season.

Path to the main hall at Ninna-ji

Day 1: PM

ARASHIYAMA
Spend the afternoon in the district of Arashiyama. You can read more about it in my blog post here. Top sights in the area include the bamboo grove, Okochi Sanso villa, a monkey park, and Tenryu-ji, a Zen temple with beautiful landscape garden. You probably won't be able to do it all in one afternoon, so if you have a longer stay in Kyoto, I recommend spending a whole day in Arashiyama.

The garden at Tenryu-ji

Day 2: AM

KYOTO RAILWAY MUSEUM
If you're on holiday in Japan, you can see a lot of temples, shrines and castles, so sometimes it's nice to go visit something a little bit different. The Kyoto Railway Museum opened earlier this year and I had a fantastic time visiting it. I didn't know much about trains prior to visiting, but the technology of trains in Japan is actually quite fascinating, particularly the shinkansen (bullet train). 

There are lots of different trains and carriages to look at, both inside and outside the museum, ranging from the shinkansen to old steam trains. There's even a train carriage you can sit inside to enjoy one of the popular train bento boxes for lunch. There's plenty of train memorabilia, plus explanations of technical aspects, and even a huge model railway.

Make sure you go to the Sky Terrace at the top of the museum, whic acts as a viewing area for trains going in and out of Kyoto station. When I went I spotted the elusive Doctor Yellow, the shinkansen test train that monitors the conditions of the tracks and overhead wires, contributing to the safety record of Japan's bullet trains.

Cute train sign

Whole trains can be found outside the museum

The awesome miniature railway 

If you prefer art over technology, then the Kyoto National Museum is a fantastic alternative for a museum trip. The impressive permanent collection focuses on traditional Japanese art, and the museum also houses different special exhibitions.

KYOTO STATION
Kyoto main station itself is also worth checking out due to the architecture, designed by Hiroshi Hara, the same architect who designed the unique Umeda Sky building in Osaka. Take the escalators up to get a closer look at the steel matrix roof and access to an observation deck.

Roof of Kyoto Station

DAY 2: PM

FUSHIMI INARI 
Kyoto's most famous shrine is located just a few stops away from Kyoto's main station. Dedicated to the Shinto god of rice, this shrine features thousands of vermillion torii gates. You can read about it in more detail in my blog post here.

Miniature votive torii

DAY 3: AM

HONGANJI TEMPLES
These two temples, Higashi Honganji and Nishi Honganji, are located within a few blocks of each other in the centre of Kyoto. Higashi Honganji is the largest wooden structure in Kyoto and amongst the largest in the world. Nishi Honganji's buildings contain many Buddhist images and statues.

KYOTO TOWER
Located a stone's throw away from these temples, Kyoto Tower is a must-visit if you enjoy getting the best view of a city. It's the tallest structure in Kyoto and has an observation deck at 100m from ground level.

Higashi Honganji temple grounds

Kyoto tower is visible from Higashi Honganji

NISHIKI MARKET
Spend lunchtime exploring the various delicacies and oddities at this under cover market. Kyoto is famous for its pickles, and you can see all kinds of vegetables being pickled whole. You can buy various snacks to eat as you walk, from fried fish cakes to tako tamago (baby octopus filled with a quail's egg) for the more adventurous.

Pickled vegetables: daikon, cabbage etc

Fried snacks

Tako tamago

DAY 3: PM

MARUYAMA PARK + GION
Spend your final afternoon in Kyoto wondering around the scenic Maruyama Park. Also visit Yasaka shrine which is located next door to the park. It's the location for Gion Matsuri, one of Japan's best known festivals, which takes place every July with a procession of huge floats carried by participants.

Maruyama Park

As the day draws to a close, head over to the neighbouring district of Gion, the famous geisha district, whose streets are lined with beautiful old-fashioned wooden houses. Maybe you'll be lucky enough to see a geisha or maiko (apprentice geisha) on their way to an appointment: the perfect ending for your time in Kyoto.

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Nara: Oh Deer

Nara is one of the places that I was most looking forward to visiting during my stay in the Kansai region. I'd spent hours (literally, hours) googling pictures of the adorable deer that populate Nara Park, and was in a frenzy of anticipation at the prospect of being able to feed these cuties with wafers (which you can purchase for just 100 JPY in the park). I mean, just look at them:

Cute Deer Numbers 1 and 2

Cute Deer Number 3

Cute Deer Number 4

However, what should have been one of the best moments of my time in Japan (if not one of the best moments of all time), quickly descended into farce as I proceeded to be pecked repeatedly on the bum by impatient deer who didn't have the time for me to unwrap the biscuits. Once unwrapped, I attempted to feed the ungrateful deer, but ended up practically throwing the wafers at them as they got more and more aggressive, and I more or less broke into a sprint in the opposite direction as soon as the last biscuit had left my hands. I only saw the following warning sign after the heartless attack had taken place, which frankly was just too little, too late.

I suppose it is often the moments you most look forward to that end up in disappointment. You just hype them up so much in your mind that the reality can never quite live up the imagination. Anyway, once I'd gotten over the fact that the deer had ruined what should have been a beautiful moment for all involved, the rest of the day unfolded, and as I walked through Nara Park I realised that although I had come for the deer, Nara had so much more to offer.

A red torii gate sits on an island in Nara Park

Todai-ji is Nara's centrepiece, a great temple with a huge Buddha statue in its main hall. One of the reasons why such an impressive temple exists in Nara is because the city used to be Japan's capital. The central hall, where the Buddha resides, is actually the largest wooden building in the world.

Daibutsuden (Big Buddha Hall)

Daibutsu (Big Buddha) is 15m tall

Bodhisattvas statues sit either side of the Buddha 

Other Buddhist statues decorate the rest of the interior of the hall

There are a couple of other buildings in the Todai-ji temple complex worth looking at, including the Nigatsu-do and Hokke-do halls. The walk uphill to these is worthwhile, with ancient trees and stone pillars lining the way to the top.

Once I'd wandered around the Todai-ji temple complex, I visited Isui-en Garden, which sits just outside Nara Park. I've become incredibly fond of Japanese gardens since coming to Japan, and when visiting a new place I tend to seek out the nearest landscaped garden and pay it a visit. They are not only beautiful places aesthetically, but also provide a soothing respite from hectic urban life.

The entry fee to the garden also includes entry to the museum, which holds the ceramics collection of the garden's founder, Nakamura Junsaku. He collected ceramics from Japan, China and Korea. 

If after that, you're still hungry for more, there's another Japanese Garden just next door, called Yoshikien. Even better, it offers free entry to foreign visitors. This was a pleasant surprise, as many of the benefits offered to foreigners are only for those on tourist visas, and as I am here on a working holiday visa, I don't normally qualify.

Like most Japanse gardens, this one is divided into distinct parts: a pond garden, a moss garden and the garden of tea ceremony flowers.

The pond garden at Yoshikien

Cheeky deer, a giant Buddha and impressive gardens. It was a long day sightseeing in Nara, but unfortunately there were still things I didn't have time to see, such as the Nara National Museum. But as I drank a matcha latte at the end of the day, my tired feet told me that the day had been a good effort nonetheless.

What do you think of Japanese Gardens? Do you like their manicured appearance, or do you prefer a more 'natural' garden design?

The Taishi Shotoe festival of lights

One of the things you always look for when you're travelling, is something that little bit unusual, something only the locals know about, something that isn't mentioned in every Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. I don't have anything against the big tourist destinations - they're usually popular for a reason, and of course if you're visiting somewhere for a short period of time, you want to tick the top destinations off your list. However, I'm not in Japan for a short holiday this time, but living here for an extended period, so seeking out experiences beyond the guidebook is something that I am lucky enough to have the time to do.

It was with this aim in mind that on Saturday night I found myself getting off at Kaminotaishi station, in an Osaka suburb. I had taken the train there in order to visit the Taishi Shotoe festival of lights. This is an annual festival where a number of local temples are illuminated by lanterns at night. I hadn't done a huge amount of research before travelling there, and had hoped that there would be people heading towards the festival, or some signage, pointing me in the right direction. I quickly realised this wasn't the case, as the stream of commuters walked off to their homes and I was left standing at the train station unsure which way to turn. It was still light, so I followed my gut instinct and walked directly away from the station, looking around for signs of festivity. After about 10 minutes of walking and not seeing anything, I asked a passing couple for help, in my poor Japanese, and they of course responded in perfect English that I was going the right direction, and would be able to see the temple from the road if I continued to walk straight ahead. What a relief!

At last I came upon Taishi Nagomi Park, where the festival was taking place. It was clearly a local affair and at first I felt very much like a stranger who had turned up uninvited to a village fete! However, that feeling quickly disappeared as I made my way into the throng of the festival. There was a market with hot food (including the biggest yakitori skewer I've ever eaten) and games to entertain the children. There was also a band stand in the park, where wadaiko drummers performed as the sun set.

The market gets busier as the day draws to a close

The wadaiko drumming performance begins in broad day light...

... and ends when the sun has set

Once the drumming performance was over and I had finally finished eating the biggest yakitori stick on the planet, it was time to explore the light displays. As soon as the sun went down, the festival came into its own as the many different coloured lanterns carefully arranged around the festival site burnt brightly in the dusk light. The lanterns were laid out in various patterns, from flowers to peacocks, both in the main square and around the neighbouring Eifukuji Temple and Saihoin Temple. Children wandered between the lanterns as if they were a maze, and others stood back and admired the displays from afar.

The lanterns come to life as the sun sets

The path of lights leads you to the temples

The lanterns were laid out in various patterns, such as flowers

Lights are arranged in the shape of the kanji for 'harmony'

Apparently there were over 10,000 lanterns used for the festival! The festival is dedicated to one of the articles issued by Prince Regent Shotoku (574 - 622), which states that 'harmony is to be valued'. The reason why this is celebrated here is because Eifukuji temple in Taishi is known as the site of the tomb of Prince Shotoku.

There are many matsuri (festivals) in Japan, some are local, others are nation-wide. It was a privilege to experience this local festival, which was no less impressive despite its relatively small scale. In fact, the small scale lent the festival an intimate and moving atmosphere. The other festival I have visited since arriving in Japan was the Sapporo Snow Festival, which although was vastly bigger in scale and impressive in many ways, didn't compare to the smaller taishi shotoe festival in terms of atmosphere.

It was awesome to experience these temples at night, surrounded by such beautiful light displays. The atmosphere was one of both joy and reverence. It was particularly interesting to visit temples that are used by local people, unlike the temples that attract thousands of tourists each year which, with their many signs telling you to take your shoes off and not to take photos, feel more like museums than active places of worship.

Inside the Eifukuji temple complex

Two-storey pagoda inside the Eifukuji temple complex

Saihoin temple

Sadly, as you can probably tell from the number of umbrellas in the photos, it was raining for most of the evening. However, there were lots of festival volunteers who did their best to re-light any lanterns that went out over the course of the evening, so it didn't impact on the enjoyment of the festival too much.

As summer approaches, I look forward to visiting many more Japanese matsuri! I visited the 9th Taishi Shotoe festival, which took place on 23 and 24 April 2016.

Have you ever been to a light festival? Have you discovered something or some place that isn't in the guidebooks?