Kyoto is a cultural and traditional city in Japan, where many of Japan’s traditional cultures, customs and religions originated. Many historical events took place here. Even today, more than thousands of traditional temples and shrines are preserved in the city of Kyoto. This city has seen many wars and destruction, but despite this, countless temples, shrines and other historical monuments still exist here. Sannezaka and Ninenzaka are two places located at a short distance from Kyoto.
Konnichiwa welcomes tourists visiting Kyoto . Today we all know Tokyo as the capital of Japan, but it was not always like this. The capital of Japan has changed about 20 times. Another most important city, which remembers the capital of Japan for more than 12,000 years, is Heiyu-kyo, now called Kyoto.
Osaka to Kyoto
There are three options to get from Osaka to Kyoto, but the easiest is the Shinkansen bullet train. The distance from Osaka to Kyoto is quite short, about 50 km.
Sannezaka and Ninenzaka
We’ll begin our tour of Kyoto with its oldest and most beautiful streets, Sannezaka and Ninenzaka. These two streets were built during the Heian period, in 807 or 808, to facilitate pilgrims’ access to one of Kyoto’s oldest Buddhist temples. There’s an interesting story behind the names of these streets. ” Sannezaka ” means “two-year-old,” and ” Ninenzaka ” means “three-year-old slope.” Both streets are very steep and made of stone. It’s said that if you don’t walk carefully and slip, Ninenzaka could suffer misfortune for two years, and Sannezaka could become a three-year-old child. Therefore, people walk very carefully here.
You might be wondering, how does all this make this street important?
This is because both these streets are a living museum. Coming here, it feels like you have traveled through time and reached ancient Japan. The biggest credit for this goes to the centuries-old Machiya houses here, many of which have now been converted into shops, cafes or restaurants. Yes, but this place is definitely bustling with people. If you pay attention.
Sanezaka is the most popular place in Kyoto. The traditional machiya wooden houses are still preserved. People here are very busy and kimono is the most traditional dress of the people here. Starbucks is the most popular restaurant in Ninezaka. This Starbucks is located in a 100-year-old house and has maintained a Japanese feel. And it is in the Ninezaka area. Ninezaka is 50 to 100 meters away from Sanezaka. Machiya is maintained here and Starbucks is also here.
Kiyomizu Temple
Kyoto is famous for its temples, one of which is Kiyomizu Temple . Kiyomizu means “full water”. A waterfall flows beneath the temple. This waterfall is divided into three separate streams, the first for longevity, the second for success and education, and the third for love. If you wish for any of these things in your life, drink the water from that stream. Do not drink water from any of the three streams.
Kyoto Culture and Traditional
It is called Gomagi, you can see it in different temples in Japan. It is a wooden stick on which you have to write your wish and every month they make it and when you sprinkle it on the ancestors they believe that your wish will come true. You cannot do it for free, here you have to donate 300 rupees
Kiyomizu temple is very much used, there are 33 temples in this complex and the most crowded is after the first temple pagoda, inside you will find very less crowd, if you want peace or less crowd you can visit the main temple pagoda, come there.
Apart from making wishes, you can also observe the architecture of this temple. Due to its unique design, not a single stone has been used in the construction of the main hall of the temple. As you can imagine, the main hall has been extended to form a platform. From where you can see a panoramic view of the city. Kyoto was once the capital of Japan. And even before it became the capital, there is an old Kiyomizu temple here.
Sannezaka and Ninenzaka are shops that sell many handmade products made in Kyoto, and there are also more dessert cafes than food.
Kodaiji Temple
In 1605, Kittanu Mendekuru, affectionately called Naine, built a Zen Buddhist temple in honor of her late warrior husband. The name of this temple is Kodaiji Temple , which is very beautiful. Along with the temple, the garden here is also very peaceful and beautiful. The garden has maple trees, beautiful paths and ponds. There is a small bamboo forest here and the temple is also very beautiful. It is less crowded than Kiyomizu Temple, the entrance fee of Kodaiji Temple is 600 yen per person. The museum can also be visited.
Arashiyama Station
You can also take a bus to Arashiyama, but the train is the best way to get there. To get to the train, you need to come to Shijo-Omiya Station. Omiya Station is two separate stations, one Honkyu and the other Shijo-Omiya. Both stations are in opposite directions, but the station is very small and only trains run to Arashiyama.
Arashiyama Station takes about 30 minutes to reach and is a very cute station. Despite being a very small station, you will find a coffee house, donuts, and a coin locker to store your luggage. Only two lines of trains run from here, one of which is the Blue Line which goes to Shijo-Omiya. The ticket costs 250 yen.
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
One of the most popular places in Kyoto is the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. People come from Osaka and Kyoto for a day trip. That is why it is very famous. The bamboo forest growing here is 500 meters long. Bamboo is considered very important in Japanese culture. It symbolizes strength, flexibility and growth. The attraction here is very high, there is always excitement here. There is a temple right in front of the bamboo forest.
Otago Nenbutsuji Temple
It is about 2.1 kilometers long. There are so many temples in Kyoto that it is difficult to count them. The Otago Nenbutsuji Temple is the most interesting part. There are 1,200 Rakan statues covered with moss here. The expression of each statue is completely different. The entire hill of this temple is covered with such statues. But apart from this, the history of this temple is also very interesting. Because this temple has gone through many disasters, but has also been destroyed and rebuilt many times.
The Otago Nenbutsuji Temple as we see it today is thanks to Kocho Nishimura. He was an artist and later became a Buddhist monk. He was a soldier during World War II, where he saw many broken Buddha statues in a dream. At that very moment he decided that if he returned alive, he would definitely restore these statues. He fulfilled his promise after returning from the war; this is his iconic project of 1,200 Rakan statues. Rakan means disabled followers of Buddha.
But the most special thing was that Kocho did not make these statues himself. He invited people from all over Japan and the world; ordinary people, students, artists, tourists, retirees all came and made their own rakan. They put their emotions, patience and personality into their statues and because of this every statue looks different and every statue has a different impression. Even today, three generations later, the Nishimura family thinks about Otagi and keeps it alive with their art and love.
Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple
The entrance ticket to the temple is 500 yen per person and it closes at 5:00pm. I found this temple interesting because it is an open monument. There are 8000 small stone Buddha statues here. About 1200 years ago it was a cremation ground. After the body was brought here, I was walking in the open. Surprisingly, there is a very beautiful corner, a bamboo grove, to enter the temple. It is not as big and crowded as the Arashiyama bamboo forest, it is very small, almost like a secret path. It is very beautiful, a symbol of renewal and protection
There is a place called Java Java Cafe right below Adashino Shrine. This cafe is right next to a traditional house. They serve Japanese coffee, cappuccino and Dora cake. This place is very popular. They have converted the house into a cafe. The other cafe shops are full, but this place seems very quiet. The cafe here is very famous and different.