In Japan, mid-February for Japanese students marks the end of the semester and means it's now time for prospective college students to travel to the universities they wish to apply to and start the grueling process of entrance exams. For international students at Nanzan University (who run on the typical Western semester schedule) mid-February marks a break from classes and exams and means it's time for sightseeing around Japan. This break was our longest break during the spring semester - we had a full 10 days to do whatever we wanted.
During this break, three other people and I decided to spend five days in the famous traditional city of Kyoto. Transportation in Japan can be very cheap if you know where to look. We bought tickets for a round-trip highway bus and reserved 4 beds at a hostel for 4 nights for just under ¥10,000 (roughly $100) per person.
The bus ride took about 2 1/2 hours and while you might be able to see more scenery if you take the shinkansen (Bullet Train), we were able to see a good amount of nature on the morning bus.
During this break, three other people and I decided to spend five days in the famous traditional city of Kyoto. Transportation in Japan can be very cheap if you know where to look. We bought tickets for a round-trip highway bus and reserved 4 beds at a hostel for 4 nights for just under ¥10,000 (roughly $100) per person.
The bus ride took about 2 1/2 hours and while you might be able to see more scenery if you take the shinkansen (Bullet Train), we were able to see a good amount of nature on the morning bus.
Around late morning our bus dropped us off in front of Yasaka Shrine in the Gion District. From there it was about a 5 minute walk to our hostel where we checked-in before heading out to explore for the day.
On our first day we were lucky enough to meet up with a friend of a friend who lives in Kyoto and he showed us around. We first walked through the Higashiyama Ward towards Kiyomizu Temple (清水寺). Kiyomizu-dera is a Buddhist temple that was founded early in the Heian Period. The name Kiyomizu-dera comes from the words kiyomizu - meaning "clear water" or "pure water" and dera - meaning "temple" - and refers to a waterfall within the grounds. One interesting fact about the temple is that it was built in such a way that not a single nail was used within the building.
Kyoto is one of the most historic cities in Japan and is home to 1600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines. The reason for this is that during WWII Kyoto was spared from the fire bombing making it now the only large city in Japan to contain a large amount of pre-war buildings and religious sites.
On our second day in Kyoto our first stop was Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社). Inari Shrine, located in Fushimi Ward, is built at the base of a mountain also named Inari. The shrine is the head shrine of Inari - the Japanese kami, or god, of foxes. Inari Shrine is most famously known for its path of thousands of red torii that line the path up to the top of the mountain.
On our second day in Kyoto our first stop was Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社). Inari Shrine, located in Fushimi Ward, is built at the base of a mountain also named Inari. The shrine is the head shrine of Inari - the Japanese kami, or god, of foxes. Inari Shrine is most famously known for its path of thousands of red torii that line the path up to the top of the mountain.
We started the day out determined to make it all the way to the top but after walking for about an hour and only making it halfway, we decided to head back down and move on to our next place. The path to the top is approximately 2.5 miles and takes about 2 hours of walking. If I am ever in Kyoto again, I will make sure to set aside a few hours and complete my goal of making it to the top.
Thanks again for reading to the end and following my blog! Be on the lookout for the next post about Uji - a town famous for its high-quality green tea - and one of the most beautiful places in Kyoto - Arashiyama.
Thanks again for reading to the end and following my blog! Be on the lookout for the next post about Uji - a town famous for its high-quality green tea - and one of the most beautiful places in Kyoto - Arashiyama.