Kinkaku-ji and the Bamboo Forest

It is a hopeless task to find the pre-iPhone era pictures of my visit to Kyoto, Japan.

When I visited it again, armed with my iPhone, I was determined to revisit the gem of the Kyoto temples, the Kinkaku-ji.

I took a bus and arrived close to the temple area, then walked the remaining distance, bought the ¥500 ticket and entered the temple.

The Kinkaku-ji temple is a World Heritage Site, a Zen Buddhist temple from the 14th century, one of the most visited in Kyoto and famed to house the Buddha’s relics.

It looks very serene with the lake in front of it, the Japanese maple trees all around and the reflection of the beautiful golden temple in the pond.

Due to the big crowds visiting this temple, there are many chaperones, urging people to avoid spending too much time at any one particular spot.

This is especially useful at areas with stunning views prompting people to take selfies or pose to get their best picture with the temple, blocking others for a prolonged time.

I myself couldn’t resist and took many pictures, but I was very quick and careful not to inconvenience anyone.

The reflection of trees and clouds in the lake along with a mirror image of the temple looked mesmerizing.

The roof of the temple has the phoenix as the temple ornament and along with the top floors, the bird is also covered with gold leaf.

This temple had to be reconstructed and rejuvenated due to a fire in the 1950s which was inadvertently started by a monk.

The various colors showed a very compelling contrast - the gold leaf, the green trees, the pink flowers, the white clouds, the brown roof, and the blue sky.

As the visitors’ line snaked around the monument, different facets of the temple yielded varied photo opportunities.

Walking further along the path were many smaller Buddha statues.

The path continued through a small forest and the temple was one glittering artifact within the large green forest.

The trees, the mountains and the forest all collaborated to make this Zen temple site very tranquil.

The golden phoenix on the roof was clearly visible with my 25x phone lens.

As I walked towards the outer periphery of the temple, I admired the small shrines and the reiki gardens.

A small kiosk in the temple was selling souvenirs as well as some ceremonial matcha.

Outside the temple was a shop selling mochi and it sounded tempting in the 85°F hot sun.

Another shop was selling barbecued fish, which they claimed was also supplied to a nearby Michelin rated restaurant, and it was delicious.

There were some cute statues on the path as I walked further down.

There was another one which was the cutest.

I had planned on visiting the Sagano bamboo forest, which was also nearby.

It was quite crowded. It was very hot. The bamboo trees were huge and very tall.

It was quite a dense forest.

Some bamboo trees had big girth and looked pretty strong.

The new growth and the old growth of the bamboo trees looked quite distinct.

Close by was the Tenryu-Ji temple and its beautiful gardens. I walked on the grounds.

In from of the temple was the Sogenchi Garden and pond, there was a large seating area in front of a huge Reiki Garden and people were sat there peacefully trying to find their Zen.

After resting a while, I continued walking, along the way, I found a small ad for the Shigetsu restaurant. It had a Michelin rating and served vegetarian cuisine in the Buddhist monastic tradition. It promised to cleanse the soul, suppress worldly desires and promote spiritual growth.

I was delighted to read that my desire for good food would finally aid in my spiritual growth, reduce worldly desires and cleanse my soul, so without further ado, I made a beeline for it.

The meal was well presented and looked very pure. It was delicious. The seating was on a tatami mat and there was a short table on which the food was served. There were few other people enjoying the similar meal.

The dessert came after the main meal, and it was pretty and yummy.

After the meal, I walked to another shrine named Nonomiya-jinja Shrine.

The shrine had a kiosk that sold many trinkets.

It also sold a Sake with gold flakes in it, which I purchased.

Next on the agenda was to hike in the large Yakasa Ginja, the shrine. As I approached the gate, I saw a well-dressed Geisha waiting for a bus.

As soon I walked through the main gate, I discovered the hugeness of the shrine and its grounds.

The shrine had many points of interest, and I walked exploring it for a couple of hours.

It was so hot in Kyoto today. I was happy to see that the worker keeping the area clean had a fan built right into his jacket.

I came by a narrow path that led to a steep climb and continued walking on it.

I discovered another temple.

I continued on the path, and it led to a burial place which many Japanese family were visiting. They carried gifts and water to their departed loved ones.

At the front of Japanese temples is a water fountain that people use to cleanse themselves before entering the temple.

A beautiful, decorated temple with gold leaf door caught my eye.

Looking back from the higher ground of the burial area, the Kyoto city was visible and so were the neighboring mountains.

One of the shrines had a phoenix on the top of the spire.

I had seen most of the shrine and continued walking on the streets of Kyoto.

There were many performance theatres on the boulevard.

I came across a bridge on the Kamogawa river in the main business district of Kyoto with walking path on one side and views of the nearby mountains right across it.

All the walking made me hungry, and Kyoto is full of restaurants. I had my favorite meal of Unagi.

Walking after the meal to explore Kyoto further, I saw the district with many shops selling the beautiful Japanese hand fans. I bought a couple as souvenirs and experienced the effort the salesperson put in for meticulously packing them.

I had enjoyed the whole day of walking, admired the many highlights of Kyoto, and consumed multiple meals. It was time to go back on the Shinkansen train to another far away city to use my Japan Rail pass to its fullest.

I walked to the Kyoto station which is like a giant city in itself and awaited the next fast train to Hiroshima.