Nijo Castle, Heian Shrine, & Kiyomizu-Dera Temple
Today was a busy day. We headed off to the Nijo Castle in light drizzle. It was going to be a long day, and we were both a little snippish from not feeling well. By the time we got to Nijo, the rain picked up and we were happy escape the weather.
The inside of the main part of the castle is built in a very defensive way. Samurai solders would hide in an adjacent room to the emperor behind a screen. If anybody were to approach the emperor and get too close, the body guard would give a signal and the samurai would obliterate the bad guys.
In addition to the many chambers of meeting rooms as a way of “screening” guests, the floors in the castle were built with intentionally squeaky floorboards. They would “sing” if somebody walked down them in the middle of the night alerting the guards something was amiss.
We could not take pictures inside the castle, so instead the above pictures show you the outside and grounds. It was very beautiful inside, though, plain room compositions with ornate murals on the silkscreen walls. The ceilings were intricate patterns carved into the wood. Our jaws dropped a few times walking around the castle just to see the amazing archetecture.
After Nijo, we grabbed a quick lunch of Udon Soup (and tempura) in downtown Kyoto. Next, we started off heading to the massive torii gates of the bright red/orange and green Heian Shrine.
As soon as we got there, a taxi cab pulled up and two beautifully adorned Maiko girls stepped out. Maiko are Geisha in training…As a result, instantaneously, there was a crowd around them. I managed to pull off a couple quick snaps without getting too close and meddlesome.
Dennis & I walked around the Heian Shrine a bit, and then headed over to the Kyoto Handicraft Center. I should have brought my passport as there is a huge duty free shop at the center. Every floor of the center specializes in different handicrafts, and there are local artisans there working on the crafts. It is neat to watch them work and every now and then, they will stop to explain things to people. The duty free shops sell just about everything you might want, so we picked up a few items. I normally don’t buy myself things, but I saw a really pretty pearl ring so I went for it.
After shopping for a couple hours, we headed off to Kiyomizu-Dera Temple on a mountaintop on the outskirts of Kyoto. Normally, there is a killer view from up top, but today it was overcast. Even so, it was great walking around up there. The temple is held up by over 100 columns all 60 feet high, so standing on the deck, you can look down and see the pillers. Awesome!
When we got back to HGH, we were pretty worn out. All that walking and not feeling well was getting to us, so we were very very hungry.
For Dinner, I recommend going down to the Teramachi-dori (Dori=Ave), a covered shopping district. There is a huge selection of restaurants and cafes and fast food, as well as shopps. We went in search of Indian food-we wanted to see how the Indian food in Kyoto compared to the Indian food in Tokyo.
We ended up at Ashoka’s, on the 3rd floor of a mall. YUMMY YUMMY IN OUR TUMMIES!!!
The setting was nice and quiet; a superb way to wind down after the day of urban trekking. The food was just awesome-we didn’t take any pictures. At the rate we ate the food, it would have been impossible anyhow!
We had a set dinner with samosa, nan bread, salad, curry, saffron rice/veggies, and burfi with coffee. All that food for only 3800 yen each! It exceeded all expectations. I wanted to hug the chef the food was so good. This place has been in business for 30 years and it is clear why.
June 5th, 2006 at 8:11 pm
The Heian shrine suffered from a bit of “gee, another incredible shinto shrine…” If it had been the first one we’d seen on the trip, it might have struck me more. But, perhaps I was just tired, because I wasn’t even inclined to shell out a few measley yen to wander the gardens, which are supposedly beautiful.
The Kyoto Handicraft center has a lot of stuff for sale, all of high quality (and price). If you’re not on a budget, definitely go there. Otherwise, wander the streets of Kawaramachi-Dori. Some t-shirts that I got for 800 yen on Kawaramachi-Dori were 1050 yen in the Handicraft center (identical shirts).
Ashoka’s was magnificent! Wow! Some of the best Indian food I’ve *ever* had. The restaurant was quiet, the decor was pleasant, the waiter was prompt. Outstanding in every respect! What a wonderful way to wrap up the day!