The main entrance
Fushimi Inari Taisha is a large shinto shrine complex in southern Kyoto. Here it is on the map. It began in the 8th century to revere Inari, the god of the rice harvest. Inari has always been an important god. Few (if any) images were ever created of him and he uses foxes as his messengers. The foxes acting on Inari’s behalf are even called Inari. Read more…
Tags: Kyoto
The main entrance
Kiyomizu Dera (Kiyomizu Temple) could be called the premier temple of Kyoto. Here it is on the map. This Buddhist temple was first built in AD 798 and devoted to the deity that resided within an 11-headed Kanon statue. The current buildings were built in 1633 under orders from Tokugawa Iemitsu. It is a large temple complex that holds several famous sites and contains a good-sized shinto shrine. If you have time to only see one temple in Kyoto this would be it. Read more…
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The Kyoto Train Station is the central train and bus station for the city of Kyoto, Japan. Here it is on the map. I’ve been there many times and every time it impresses me. Kyoto Station (it’s official name to the Japanese) is an immense complex. You might be tempted to call it a building but after you’ve been there you’ll drop that word. The complex rises many stories into the air and many stories below ground. It houses a very large train station, a large bus station, a shopping center with many restaurants and countless other things that would take days to explore. The underground section extends over a larger area than the part above ground. As impressive as it is, Tokyo has even larger stations. Read more…
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When I planned my trip to Japan in 2006 I wanted to visit Kyoto and Tokyo. In the minds of the Japanese, Kyoto is Japan’s past and Tokyo is Japan’s present. Although it wasn’t my first time in Kyoto it was the first time I got to choose where we stopped. On the way to a temple I happened upon a large graveyard by a river. I wish I would have spent more time trying to learn the name of the place. The photos here don’t give a very good sense of how immense the place was. I’ve visited a number of graveyards in Japan during my past trips but I don’t remember seeing one this big.
Tags: Kyoto
