Kyoto TourFor more than a millennium the capital city of Imperial Japan, The City of Ten Thousand Shrines, now home to 1.5 million souls and part of the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area, Kyoto is everything you want Japan to be. It is mysterious and magical, bursting with energy. It has always been a prominent seat of learning and now has no fewer than 37 higher education establishments. The largest university is Japan's second best and the world's 25th. We took advantage of the generosity of two students who were members of the Good Samaritan Club. Volunteer undergraduates willing to escort tourists around the highlights of their city of which they are justly proud, for nothing. Nada. Not a cent changes hands. We tried, repeatedly. They would allow us to buy them a (soft) drink but politely declined any other offer. They were wonderful guides too, enhancing our understanding of Japanese history and its complex culture by showing us some of the most stunning sites in old Kyoto and explaining their significance. Commencing at the Sanjusangendo Hall with its typically confusing eastern mix of Buddhist and Hindu deities in the beautiful garden surroundings of the Higashiyama district, we saw Honen's stone monument, erected in the 13th Century to commemorate the founding of Jodo Buddhism. |
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Pausing to drink from a wishing well, keeping our wishes secret of course, we passed young women in traditional dress who were happy to pose for photos. We watched students taking part in their graduation celebrations before coming to the beautiful Kiyomizu Temple. The name means pure water and is inspired by the clear spring that arises on the hillside. Founded in the 8th century, the present wooden building dates from the 17th. There were no metal nails used in its construction. The views from the stilted verandah are stunning and the breeze is very welcome in summer. The Shinto shrine of Yasaka has, since its founding in the 7th century, been one of the most symbolically important in Japanese political life. A site of many Imperial proclamations. The Mikoshi (a kind of sedan chair used to move deities around) housed here was said to have warded off plague from Kyoto in the 9th century and the annual tradition of parading through the streets continues as a commemoration in the famous Gion Matsuri festival every July. We fell in love with old Kyoto as much because of the gentle generosity of its students as the beauty and profound sense of history. We recommend it. |