Kyoto, Part 1

Tanaka-ya Ryokan

We arrived in the late afternoon in Kyoto and checked into our accommodation, Tanaka-ya Ryokan. Ryokan are traditional Japanese guest houses and Tanaka-ya was a great place to stay in the heart of old Kyoto.

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Entrance to Tanaka-ya
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Tanaka-ya's Street
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Our Room
Fushimi Inari-taisha

Our first destination was the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, famous for it’s “thousand torii gates”. We rented bikes so we could get some exercise instead of taking the bus. After a somewhat scary ride we arrived intact and found that there are WAY more than a thousand torii, and they go all the way up the entire mountain. We went part of the way up and turned around so we’d have more time to see the rest of Kyoto.

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About to Ride to the Shrine
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About to Ride to the Shrine
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Entrance to the Shrine
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So Much Orange!
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L'Orange
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J'Orange
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This Doesn't Even Begin to Show How Many There Are...
Higashiyama District

Next we visited the Higashiyama District, for a scenic walk through old Kyoto. Higashiyama is filled with souvenir and snack shops and more than it’s fair share of temples and shrines.

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Higashiyama District
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Higashiyama District
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Enjoying a Kakimochi in Higashiyama
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Inner Peace in Higashiyama
Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Our final stop for our first day in Kyoto was the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, on the hill overlooking Higashiyama. The temple itself was beautiful and had a great view of the whole city.

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Pagoda at Kiyomizu
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Kiyomizu Temple
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Kiyomizu Temple
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Panorama from the Temple
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Headed Home

3 thoughts on “Kyoto, Part 1

  1. Mom

    Kyoto is my dream city to visit. I’m thrilled you are there. And happy to see both of you in one piece after your bike rides. Daisuki desu.
    Mom

  2. Anne Watt Massey

    So beautiful…and the temples do look so peaceful. I am enjoying your pictures and your comments very much.
    Love – Love,
    Aunt Anne