April 26, 2013
Exactly a year ago, I visited Kiyomizu-dera or Clear
Water Temple in English. It is one of my top 5 places to visit in Kyoto. A
beautiful temple at the East side of Kyoto and just walking distance from our
hotel, Kyoto Shuhokaku Hotel.
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| Kiyomizu-dera's main temple |
Yes, striking distance
but that doesn’t mean less than 10min of walk because the walk from city
streets to the temple entrance is already 20min. Hence, from our hotel, it’s
approximately a 35min stroll. Travel Tip: Consider
wearing sneakers. The walking time might be easy for you! But how about the
elevation and slopes! Take note, the temple is located in Otowa
Mountain.
But it's a pleasant walk! Most people, including Japanese high school students in their school uniforms, heading to the temple would also walk to the entrance. There's a wide array of shops too along the way. Travel
Tip: Grab the green tea or sakura ice cream. It’s amazing! Buy some
refreshments too!
At the entrance area, we
were quite tired but it didn’t stop us from exploring the place. After all, it
was our first stop in this 2day very short trip to Kyoto. We took some photos
at the entrance, proceeded immediately to the main temple following the route. Travel Tip: Make
sure to take your best photo in every place. You might miss the chance if you
follow the route! Unless, you intentionally go back to that place.
The main ground also has
a lot of temple structures you can see. You can also purchase omikuji or paper fortunes.
Unfortunately, its usually written in Japanese so you just have to ask some
English-speaking Japanese to translate it for you.
The view of the city is
also something you shouldn't miss!
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| Overlooking Kyoto City |
In the main temple,
there are hundreds of people, each one freely doing anything – praying, looking
at the scenery, taking photos, reminiscing, resting, chitchatting whatever!
There are even Japanese ladies wearing their kimonos. In our case, we just took
some photos, few minutes of rest, then continue the route. Still a very long
day for us. Yay!
We just made a small detour to see the 3-story pagoda to complete our sightseeing.
Oh. Kiyomizu-dera is
also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In fact, for 20years (since 1994) already and still
counting.
After an hour of
strolling around this famous temple, off to other small temples in the vicinity.
Ticket Prices: It’s very reasonable
Adult: ¥300
Primary and Junior High
School Students: ¥200
Business hours: It varies
from year to year. There are also days when they open at night, especially
during festivals and special days. You may check out their website for updated
schedule here.
How to go to Kiyomizu-dera:
There are several options going to the place
because it’s in the heart of the city. Click here
to see you best option.
For more information, you can visit their website.
Looking for a Catholic Church in Kyoto?
Visit Kawaramachi
Church.
Check out my other blog posts in Kyoto Series:
- Kyoto | Imperial Palace: The Emperor's Residence
- Kyoto | Kinkaku-ji: Golden Pavilion in Nature
- Kyoto | Nijo-jo: Home of the Tokugawa Shogunate
- Kyoto Downtown: A Museum Itself
Kiyomizu-dera
294 Kiyomizu, 1-chome,
Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, 605-0862, Japan
Contact No: +81
75-551-1234
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