A week ago I shared pictures of the first half of our short but amazing trip to Kyoto last year. During the second part of our stay, we decided to visit the nearby towns of Nara and Kibune. Each of these towns is about a 45 minute train journey from Kyoto, so we decided to make day trips out of these visits instead of taking all our luggage with us and finding new accommodation.
Nara
For me the beauty of Nara lies in the beautiful park that you have to walk through to reach the main temple, Todaiji. The massive building is home to Japan’s biggest bronze statue of Buddha – it’s 15 meters tall!
Kibune
In the Northern mountains of Kyoto is a small town situated in a forested valley. It felt like quite a trek reaching the actual town, but once there, respite is offered from the excessive summer heat in the form of the restaurants’ covered platforms where visitors can sit and enjoy a meal with the cool water from the river running beneath them. Bliss!
Back in Kyoto
On our last evening in Kyoto, we decided to hang out in Gion, Kyoto’s most famous geisha district. Alas, we didn’t run into any geisha on their way to or from an appointment, but it was just a lovely time to take in the facades of the traditional wooden ‘machiya’ merchant houses.
Nijo Castle
The last of our sights to see in Kyoto was Nijo Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, surrounded by two beautiful gardens called Ninomaru and Honmaru. As impressive as the castles were on the inside, I have to be honest and say that I preferred the tranquility and calmness of the two gardens much more.
Here’s a little round-up of more pictures from our holiday.
I really can’t wait until the next one!
ELEANOR J'ADORE 