After our first day experience travelling to Gion on a hot overcrowded #100 bus, we decided to catch the #206 which also goes to Gion - trouble was the #100 only took 10 minutes to get to Gion while our #206 bus took one hour and 20 minutes to get to the same place! At least we had seats and got to see areas of Kyoto that tourists would not normally visit.
At the entrance to the Yasaka Shrine we were approached by a group of young male and female scouts who asked us to write down our nationality and where we live. They were all very happy we were willing to help them with their "research" and took a group photo with us in it. They gave each of us a little present of a few sweets in a small box which they had made out of paper.
Being Sunday there were many more Japanese visitors at the Shrine than on other days. We walked through the historic area of Higashiyama up to the Kiyomizudera Temple together with thousands of other people. There is a three tiered pagoda painted bright orange but the star attraction is the
Kiyomizudera (literally "Pure Water Temple") which is one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. It was founded in 780 on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the wooded hills to the east of Kyoto.
Kiyomizudera is famous for its wooden stage that juts out from the main hall 13 metres above the hillside. When standing on the stage I didn't really appreciate how high I was from the ground, but after going down the hill I could see the timber framework supporting the stage. Both the main hall and the stage were built without the use of nails.
We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the Gion shopping area. I was sustained by a fabulous salted caramel crepe, while Anita settled for caffeine. After we recouped at our hotel we went to a local Vietnamese restaurant, but won't bother going back as it was not very good.
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