Captivating Kyoto Revisited

It’s one of those classic autumn mornings that only a place like Kyoto can deliver. Looking out across the city from the 13th floor of the Hotel Granvia is uplifting, yet it presents us with a daunting, proposition: where to go, and which ancient monuments and shrines to explore today. I used to have an image of Japan as an idealised feudal country of teahouses and temples, castles and bamboo forests, sliding rice paper screens and raked gravel gardens. My initial visit to techno-mad Tokyo had spoiled that romantic notion, but if Japan’s capital city is a vision of the country’s future, then Kyoto is a bridge to its past. And that’s what makes it so special.

A Brief History Of Kyoto 

Blessed with natural beauty and stunning architecture, we never tire of visiting Kyoto,  Japan’s former imperial city. This is our third time, and on previous trips we’d barely scratched the surface of what this enigmatic city has to offer. It boasts an overwhelming concentration of beautiful and important architecture, luring some 40 million visitors each year. They come to see its ancient temples, pay homage at its Shinto shrines, take part in elaborate festivals, and view the spring cherry blossoms or autumn foliage. The country’s former capital, and its emperor’s residence from 794 to 1868, Kyoto is one of the few cities in Japan untouched by World War II. And although modern life has had an impact on the local landscape, much of the city’s early heritage, and character remains; it’s home to a fifth of Japan’s national treasures, including 17 World Heritage Sights.

Historic Sites To Tick Off

In other visits we’d explored some of the most popular sights, including the Golden Temple of Kinkakuji, and the Heian-jingu shrine. One to tick off the list this time is the Fushimi Inari shrine. Located in the south of the city on a wooded mountainside, it’s an amazing complex with a series of meandering trails framed by 10,000 bright red torii gates. It takes more than two hours to walk to the top, and is a popular place for locals on weekends to make offerings at the scores of serene shrines dotting the route. The supremely efficient and inexpensive train system makes it a breeze navigating the major sights around Kyoto, and within half an hour of leaving Fushimi Inari we’re in Arashiyama to the northwest of Kyoto. Famous for its Bamboo Forest which reaches up to 40 metres in height in places, it’s a quiet, almost rural area which doesn’t appear to be on the radar of foreign tourists.Our last day is devoted to walking the fabled Philosopher’s Path. A pretty stone walkway flanking the canals of the Higashiyama district in the northeast of the city, it begins at Ginkakuji, also known as the Silver Temple and another of Kyoto’s top attractions. Along the way is an endless collection of shrines and temples, many of which don’t even rate a mention on a tourist map. 

Sunset And Beyond

A bonus for us, however, is that the walk concludes near the temples of Kiyomizudera, our favourite place to be for sunset. Another of Kyoto’s World Heritage Listed sites, it is tucked into the low mountains on the eastern side of the city offering sweeping views of Kyoto and its surrounds. After sunset, the way back towards Gion, we spot a local geisha. Called maiko in Kyoto, with her bright, trailing kimono, impossibly high heeled wooden sandals, ornate hairstyle and ghostly white makeup, she cannot help but catch the eye. As she pauses to nibble on samples of chocolate from a tourist shop, however, she turns toward me - talking on a iPhone. This captures Kyoto in a nutshell. It’s a place where the old continues to enthrall amidst the new, and where a thousand-year old Shinto shrine stands untouched next to a pachinko parlour. And where legendary Japanese geisha use mobile phones, and eat chocolate.