Kyoto- Temples and Shrines (Part 2)

Part one of our Kyoto day tour consisted of Nijo Castle and the Golden Pavillion. For the second part of our tour, we visited the Heian Shrine and the Kiyomizu Temple.

Heian Shrine:

The Heian Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Kyoto. You can identify these shrines by their red-orange color. The Heian shrine was located in a very large complex.

Main Entrance

Corner Building

The Heian Shrine

Tiger Hand-washing Basin

Prayer Tree- Tie your prayers onto the tree

Heian Shrine Garden:

As I said before, the Heian Shrine is located in a very large complex. Behind the shrine is a large, peaceful garden.

Walking across the lake

Bridge over the lake

Bridge Entrance

View of gardens from the bridge

Kiyomizu Temple:

The Kiyomizu Temple is a Buddhist temple on a hillside. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is quite interesting. To get there, you have to walk up a pedestrian alley of shops. Once the shops end, you will see a three-tiered pagoda and can follow the stairs to the top.

Pagoda in front of Kiyomizu Temple