Kyoto Mania

  I visited Yoshiminedera Temple in Nishikyo Ward, Kyoto City. The area is far from the center of Kyoto City and not so many tourists visit. In fact, there are several magnificent old temples that rival those in the center of the city, and the view of Kyoto city from the top of the mountain is superb.   One of them, Yoshimine-dera, is known as the "Temple of Flowers".   I approached the temple by hiking from Takatsuki City's Pompon Mountain located in southwestern side of it. The majesty of Yoshimine-dera can be seen from behind the trees. Exciting. The gate at the back of the parking lot. It's magnificent.     After paying the admission fee at the gate, you will see the main hall.     A collection of hydrangea plants welcomes you. Yes, it's hydrangea season.   The specialty of this temple is the "Yuryu-no-matsu (i.e.Pine Tree of Playing Dragon)". It is more than 600 years old and 37 meters long creeping horizonta...

 I went to the Central Wholesale Market, the center of Kyoto's food culture, to buy tableware.   Hotel Emion KYOTO The brand new Hotel Emion KYOTO opened in 2020, directly connected to JR Umekoji Station. The Central Wholesale Market is currently under partial reconstruction. A narrow street among the jumble of stores on the west side. Oh, this is a barbecue place. It seems that fresh meat and fish from the market can be cooked and eaten here. I came to the pottery shop I wanted to visit. Of course, there are many pottery stores in Kyoto, including Kiyomizu-yaki pottery, a specialty of Kyoto, but strangely enough, this is where I find the perfect items for our daily use. We successfully found our favorite item. We headed for our next destination. We walked north through the central wholesale market, and halfway through the market, we turned right and went under the JR elevated railway tracks, which led us to the area known as Shimabara. Shimabara'...

 Heian Jingu Shrine is a huge shrine built in 1895 during the Meiji era (1868-1912) to coincide with celebrations marking the 1,100 th anniversary of the founding of Heiankyo. It is dedicated to Emperor Kammu, who relocated and established the capital to Heian (i.e. Kyoto) in 794 A.D. A sunny day of the rainy season. The shrine garden 神苑 , which blooms from season to season, shows us flowers from early summer to early autumn this time.   At the front gate, a "chinowa" (a wheel of thatching) is set up. This is a June tradition at shrines in Kyoto. It is an event to purify the body and soul by going through a large ring made of thatch, and to pray for good health, protection from bad luck, and safety in the home. The shrine building at the back of the huge plaza is a scaled-down reconstruction of the Chodo-in, the main office of the Imperial Household in Heian-kyo. The outer worship hall is a replica of Daigoku-den, the main building of Chodo-in. Otenmon and Daigok...