Continuing the walk in eastern Kyoto I walked to the Kodaji-ji Temple. It’s a more than 400 years old temple with a vast garden and bamboo forest attached to it. It’s crazy how big those bamboo trees grow in Japan compared to the ones I know from back in Germany.
Kodai-ji Temple
Massive bamboo
If you continue from there the presence of Japanese girls walking around in their traditional kimonos either in small groups or as couples with their partner who then also wears a kimono. Normally she in a colourful one with flower patterns and he in a mono brown or grey colour. It looks very classy I have to say. The only think that was kind of a misfit was the amount of selfie-sticks they used to shoot pictures. If you are, like me, fascinated by all those stereotypical Japanese things, it’ll be mind blowing to see all the dressed up Geisha girls on the streets around those quarters in Eastern Kyoto. Technically it’s the geisha apprentices, called Maiko, which have the typical white make-up, hair bun and wooden sandals in combination with colourful kimonos. As it is some sort of test and training that they undergo and there are plentiful pictures about them online, I avoided taking pictures of them though. Most of them you will see on the tiny, winding roads leading up to the Kiyomizu Temple. Those streets are full of stores and restaurants and thus packed with local and foreign tourists.
Road to Kiyomizu Temple
Kiyomizu Temple
Although it’s all beautiful around the Kiyomizu Temple with its location up the hill looking over the city and I even got a nice sunset, I was overwhelmed with the amount of people after such a long and peaceful day of walking. Thus I didn’t spend that much time up here and went back to the hostel passing through the old Geisha district of Gion. This area is still preserved with old traditional houses which have wooded sliding doors. You can find lots of bars and restaurants on the upper price level in Gion. And of course Geisha shows and entertainment.
Gion
I didn’t go out for dinner in Gion though but went to a tofu restaurant in Sanjo which is typical for Kyoto. The place is called Tougaden. I have to say that I am generally no big fan of tofu but considering that this was in fact a tofu-only place it was quite ok. So if you like tofu it must be fantastic for you. The combination with a delicious local beer makes it also tastier.
Tofu dish at Tougaden
Local beer and green tea
Some weird dessert I tried. Very strange consistency and its covered in peanut flour
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