Gold, royalty and a thousand-gates walk
Trip Start
Aug 01, 2011
1
9
Trip End
Aug 29, 2011
Kyoto, Kyōto, Japan
Friday, August 26, 2011
Kinkaku-ji (also known as the Golden Pavilion)
The Kinkaku-ji was definitely a great sight. Just the realization of the outer walls of the temple being made from pure gold leaf is makes it even more interesting to see. Just to make it clear, gold leaf is pure gold that is hammered down to make it extremely thin so it can be used to coat surfaces with it. You could say its just like a wrapping paper but made of pure gold.
Next to the amazing temple the gardens around it are a beautiful sight of which I have taken many photos of as well. Check them out in my public album!
Kyoto Imperial Palace
Back when I was in Tokyo I wanted to see the Imperial Palace so bad but sadly had to find out that it wouldn't be possible to do so within the next 15 years. So naturally the chance to get much more close to Kyoto's Imperial Palace was very much appealing to me. The entire area we've been shown by the tour guide was said to be the actual area the Imperial Families used to live in. War and other disasters naturally made it so that these aren't all the original buildings but mostly restorations and replicas of the originals. Even by knowing this it didn't take away the magic behind the living space of the previous Imperial Family that once ruled Japan.
Fushime Inari Shrine
This by far was for me the most amazing sight! A nice couple in Kyoto helped me to find my train to Inari and once I got out of the station there my mind was blown away by the temple just standing there inviting everyone that gets out. Of course it was a bit of a let down to see some of the construction work around the temple but I guess you can't get around it! Once I walked up the steps of the temple and into the shrine I literally couldn't believe that it is possible to have such an amazing traditional part of Japanese culture preserved in the midst of the busy and modern cities. I literally spent hours inside the place and even lost my way around... Which caused me to walk around even more. By the time I got out it was almost dark, if I didn't get out at that time I might have been forced to spend the night in between the many bamboo bushes you could find here. Even though the thought of that scared me a bit I am so glad for this experience!
More Photos
Of course you can check more of the photos I made so in my Japan travel album!
