The Bright and the Beautiful.

I really like Kyoto. Not only is the city in itself a beautiful balance between modern and cultural, but it seems to have a relaxed and laid back atmosphere that I really enjoy. We've only been here for two and a half days but we have probably already accomplished double than what we did in Kagoshima. There is simply so much to see, do and eat.

The first day we felt a bit groggy. We had just spent fourteen hours on an over night bus and arrived in Kyoto feeling a bit worse for wear. We checked into the hostel and headed to a sight that we did not even know existed the first time we were here. The shrine is called Fushimi Inari and is by far the best shrine I have been to whilst in Japan. It is famous for it's "Torii" gates, which are large red constructions that look a little like this.

Source: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3915.html

Well Fushimi Inari literally has thousands of them. You walk through long tunnels of torii gates and at some stages you cannot even see the skies above you or the land around you. It would seem closed in and claustrophobic, but it doesn't make you feel that way. It is beautiful. Each one has Kanji written on it describing the person who donated the gate to the shrine and how old it is. Some of the gates are huge and some head height. They lead the way to the top of a mountain which overlooks the city of Kyoto. That also was a lovely spectacle. The clear skies showed how vast and wide Kyoto is and reminded us that there is a lot to do here. In that moment, we were glad we came back.

The second day we headed to another famous temple. Kiyamizudera. This temple has a large wooden balcony (which was built without nails) that also overlooks Kyoto. The temple was very busy, but it was easy to see why. It was a beautiful place, high up in the mountains surrounded by trees  and woodlands. The temple also has a natural waterfall that splits into three streams. You are allowed to use a cup attached to a long pole to reach out and collect water, and then make a wish for long health or fortune whilst drinking. We read prior to the visit that drinking from a certain stream meant a certain wish, but it turns out all the streams bring a wish of your choice. So we partook in drinking of the waterfall. The temple was another thing we didn't know of the first time we were here so we were glad to discover it.

That night we heard about a "Hanabi", or fireworks display, so decided to take a gander. We headed north on the train for half an hour and arrived in Otsu. The fireworks were held by a huge lake and they were simply magnificent. A thousand times better than Beppu's Hanabi, these fireworks were being set off from two points around the river and at some stages, so many fireworks were exploding that it felt like it was daytime. The light illuminated the smiles on the crowd's faces and the round of applause in between each break confirmed how amazing the fireworks were. It was incredible, entertaining and damn right crowd pleasing. I loved the display more than Beppu's by a long shot.

Fireworks remind me of, for some reason, when cave men invented fire. There is something strange about human nature, and it`s attraction to bright bearing objects, such as fire, or fireworks. I'm not sure what lures us to these beautiful spectacles and holds our attention so easily, but then I don't really want to know. The mystery is poetic enough. The fireworks are just so beautiful and magnificent that rationalizing the way we are attracted to flames would kill the magic.

Anyway, two more days in Kyoto and we have big plans. Then, as I said in my previous blog, we are off to Osaka for the second time to hear some sweet music, at what is going to be a fiercely hot festival!

Thanks for Reading
Arigatou, Sayonara.