Southern Higashiyama - Kyoto Itinerary with Temples and Cherry Blossoms

    And now for the fun stuff! For my first full day in Kyoto, I chose to visit Southern Higashiyama.   Here are the original notes I wrote out beforehand, with new, post-trip comments added in bold:

   Once you get from your hotel to Kiyomizudera, the whole itinerary is walkable, in my experience.

Southern Higashiyama (please note all times are based on my experience, which was on Saturday, April 1st, 2023.)

-Kiyomizu-dera Beautiful place for viewing cherry blossoms. I found the famous "stage" building less impressive than I expected, but the beauty of the grounds and the experience of drinking from the sacred streams make it "must see."

-Sanneizaka (historic street) and Ninenzaka (historic street) These are both very picturesque. Most shops weren't open yet when I passed by around 8:00AM, but tourists were already arriving. If you want a solo photo on the steps, get there early!

-Yasaka no Pagoda The pagoda is visible from the streets around it. I didn't actually enter this shrine.

-Yasaka Kōshin-dō (pom pom temple) The gate to this temple didn't open until 9:00AM. Since I got there earlier than that, I headed to 塔の下 Café for breakfast. Portion size will seem small to Americans, but the prices are appropriate. (Speaking of prices, I was amazed, day after day, with the affordability of restaurants in Kyoto.) If you're a party of 2, you might consider ordering 3 items and splitting one of them.

-Kodai-ji The area around this shrine has many beautiful cherry blossom trees and there were several bridal couples in gorgeous traditional outfits having their wedding photos taken. The entrance fee includes four postcards and admittance to the small museum that is a short walk away. The interior garden is nice, but the museum is tiny and skippable in my opinion. 

   What got my attention was Ryozen Kanon next door. I would recommend paying the entrance fee to get a clear view of the HUGE Kanon statue. When I paid, I also received an incense stick and directions on lighting and placing it correctly. A personal note; I used to hesitate to participate in religious activities while visiting Japan, but this time I let myself enjoy the moment. It's not like a Catholic church, where you need to take classes and pass tests to be eligible for communion. Many rituals in Japan are open to anyone. The person at the gate could easily guess that I am neither a Buddhist or Shintoist, but was happy to help me participate anyhow.

-Gion Kōbu Kaburenjō Getting same-day tickets for Miyako Odori was not as easy as I had hoped. They didn't have any when I got to the box office around 10:00AM. I was able to get tickets a few days later by emailing ticket-info@miyako-odori.jp. They informed me of a cancellation and I was able to make an online booking. The show was entertaining and just short enough to keep my attention as someone who cannot understand Japanese.

-Kennin-ji If you visit this temple, make sure you take the time to visit the lecture hall, which has a magnificent painting of two dragons on the ceiling. You’ll know you’re heading the right way when you have to borrow some red slippers to walk between building.

   Those are all the major sights I saw on my first full day in Kyoto. For lunch, I looked around at a lot of restaurants in the neighborhood of  塔の下 Café, but couldn't find anything with the same level of casual dining. Everything else was either just an ice cream shop or 10,000 yen kaiseki restaurant, with not many options in between. So I have lunch at the same place I had breakfast. I had the curry plate and it was delicious.

   For dinner, I went to Chao Chao Sanjo Kiyamachi. Their Gyoza were tasty and if you're jetlagged like me, you can get dinner at 5:00PM. If you plan to eat at a more typical hour, be prepared to wait in line. There are several Chao Chao locations around Kyoto and whenever I passed one around dinner time, there was a significant wait.