J+L in Transit

Tanaka-ya Ryokan

We arrived in the late afternoon in Kyoto and checked into our accommodation, Tanaka-ya Ryokan. Ryokan are traditional Japanese guest houses and Tanaka-ya was a great place to stay in the heart of old Kyoto.

Entrance to Tanaka-ya

Tanaka-ya's Street

Our Room

Fushimi Inari-taisha

Our first destination was the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, famous for it’s “thousand torii gates”. We rented bikes so we could get some exercise instead of taking the bus. After a somewhat scary ride we arrived intact and found that there are WAY more than a thousand torii, and they go all the way up the entire mountain. We went part of the way up and turned around so we’d have more time to see the rest of Kyoto.

About to Ride to the Shrine

About to Ride to the Shrine

Entrance to the Shrine

So Much Orange!

L'Orange

J'Orange

This Doesn't Even Begin to Show How Many There Are...

Higashiyama District

Next we visited the Higashiyama District, for a scenic walk through old Kyoto. Higashiyama is filled with souvenir and snack shops and more than it’s fair share of temples and shrines.

Higashiyama District

Higashiyama District

Enjoying a Kakimochi in Higashiyama

Inner Peace in Higashiyama

Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Our final stop for our first day in Kyoto was the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, on the hill overlooking Higashiyama. The temple itself was beautiful and had a great view of the whole city.

Pagoda at Kiyomizu

Kiyomizu Temple

Kiyomizu Temple

Panorama from the Temple

Headed Home