Japan Trip 2013 - Kiyomizudera at Night (& a little bit of Gion)

From Nishiki we then walked to a subway station (Keihan Main Line) and then took the train towards Kiyomizu Gojo Station.

From the station we then had a good walk up slope to Kiyomizudera, which is one of the the world's UNESCO Heritage Site and one of the must visit spots in Kyoto. It was a good 20 minute walk. Not like we needed more exercise.

The journey up to the temple was rather picturesque as we passed by ancient and untouched wooden houses from Japan's past and houses with unique architectural designs. It was a great breath of freshness compared to the concrete jungle of Tokyo. 

Making great use of limited space to build a house

Kyoto Tower in the background

There was also a surreal feel passing by this place, as the sky grew darker, compared to walking around this area in broad day light. The darkness and dim lights just adds some mystery into our journey. Having said that, most shops were already closed by this hour. This reminds me so much of my Jiu Fen trip back in Taiwan.

OK.

To make matters worse, as we reached the peak of the hill, we were welcomed by a huge sign indicating that the temple has closed. :( Another mistake of not checking the opening hours of this temple. In Kyoto everything just closes much earlier than Tokyo. 

Tourist shot

It was quite understandable too as the whole temple area was pitch black and no amount of spot light can showcase the temple's glory of its own. Upon further contemplation and discussion, we decided to cancel our day trip to Nara the next day and come back here again. It is really a waste if we do not explore this place. After that we then proceeded to further the explore the place and then find a place to settle down for dinner.

1/5, ISO6400, f/2.8

Apparently the Japanese are really, really conservative with their energy and lightings as the whole area was almost completely engulfed in darkness. There is hardly any lamps near the temple area. It was really scary to walk under near pitch black conditions and with not a single soul on the streets. The pictures does not do the darkness any justice as I was using a really low shutter speed and crazy high ISO for the shots. Fortunately as we got closer to Gion, there was more street lights. Having said that, we still felt really safe despite walking in the dark.

What?

Our initial plan of having dinner in Gion was called off as we were thrown back for the crazy prices of their menus. Maybe next time when I've earned enough cash to travel luxuriously.

Typical restaurant around Gion area

Typical price range

On our way back to Kawaramachi area in search of cheaper food, we were so lucky to spot a real Geisha! Geisha's are very, very rare during the summer season since they don't perform during summer. A blurred shot but nonetheless. 

Next: Takasegawa Teppan Doujou
Previous: Nishiki Market