Yoshida, Shinnyo-do and Kiyomizu-dera Light-Up

Yoshida Shrine

On our way back from the Philosopher's Walk that we had done during one of my first days in Kyoto, I had noticed an entrance to a forested area. I had found the same area on the aerial pictures and maps when working on my Wikipedia map project, and my curiosity finally had gotten the best of me. For whatever reason, most maps didn't really give any useful indication as to what this greenery was about. Turns out, it is Yoshida mountain, which is mostly park, with a bunch of biology experiments of the neighboring Kyoto University taking place there, and home of Yoshida shrine.







Despite its age, the shrine is a very modest affair, but one with a wonderfully calm air in the heart of Kyoto, and a great view of the skyline, including one of the Daimonji overlooking the city.

Shinnyo Temple

While admiring the view at Yoshida shrine, I spotted a pagoda next to a brilliant, huge Ginko tree. Down the mountain I went (it was a very small mountain), heading towards the bright yellow beacon, and found myself at the Shinnyo temple.







I spent a good while wandering the grounds and relaxing. The weather of was a bit sketchy, and I took waiting for a break in the clouds as a good excuse to sit down and just enjoy the sights and sounds. Eventually, the sun began to set and I took a bus back to Kyoto station, and switched to one going to Kiyomizu temple, in order to see it lit up for the night.

Kiyomizu-temple Light-Up

Light-ups are common among temples, castles, shrines and gardens. The idea is that you artificially light the grounds, plants and structures for artistic effect. Getting to extend opening hours and charge a second entry fee likely doesn't hurt the popularity of this custom either. One that I had heard of was of the already pretty spectacular Kiyomizu-temple, so I joined the crowd to see for myself. It was obvious from the get-go that the Kiyomizu light-up reputation was well earned.







The side of the mountain where the temple grounds are located were completely lit up, to dramatic effect. Even though most of the leaves had already fallen, the man-made lights made up for it.







Finally, getting around to the mountainside to see the main temple structure, I was greeted with this view of the temple and Kyoto







In short, if you happen to be on Kyoto when the Kiyomizu light-up is taking place it's absolutely worth a visit. Even the nearby souvenir and craft stores as well as restaurants lining the approach paths remained open late for the crowds.

As before, clicking on any of the pictures takes you to the gallery, or you can use the slideshow.

If any of you reading this account can add to my embarrassingly shallow understanding of the religious and spiritual meaning of the various elements in the pictures, please do leave a comment.