Kyoto
I finally visited Kyoto (as well as Osaka and Nara) this week.
I took the Shinkansen in Tokyo on Monday morning and arrived a bit more than 2 hours later in Kyoto. I walked from the train station to Sanjusangendo Temple and its 1000 statues of Kannon. Then I continued to Kiyomizudera Temple. Part of it is currently undergoing renovation so I could not visit all the buildings. I walked for a bit in the area (known as Higashiyama) and visited the Ryozen Kannon war memorial as well as the Kodai-ji Temple and its zen garden. I then made my way to the Yasaka Shrine and then on to the huge Heian Shrine. After that, I took the bus to Ginkaku-ji Temple (“Temple of the Silver Pavilion”). Not having reached temple overload yet, I ended the day at Kinkaku-ji Temple (“Temple of the Golden Pavilion”). Contrary to the Silver Pavilion (not actually covered in silver), this one is indeed plated with gold leaf. I then went back to my hotel, near Kyoto train station.
Cape Manazuru
After Yugawara, I stopped at the nearby Cape Manazuru, a small peninsula protruding into Sagami Bay. Apparently, its shape resembles a crane with open wings. At the tip of Cape Manazuru, there is a distinctive rock formation called “Mitsuishi” (三ツ石; Three Rocks). There are also trails in the forest near the rock but I didn’t have time before nightfall. To get there, I took the bus from Manazuru station to the tip of the peninsula and walked down to the ocean and the Mitsuishi rocks then went back to the station by bus.
Above, Cape Manazuru seen from Mount Nango.
Plum Festival at Makuyama Park
As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently went to Makuyama Park for the Plum Festival. It celebrates the blossom of the 4000 plum (ume) trees of the park. Here are more photos of the event.
Hike to Mount Shiro & Mount Maku in Yugawara
Earlier this week, I went back to Yugawara. The goal was to get to to Makuyama Park and its 4000 plum trees, now in full bloom.
Garden of Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo
Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo is a five star hotel in Bunkyo. It also has a large garden open to the public. I went there at the beginning of march in the evening, then again at the end of the month, during peak blossom in the morning.
Snow at Mount Takao: Trail #6 / Konpiradai Trail
Mount Takao has many trails to and from the summit. This time, starting from the Takaosanguchi Keio station (高尾山口駅) at the foot of the mountain, I took trail #6 to get to the summit. There was still a lot of snow left. On the way down, I started on trail #3 then followed the paved road (trail #1) until Konpiradai, where I took a trail through the forest. I then walked to the Takao JR station, in town.
