Japan Day 2, Part 5: Kiyomizu-dera Temple's impressive balcony and the streets of Gion

When I was first planning my trip to Kyoto, I thought I would go to all of the temples there. A glance at a guidebook was enough to realize how laughable that goal was, so I modified the goal to be all of the UNESCO World Heritage temples and whatever else looked most interesting. In the end, I decided to only go to twelve of the seventeen UNESCO sites in the Kyoto area, and Kiyomizu-dera was the first.

I can't believe I actually paid the token price to go on a silly walk in an unlit cave that is supposed to represent the womb of a female bodhisattva. I was continually convinced that I would hit my head of the cave's roof in the utter darkness and had to force myself not to cringe downward and I walked. The only area that is lit contains what is supposed to be a surprise so I won't ruin it, but I wasn't too impressed.  The rest of the temple, on the other had, was everything one would hope for from a world heritage site.

The main building of the temple was built like a giant deck on giant supports so that less than half of the building actually rested on the hillside. It was impressive, as was the view from the balcony.

Afterward, I wandered the pretty streets in Gion, the old Geisha district. I suspect that the 'Geisha' I had seen elsewhere in town were actually tourists dressed the part for the sake of photos, especially since actual Geisha are hardly ever seen out of doors even among the old wooden buildings of Gion. 

I don't know who this guy was, but he looked intense.

Near Gion I enjoyed a ramen dinner at Shantoka served as ramen should be: thick, creamy, rich, and full of pork and veggies. The instant noodles that we associate with the name don't remotely compare.