Our first day in Kyoto is pretty hard to put into words. Safe to say we did quite a lot of walking and in one of the best walking areas yet. Went to see Kiyomizu-Dera Temple which was closed, but the surrounding area was bustling and we made the most of it.
The area is a bit touristy but I would not miss it. One thing you might notice right away are the people dressing up in traditional geisha costumes and doing photo shoots – especially couples doing what appear to be engagement photos. When you walk up and down the steep hills you see lots of shops and a few restaurants. You really get the feeling you have stepped back in time. There really is so much to do and see that the main Temple being closed didn’t seem like it detracted from a great day at all.
If you are planning on doing a Tea Ceremony, this might be a good place to do that. We ended up walking back the main road where the buses run and found a neat little place to have dinner. I can’t tell you the name of the place but if you walk around there you will find plenty of great places to eat. The place we found had one employee who was the waiter and the cook and probably the owner as well.
Walking:
Steps: 14804
Miles: 8.01
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