It's been a long time since I last visited Kyoto, the former long-time capital of Japan, which still holds a special appeal for many domestic and even foreign visitors. During my short visits, I've looked around various corners of Kyoto and breathed in a bit of the history and culture of this interesting city. There really is a lot to see and admire and everyone will probably find another favorite place for themselves, if you are able to decide. You can choose between temples and shrines, former palace complexes of emperor or shogun, and countless charming places, stores and restaurants that can be found all over the city.

During one of my trips, I went to Kyoto in September, and at that time, summer had just made a hot comeback. The city was sweating at over 30 degrees and the blue sky also promised no cooling for a while. But since we still wanted to see and discover the city, we did not let that stop us. On the contrary, we bravely set out to walk to some previously selected destinations.

Thanks to the Internet, I had spotted and targeted a larger interesting looking temple complex that seemed to be within walking distance. The 10 minutes stroll which I had thought of, soon became a proper walk. Somehow at this trip I wasn't doing too well when it came down to times and distances. I used to have a much better hand for handling those things.

But finally we arrived and stood in front of the mighty gate of the Nishi Honganji Temple, the main temple of the Honganji branch of the Buddhist Jōdo-Shinshū school. This temple complex is counted among the city's World Heritage Sites.

Since the late 16th century, after the original temple near Osaka was destroyed in the turmoil of the Japanese civil wars, Jonsu followers found a new home here in Kyoto. Some of the present temple buildings date back to the 18th century and are therefore among Kyoto's important cultural treasures. Due to an internal dispute, at the beginning of the 17th century another Honganji temple was built nearby, which for distinction was called Higashi Honganji. The western (nishi) and eastern (higashi) Honganji temples are now the main center of Japan's largest Buddhist sect and also a good place to experience and study contemporary Japanese Buddhism.

And in front of the gate of the more western Honganji we were now standing and about to enter the temple complex and have a look around.

So please join us...

Both temples are located right in the city center and near the main train station. Directly in front of the Nishi Honganji there is a wide and busy main road, and we were very glad to glad to have the chance to escape from the stress and noise of the big city.

From the outside you can recognize the large dimensions of the temple complex and you already get a feeling for what and how much could be hidden behind these walls. The temple is well shielded from the outside world, but is open to visitors and invites a little exploration.

Several imposing gates lead into the Nishi Honganji, one of them is the Goeido gate, through which you reach the wide and spacious main square, which extends directly in front of the large main halls.

The sky was still shining in the brightest blue and also inside the temple complex it didn't look like we could find some cooler place heret. But that didn't discourage us, we were full of curiosity of what there will be to see here.

The inner grounds of the complex was very spacious and quite expansive. However, the main buildings impressed not only by their size, but also by their architecture. The curved sloping roofs convey exactly the atmosphere that I was used to from Buddhist temples and which I find so extremely charming. If you look closely, you can even see Kyoto Tower to the right of the Goiedo Gate, stretching towards the sky some distance away.

As usual in temples and shrines, you will find some stone lanterns and also a basin used for ritual hand cleansing. In temples, this is often guarded and inhabited by a small dragon, which ensures that everything remains clean and tidy here.

In the middle of the forecourt there is a big Ginko tree, which at least could give some shade on this hot day. In mid-autum,. when in Japan the leaves start to change color, this tree will probably offer a great sight and will be able to impress with a fancy yellow dress.

After a lap around Nishi Honganji and a little breather, we went back outside and walked towards Higashi Honganji Temple, which was located nearby. The area we walked through is part of the old city of Kyoto and in some places has very interesting architecture, as if you were not in Japan at all. But in the end, the many signs on the stores left no doubt about that.

The Higashi honganji is the younger of the two twin temples and is located very close to Kyoto Station. For many tourists and visitors to the city, this temple is often one of the first historical buildings they see when coming to the city. Especially when they head north from the station.

Both Honganhi temples look confusingly similar, although I found the more western temple (Nishi) more appealing, it had offered a bit more of a variety. But perhaps this judgment was due to the hot temperatures, as we had been outdoors for some time now and we were really feeling the sun sizzling from above.

And at the Higashi Honganji, there is also a wonderful fountain that pours water into the basin for ritual hand cleansing. The dragon that takes care of this task seems a little more imposing and impressive at Higashi Honganji than at its western brother temple.

And even though we only let the water run over our hands and wrists, it was still pleasantly refreshing. I like these mystical and playful water dispensers, which you can usually find in the temples. This is exactly how you imagine Japan and East Asia to be, and this is exactly the kind of sight most people have come to expect.

After a short break we left again, because we still wanted to see a little more of Kyoto. The weather didn't promise to cool down, so the afternoon would continue exactly as the morning had started. But we didn't want to let that put us off, once you're in this fantastic city, there's no excuse not to look around and keep discovering some new territory.

And that's why there will be more pictures and impressions to see soon, from Kyoto and also from the rest of the country, which offers so much variety and diversity. So please check back soon, and join me on my tours around the Land of the Rising Sun.

またね matane

[//]:# (!pinmapple 34.991628 lat 135.751744 long Nishi Honganji and Higashi Honganji - Two temples in Kyoto d3scr)