My New Years Gift of Sweets

I spent my vacation over New Years traveling around Central Japan and the Kansai region. New Year's Eve was in Kyoto, and in addition to a little sightseeing a picked up a few traditional things.

My gift for the office was a box of yatsuhashi, which most likely Kyoto's most iconic food. It's a lightly sweet snack that is essentially a souvenir sweet these days. It comes in two forms and several flavors.

The baked version is mostly found in curved long triangles, similar to a stick of gum curved into a long semi-circle. 

In its raw form, it's a soft, flexible dough. Many prefer the raw, unbaked yatsuhashi, which is usually cut into squares about 4" in size and folded into a triangle with a small bit of red bean paste filling inside. 

The "basic" flavor is cinnamon, and unlike most snacks in Japan, the cinnamon can be quite pronounced. But baked yatsuhashi is also found in matcha (green tea), and raw yatsuhashi is found in at least half a dozen non-traditional flavors, like strawberry, chocolate, and yuzu (a sweet lemon-like fruit). Chocolate might be my favorite, although the other flavors are pretty good too, and the traditional cinnamon is certainly good as well!

 A gift to myself (as a sampler for the blog, naturally!) was the box you see above. The shopping street leading to Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto is full of, well, shops, mostly selling souvenirs and traditional goods. After picking up some yatsuhashi, I wandered into a different store that had a shelf of small jellies and some boxes to pack them in. I grabbed a nine-pack box (there are larger sizes, too) and picked out a selection of gorgeous sweets.

You can see my non-harmonious arrangement above. One of these wasn't really a jelly (top-left) but was okay-tasting; the rest were mild but sweet. They're really beautiful, though! The sweets go by the name of wagashi, and are generally served with tea. As with most Japanese sweets, the base is usually mochi and/or anko, or fruit jellies. I believe the form above is namagashi, a "wet" type made fresh without preservatives.

Japan has an obsession with fruit flavors with dessert, and the fruits themselves are usually fairly expensive still too. Grapes, apples, and strawberries aren't just snacks here. Gummy candies are all over the place with fruit flavors - fine by me, because I love them! These are much milder, but I think they would go great with a cup of tea on this cold winter night!

Outside Kyoto's Shoren-in Temple

After visiting Kiyomizu-dera Temple, stopping by Kodai-ji Temple, walking through Yasaka Shrine, and exploring Chion-in Temple, all in the same day, my last stop on my Higashiyama walk that also included a park, historic streets, and food sampling was somewhat uninspiring.

That isn't to say that Shorenin Temple is boring. But let's face it, five temples/shrines in one day is a lot, and at this point I was pretty much exhausted. 

 Shoren-in Temple is probably most famous for its trees. There are several very old camphor trees on the temple grounds, and they are visible from outside the temple.

 I didn't go into the temple because I was quite tired. But inside the gates, you'll find a few very nice buildings that don't look the same as all the other buildings, some portraits on the walls and paintings on the sliding doors, and a beautiful garden. You can sit in the Kachoden drawing room on the tatami mats and admire the garden while relaxing for a while, before you explore the other buildings using the wooden walkways to get between them. You can also stroll through the garden to get a closer look and visit the tea house up a small hill.

Shorenin is open 9:00-17:00, though it has special extended evening hours in the spring and fall. Admission is 500 yen, though there is a special fee for the evening illuminations.

It's located just north of Chorenin; you can see the entrance in the photo above. You can also get to Shorenin from Higashiyama Station on the Tozai Line - buses 5 and 100 stop nearby though I'm not sure exactly where. The subway and bus stops are about five minutes away, which makes Shorenin the perfect place to end your day.

However, you can continue east to Nanzenji, Eikando, Philosopher's Path, and finally Ginkakuji from here, if you're an ambitious walker. But due to the large number of sites in this area, it's best to break this up into two days, or even three.

Kyoto's Chionin Temple

 Chionin is the main temple of the Jodo sect of Japanese Buddhism, which (seemingly like every Buddhist sect in Kyoto) is one of the most popular in Japan. You start at the massive Sanmon Gate.

 The grounds are spacious and beautiful, including the hike up stairs.

 There are several buildings on the grounds, a massive bell, and a mausoleum.

 The main hall (called Miedo Hall) is currently covered and undergoing renovation. The Mido Hall is functioning as a replacement until renovations are complete some time in 2019.

 While you can't access the Miedo Hall you can see just a bit of the reconstruction efforts.

 Many of the important artifacts are on display in nearby buildings.

 The doors are particularly beautiful. There is also a statue of Amida Buddha in Amidado Hall.

 Behind Miedo Hall are paths that lead up the hill to several smaller buildings.

 This is Amidado Hall.

 In addition to the buildings in the hillside, you'll find a garden and cemetery.

 It's a beautiful temple, especially once you get past the main area and enter the gardens and see the smaller temples.

 For tourists, it doesn't really have any outstanding features. But you'll be in the area anyway, and it is a beautiful, quieter temple to visit in the afternoon.

Chionin Temple is located just north of Maruyama Park. The grounds are always open, but the buildings are open 9:00-16:30; admission is free. Entry to Hojo Garden is 400 yen, Yuzen Garden is 300 yen, and a combination ticket is just 500 yen. I didn't visit the gardens due to time constraints but I hope to find time to return to Kyoto and see them at some point.

Kyoto's Gion: Home to Geisha and Maiko

 When you first get off the bus or exit through the Gion-side gate of Yasaka Shrine, you won't really be impressed by Gion. Here is an area touted as being the land of geisha and maiko, full of tea houses and tradition. But let's face it, this is modern Kyoto. The main streets are filled with cars and souvenir shops.

 But explore some of the side streets, and you start to see a bit more of the traditional Kyoto neighborhood you were hoping to see.

 For off the main streets, there are plenty of tea houses and home of well-to-do men. And in the evenings, the entertainers come out.

 During the day, you'll see dozens of people out strolling the streets, enjoying the atmosphere.

 Peek down alleys and see the newer houses mixed with the old.

 Houses here aren't really old exactly but they are traditionally built.

 And are those maiko girls down the street? No, those are just girls wearing traditional clothing. The chance of seeing maiko and geisha is pretty low. I don't want to discourage you, but that's the way it is. To increase your chances, you need to be in the right place at the right time. It's not impossible, and one of my friends actually saw a couple on her trip to Kyoto. You can guarantee your chances by attending certain functions, or take your chances on the streets of Gion, usually in evening and early night as they scurry from appointment to appointment.

 Most people don't see geisha or maiko though, and you shouldn't expect to. However, during the day, you'll see plenty of women wearing yukata or kimono, and they might pose for a picture for you. Don't think they're maiko or geisha though. And even the ones with makeup aren't going to be real, because they don't just go for a stroll fully dressed. They're quite busy, you know! But you can still enjoy the traditional areas.

If you really do want to have an experience with a geisha or maiko, here are some basic details. Let me stress that there is absolutely no sex involved in this of any kind - geisha and maiko have never been prostitutes.

 Back on the main street leading from Yasaka Shrine (straight ahead in my first photo) there are several souvenir shops and department stores.

 This is another great place to find gifts to take home - sweets and other Japanese foods, as well as handicrafts, trinkets, and other Japan "things" you might want.

 There are so many alleys and tiny old winding streets that it's probably possible to spend a whole day exploring the nooks and crannies of the district. But for most, an hour or two strolling around some of the back streets will be enough.

The easiest way to get to Gion is to take bus 100 or 206 from Kyoto Station and get off at the Gion bus stop. If you're coming from elsewhere in the city, the nearest stations are Gion-Shijo and Kawaramachi.

Gion Corner has two cultural shows daily by real maiko, though it's in a theater setting so you probably won't get to interact with them. It's only 3150 yen (cheaper if you can find a coupon online). Shows are at 18:00 and 19:00. The theater is located at the end of Hanami-koji.

Gion is best combined with Yasaka Shrine, Maruyama Park, Higashiyama, and Kiyomizu-dera. Ambitious tourists can also add Shorenin and Chionin temples. All of these sites fit into an active but manageable day for me.

Kyoto's Yasaka Shrine: the Closest to Gion

I feel like every other post about Kyoto is about a shrine or temple. Maybe more. But most of Kyoto's sights are shrines and temples, after all! But that makes finding a reason to visit each one that much more difficult. 

 So what makes Yasaka Shrine so special? It is "one of the most famous shrines in Kyoto," most likely due to its location. It's over 1350 years old, and conveniently located between two tourist destinations: the Higashiyama District (and Maruyama Park) and the Gion District. The pictures here are shown walking from the Maruyama Park side to the Gion side.

 The main hall sits at the Maruyama side of the grounds, facing a large plaza. It combines the inner sanctuary and offering hall.

 Along the side of the grounds are several smaller shrines.

 In the middle of the plaza is a dance stage with hundreds of lanterns. The lanterns all have the names of businesses who provide a donation to the shrine.

 This is the shrine-side view of the Gion entrance.

 I arrived when a wedding had just completed. The bride and groom posed for pictures before heading off to Gion.

 The main hall again.

 Another view of the Gion gate and plaza; the dance stage is peeking through the left.

 I wandered around to the parking lot for the shrine (what?!) and saw a bunch of old signs.

 I don't know what the signs represent, but they were pretty cool.

One more view of the Gion gate with a glimpse of Gion in the background. But Gion is a post for another day!

Yasaka Shrine is best visited after walking from Kiyomizu-dera and through Higashiyama. However, you can take bus 100 or 206 from Kyoto Station and get off at the Gion bus stop, which is right across the street from the shrine gate you see above. The shrine is always open and admission is free.