Japan Day 15 : Kyoto Part 1

March 02, 2013


I cannot believe I visited Kyoto!!! I mean, KYOTO~!!! >< 
It used to be the capital city of Japan before it's moved to Tokyo. Kyoto is very historical and every time I hear Kyoto, I immediately think of shrines, samurai, and geisha lol

Because I was with Shintaro-nii and Maki-san, staying at Maki-san's house in Nagoya, we decided to go to Kyoto for a day. It took us 1,5 hours drive from Nagoya to reach Kyoto and this couple is too damn nice to guide me to visit all around Kyoto! ^.^

Because I visited so many places as I am not sure if I can visit this city again *sobs* I make it into two posts! Have you heard about Kyoto? Have or not, please follow the journey! :D





First of all, we visited Fushimi Inari. Maki-san showed me pictures of the pillars of the shrines, and it is said that people who go through the pillars will receive happiness and success. I have seen that place a lot on mangas and such so LET'S GO 8D





Fushimi Inari is like any other Shrine. It's a place to pray and such, but the main attraction is the Torii, the red japanese pillar that you can see on the picture above. They have thousands of Torii, and each year they add more

Who add it? People or companies who came to the shrines and the wish came true! Each torii has the owner name printed on the back of it :D

Let's walk through, I pray for my success in job XD

Maki-san and Shintaro-nii~! <3
I miss them already ;_;



After you finish half of the Torii, there's a shrine to put your Ema. Ema is like a wooden block where you write your wish and phang it on the shrine. If you read manga, you must have seen it before xD


Fushimi Inari has Kitsune, or Fox as the messenger in this temple. So the Ema is made according to Fox face. We draw our own face on the Fox Face haha

Price for each Ema is 500 Yen. There's no security who do that, it's all self-service and everyone just take and pay, no one steals the money or the Ema. If it's in other countries, I doubt it will be like that lol




Made my Fox Ema look very cute ahahaha! 
I wrote very long wishes, for success and love lol I always thought I was pretty healthy, so I didn't ask for health. Turned out I was sick a few days after LOL

Anyway I wrote my wish in English, IDK if japanese gods can read it or not lol
But then I always think that God is only one anywhere. Every human, religion, and culture just have their own way to respect God. So I assume the Japanese God can read my wish too lol

Dont understand why people fight against each other just because of the difference in the way they pray or what. No one has the right to tell someone that they do it wrong, after all we human never know what's coming after death, unless you die, but if you die you wont be able to wonder anymore

But probably I am the one who's too carefree in this matter as I grew up. I dont find it's that different. I do pray on my own way, and others do it on their own way. What's matter is that you live everyday nicely. It's pointless if you keep shouting your religion but then don't accept the difference of others. I'd rather be friends who are nice genuinely, than to be with those whose religion is same with me but are hypocrite or backstabber or what la

And I should stop putting my thoughts here otherwise I will get stoned lol
Forgive me if I say something wrong, after all religion talk can be offending for some XD


My Ema is one of those Ema's in Fushimi Inari :D <3



After that, we went to the most famous temple in Kyoto, Kiyomizu Temple! We had to go up hills by walk and as an Indonesian, I never walked as much as I did in Japan.
Shintaro-nii and Maki-san, although they're much older than me but they can walk faster than me -_-"

I feel old and unhealthy -_-"

So we stopped by to drink some green tea!



The taste of Kyoto original green tea is different, not like what I imagined haha.. It has a little bit of bitterness, and sweetness. Moreover, it's fresh as it's made when you order it. They whisk it in traditional way but I couldn't see it XD



After like, 20 minutes climbing up, we arrived in Kiyomizu yayyy~!!


Some girls wear Furisode, because it's during 20th years old celebration. 20 years old is a legal age for women in Japan, it's an age when they become adult! So they wear furisode [kimono] and dress up, and pray, attend ceremonies, and such

I happen to be on 20 years old too so if I were japanese, my celebration should be on that time as well. What a fated time!! XD I came on a right time xD

But obviously I did not join the festive haha.. On that day, every girls have special privilege. Like McDonalds offer you free burger if you come and show your identity card. Disneyland also gives free entrance fee for those who are 20 years old and happen to live in Chiba Area. So it's very fun!

And some places near Kiyomizu offer a service to make you a geisha for a day


I saw it's about 4000 Yen, you'd get your make up, hair, and kimono ready. And the geta was very very frightening, I saw one girl, above, wore it and she walked very slow and carefully

I would have died by the time I reached the temple -_-"

Let's go to the temple anyway~!










The scenery at Kiyomizu Temple is breath taking! Because we're uphills, we can see the scenery around and below us! It's full of trees, and they have a lot of Sakura trees. I cannot imagine how beautiful it must be when spring comes and all the Sakura trees bloom!





This is the reason why I wanted to visit Kiyomizu so badly! It has a section called Jishu Temple or Love Temple! LOL

So that alley are special for those who wish for love LOLOLOL

Now I sound so desperate lol but please, I want my current love to be going well


It also has the famous Love Stone, which I will mention to you later! lol


But first here's the Love Axe. You shake it so your love will be good, nonsense but still did it lol


Shintaro-nii took this picture very nice lol Can tell I shook so hard of the axe hahaha!!



Okay so here's the Love Stone!!

So the love stone has 2 stones with 6 meters apart. You walk from one stone to another with your eyes shut closed to get a good love life. If you walk on it straight and reach it by yourself then you will be lucky in love. Having guidance is also okay but that means you will need people [or the person who guides you] to get your love life going well

So here's my attempt!!





Managed to reach it! But it's with Shintaro-nii's help!!!

LOL

He guided me as I was too far left but at last I reached it. So it means I will bother Shintaro-nii again to consult about my love life in the future lol




Here's the weird and scary part. They have Okage Myojin. You know in Japan there's a legend where it says that a woman will make a human straw doll and nail it on the tree to curse the enemy?
It's in fact real.. Probably like Indonesia santet -_-"

So there's a cursed tree inside the love temple, and I can see the mark lefts from the nail! And they have A LOT of marks *shivers*



Never in my life I thought of cursing someone with straw doll. Pls la too frightening. I wonder how much hatred on this tree tsk tsk tsk

Anyway, still in Kiyomizu! For sightseeing and pictures taking xD





Okay so here's one of the best attractions in Kiyomizu Temple too. It's called Otowa no Taki. It has 3 water slots that fall from the mountain and you can drink it with the provided tool. It is said to bring you health, study, and also love! ^.^

Why I know? Cause I read manga please 8D manga teach you a lot, I read too much manga in my whole life btw -_-"
Favorite manga? Hmm probably Death Note? LOL

ANYWAY, Since in Kiyomizu already, so let's drink!


Queuing patiently along with other tourists haha. Behind me are Korean boys and they have beef smell wtf. I was hungry so I was kinda tempted to eat them, kidding la pls LOL
I bet they just ate BBQ or what lol


Dunno how come Shintaro-nii always managed to take pic of my silly pictures. I looked so hard working taking the water hahaha


Next to me are the Korean-beef-smell LOL *very random*



Kyoto is not over yet, I ended this post by my picture of eating my most-wanted-to-try-food-in-Kyoto, Macha Ice Cream!! [Green Tea Ice Cream]
Only in Kyoto!!! :D

Around Kyoto there are so many shops that sell souvenirs and foods. I managed to buy some for my friends!
Kyoto is beautiful! And I will share more on my next post!
Stay tuned!! *blows kisses*

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