Ever notice that when you live close to a place, you kind of take it for granted? I guess you could say that’s the story of my life. I live in Kyoto but I rarely go out to explore what this city has to offer, something I’m sure most people understand – it’s hard to be a tourist in Continue reading “Site 120: Bishamondo Temple Cemetery”
Ah, hanami season. The cherry blossoms are in bloom, and so are the tourists. It’s Kyoto after all. I love living here, it has so many wonderful places to visit, but…during certain times of the year, namely March and April, and all of November, this can be a difficult place to get Continue reading “Site 119: Kyoto’s Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple”
I was on my way to work when I decided to do a little detour to visit a couple of sites in the local area that I always meant to visit, but never did. Even though it’s been quite a cold winter here in Kyoto (in fact, the morning started with a blanket of snow, but was gone by the time I Continue reading “Site 87: Random burial places, Kyoto”
The Arashiyama district in Kyoto is one of the most popular, and therefore crowded, areas of the city. During the fall foliage season, the number of visitors to this area seem to increase tenfold, making it a crush of humanity no matter where you go. As such, this is usually a place I avoid. Continue reading “Site 86: Kyoto’s Nison-in Temple Cemetery”
I like going for walks and exploring different neighbourhoods, but I often return to the same places time and again. Which often leads me to explore lesser known areas, which is how I stumbled across Kurodani Temple, just north of Heian Shrine and a bit west Continue reading “Site 83: Kyoto’s Kurodani Temple Cemetery”
I like going for walks, especially at night when it’s quite and there are fewer people about. I’ve been slowly exploring the outer reaches of my neighbourhood/district, and as such, have come to realise that I have easy access to the Biwa Canal route. This is a canal that for years brought water (and Continue reading “Site 79: Kyoto’s Tenji Mausoleum”
I like to go for walks at night. It’s quieter, cooler, and there are fewer people out and about. It gives me a chance to de-stress and get a little exercise while I’m at it. However, I’ve gotten quite bored with my little neighbourhood, so I’ve been jumping on Continue reading “Site 66: Kyoto’s Honen-in Temple Cemetery”
Not far from the mound of ears is a large temple complex that most tourists to the city give a miss. Chishaku-in is a Buddhist temple that features some nice small gardens, but I have yet to find a single reference to the large cemetery that lies at the very back of the complex. Of course, Continue reading “Site 54: Kyoto’s Jizoyama Cemetery”
stone and dust 