Kyoto - A Japan more traditional
According to the Chinese lunar calendar, late January/early February marks the arrival of spring. In Japan, this event is celebrated with Setsubun, meaning ‘the division of seasons’ (節分). Various festivals take place across the country, where people throw ‘roasted beans’ to drive away demons.
I had the chance to attend two festivals. The first one took place at Zojo-ji Temple, where people dressed in traditional outfits threw beans. Personally, I don’t recommend this festival. There were a lot of people. Also, I tried to catch packets of roasted beans. They also threw various items like towels, snacks, etc., and people rushed to grab the packets. This left me with mixed feelings about the festival. I felt that, due to the popularity of the event, it had mostly become a commercial celebration and lost much of its traditional aspect.
I then went to the Tengu Festival in Shimo-Kitazawa, held since 1932. If I could recommend a festival, it would be this one. Here, the demons are represented by tengu, figures from Japanese folklore. I got to see the parade that goes through part of the Shimo-Kitazawa neighborhood. Even though there were many people, I had a great time. I also took the opportunity to visit one of my favorite spots, near Shimo-Kitazawa, to admire Mount Fuji.
On the second day, I went on a guided tour. I got to see places I wouldn’t have necessarily visited on my own, and I learned a lot about the history of Japan. I then went to the Gion district, famous for its geishas (women practicing Japanese arts)
The next day, I woke up at 6 am to go to the bamboo forest. Unfortunately, even at 7 am in the rain, there were already a few people. I passed by again around 1 pm, and the bamboo forest was full of people (photo no. 2).
I then visited the temples in the Arashiyama area. I went to the Otagi Nenbutsu-ji temple (photo no. 3). Being a bit off the beaten path, there were far fewer people. On the way down, I came across a shop run by two elderly people making small dolls (photo no. 5). To finish the day, I ate in a café with a unique atmosphere (photo no. 6).
Day 4, woke up at 5 am to go to one of the most touristy places in Japan (the center of Kyoto). Having taken the first bus, I expected to be almost alone, but no, the area was already full of people.
After a quick tour of the neighborhood to not have come for nothing, I completely left the city center to head to Daigo-ji. At first, there were very few people, but since the place is also well-known, it quickly filled up. Since it was the only day with good weather, I went to Kiyomizu-dera to watch the sunset.
On the last two days in Kyoto, I alternated between tourist spots and more secluded places. The Kifune-Jinja Shrine (photo n°2) was one of the best things I did in Kyoto. There were almost only Japanese people, no tourists, and therefore, not many people. While in the morning, I was at Kinkaku-ji (photo n°1), I was able to experience two completely different sides of a trip to Japan.
On my last day in Kyoto, while heading to Nara, I passed by Byodo-in in Uji, where I had an amazing experience. Arriving at the end of the day, I learned that the temple was closed. However, I realized that there was a night event. Trying to negotiate with the organizers, I couldn’t get in because I needed a Japanese bank account to sign up (this is when you realize that sometimes they make it difficult for foreigners to do certain things…).
After a brief moment of not knowing what to do, a Japanese stranger offered to sign up for me. I had not spoken to him at all before, so I was very surprised by his kindness. In the end, the night experience was incredible, and it was the best thing I’ve done so far (photo n°8).
After a visit to Nara and Osaka, since I hadn’t been able to see the cherry blossoms in Kyoto, I returned for a day the following week. I started the day by visiting the most famous temple in the city, Fushimi Inari Taisha. As expected, even at 7 AM, there were a lot of people. I then went to see Nijo Castle, and finished my day at the Shimogamo Shrine, which is rarely visited by foreign tourists. There were beautiful cherry blossoms in full bloom, it was great. I then returned to Osaka before heading back to Tokyo a few days later.
