Sunday, July 22, 2018

Heian Shrine - Kyoto, Japan

From Kyoto Imperial Palace we walked back to Imadegawa Station then travelled to Karasuma Oike Station. We transferred to Tozai Line and get off at Higashiyama Station. Heian Shrine is around 10 minute walk from this station.

Approaching the shrine, you’ll immediately notice "The Main Gate" or Otenmon. Our kids raced to the gate, too excited to have some selfies.


Otenmon: The Main Gate





The hundred year old place boasts of massive wooden structures colored with vibrant red and orange and wide courtyard at the center with several Kimono wearing ladies strolling around. There were few visitors at that time so we all enjoyed unli-selfies, lol.

Having just visited Kyoto Imperial Palace and enjoyed its lovely gardens and pond, the whole family opted not to enter the garden beside Heian Shrine anymore due to 600 Yen admission fee. If it was "Sakura" (Cherry Blossom) time then we would definitely enter the place.

The whole family enjoyed the long walk inside the area since the chilly air was pleasant especially for us who are living in tropical country.

It was past noon when we decided to leave the place. Sadly, we left through Otenmon again on our way back to Higashiyama Station thus we weren't able to see the huge Torii Gate at the back.

Famished, we tried to search for a place to eat. However, those near the shrine were “too local” for our kids’ taste so we opted to trek back to the train station since we remembered passing on some restaurants on our way to the shrine.



 
We were lucky to find a “TripAdvisor” recommended restaurant on our way back to Higashiyama Station. It has English Menu and family room enough for five of us; the warm tea was perfect for the chilly atmosphere. The place offers superb and delicious local dishes on a typical Japanese setup; low table and floor sitting. We were all excited to have some selfies since that was the first time we have eaten in a typical Japanese way.

So when you visit Heian Shrine, I recommend this restaurant if you want to experience Japanese way of eating.



 

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