It is Higashioji-street which runs north and south before the Yasaka-jinjya Shrine is at the end of Shijo-dori where I gave an account last time. Its another name is Higashiyama-dori. Shijo-dori has been since Heian era, but Higashioji-dori which was built after 1889 is a new trunk road. Especially I don’t think that it interested me. And there is terribly traffic jam in the tourist season. Because it is one of main routes of bus which connects Kyoto Station and main tourist attractions, and it has a lot of sightseeing points which tourists visit enough to say always, for example Gion and Kiyomizu-dera Temple etc..


This time I strolled around Higashioji-dori. I started from the intersection of Shijo-dori and Higashioji-dori.

>>> Yasaka-Jinjya Shrine (Free): It is famous on Gion Festival.
>>> Maruyama Koen Park (Free): It has a Japanese garden of a stroll garden with a pond and a stream. There are a fine shidare sakura tree (drooping cherry tree) and a lot of cherry trees, it is popular place of a picnic under the cherry blossom for Kyoto people.
>>> Chion-in Temple (Free; 300 yen or 400 yen to see gardens): It has the biggest wooden temple gate in Japan, and is famed for the temple bell of 70 ton is tolled on New year’s Eve by 17 priests.
>>> Shoren-in Temple (500 yen): It has camphor trees which is around 800 years old. In seasonal event, it is possible to see garden which is lighted up at night-time;　extra charge.
>>> I came back to Maruyama Koen Park.
>>> Otani Memorial Park (Free): It has Shinran’s tomb. Higashi-Honganji School of the Jodo-Shin sect.
>>> Entoku-in Temple (500 yen): It is possible to drink macha (powdered green tea) at traditional tea room which had been made in Edo era; extra charge 500 yen.


>>> Ishibei-koji
>>> Kodai-ji Temple (600 yen）:　 It has a great Japanese garden by Kobori Enshu. In seasonal event, it is possible to see garden which is lighted up at night-time; extra charge.
>>> Ryozen Kannon (200 yen): It has 24 meter Kannon statue into the air. It is possible to see it from outside.


>>> Ryozen Gokoku-Jinjya Shrine (Free; 300 yen to see the tomb): It has Sakamoto Ryoma’s tomb.
>>> Ninen-zaka: Many souvenir shops and restaurants line with the slope and steps.


>>> Sannen-zaka: It is said that the person who falls down on this slope die within three years.


>>> Kiyomizu-dera Temple (300 yen): There is Jishu-jinjya Shrine that is the god of marriage there, too.　In seasonal event, it is possible to see garden which is lighted up at night-time; extra charge.


>>> Chawan-zaka: The shops of Kiyomizu-yaki stand along the slope.
>>> Cemetery for Nishi-Honganji Temple abbo; Nishi-Otani (Free): Nishi-Honganji School of the Jodo-Shin sect. It has a Shinran’s tomb and Memorial Park (Otani graveyard).


Of course the tourists in a stream were around there though the day I visited was off-season. Because I hear Chinese language who tourists speak, it turned out that there are a lot of tourists from China.

I think that it takes a day when strolling while seeing the temple etc. in this course. Time is sure to pass at once while being lured by the food shop and entering the souvenir shop.


In spring, you can enjoy at night-time this course (it is about 4.6 km from Shoren-in Temple to Kiyomizu-dera Temple). The scene which is lighted up by 2,700 various (which made by Kiyomizu-yaki, bamboo, wood, metallic) lanterns must be fantastic. You can see it from March 10, 2007 till the 21st.

The place where there is not too many tourist


After I exited to south from Maruyama Koen Park, I walked along ishidatami (a stone paved road). And soon I reached end of the slope that connect to Otani Memorial Park (Higashi Otani graveyard) which has Shinran’s tomb. I visited to there, because there is not too many people who go there.


The graveyard that spreads to the slope is a quiet place where the tourist doesn’t exist. The view is good, if climbing it on.

I turned to the right (west) at small street, after passed through front of Entoku-in Temple.


It is Ishibei-koji which has ishidatami (a stone paved road) and ishibei (a stone wall).



The street is lined with high-class Japanese-style restaurants and Japanese inn. There are not too many tourists who enter here. There is no souvenir shop. The board being written, “Quietness” is pasted to the wall. Then it is an alley of quiet and stately atmosphere.


The west side of Higashioji-dori

Yasuikonpira-gu Shrine (Free) that cuts one’s bad relationships, and invites good relationships; Gion corner (2,800 yen) to show classic entertainment; Kennin-ji Temple (500 yen) famed by a picture drawn in fusuma (a papered sliding door) and in the ceiling; Rokudotinno-ji Temple (Free; 400 yen to see the important cultural asset. Reservation necessary） famous by Rokudo-mairi (Visiting to invite ancestor) of summer; and Rokuharamitsu-ji Temple (500 yen) famous because there is image of Kuya who expresses appearance that says a prayer to the Buddha in sight are scattered on the west side of Higashioji-dori.

You can get Information from following URL.


The sites have many reports about Higashiyama area; it is around Higashioji-dori.

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/kyoto/higashiyama.html
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/pdf/pg-503.pdf
http://www.pref.kyoto.jp/visitkyoto/en/area/kyoto/course/02/index.html
http://kaiwai.city.kyoto.jp/sightdb/sight-raku/view_sight.php?InforKindCode=7&ManageCode=1000005