On my second day, my first stop was Fushimi Inari Shirne. I was lucky because the sun came out for few hours (finally!). This is my favourite place of interest in Kyoto so far.
You can get to Fushimi Inari Shrine by JR Nara Line or by Keihan Railway. Since I have purchased 2-day JR-west Rail Pass - Kansai therefore I took the JR Line to get to there.
Map of Fushimi Inari
Entrance of the Shrine
Fox statue
Foxes are associated with Inari therefore you will see many fox related items such as fox-shaped trinkets, toys, amulets, cakes and cookies.
Torii gates
This is the reason why I love this place! Thinking back, I should have bought a torii charm as a souvenir.
It was really great to be able to appreciate the cherry blossom in such good weather. How lovely they are, don't you think?
After spending couple hours in Fushimi Inari (well, here is a little confession; I did not go all the way to the top of Mount Inari due to time constraint), I headed to Nara. Again I traveled to Nara by JR rail or train. Once I reached Nara, the first I looked for is the tourist information center to purchase Nara day pass.
I purchased one day bus pass (normal) at 500 Yen. The pass comes a with map.
First stop in Nara was Kohfukuji Temple. Take note that the main hall is presently under construction.
Eastern Golden Hall and Pagoda
Temporary Golden Hall
Central Golden Hall (under construction)
Next, I hopped on a bus heading to Todai-ji Temple.Todai-ji Temple is a must-see for all visitors. The main point of Todai-ji is the Daibutsu-den (Hall of the Great Buddha), which houses a 16-meter-high Buddha statue.
Map of Todai-ji Temple
Entrance of Todai-ji Temple
Along the way to the temple, you will be greeted by many deers roaming freely and looking for generous tourists to feed them with deer biscuits which can you purchase at 150 Yen per stack.
Daibutsu-den / Hall of the Great Buddha
Buddha statue
Next on my to-see list was Kasuga-taisha Shrine. From Todai-ji Temple, I walked pass Nara-koen Park to enjoy more cherry blossom.
Entrance of Kasuga-taisha Shrine
Kasuga-taisha Shrine is the most important Shinto shrine in Nara.The path heading to the shrine is a world of mystery filled trees, pathways, lanterns and not forgetting wandering deers. As I arrived quite late and the shrine was about to close, I did not explore the shrine. I walked back and took a bus to JR Nara station.
Kyoto Tower
Back in Kyoto just in time for dinner and a little window shopping at Isetan Kyoto station before heading back to the guesthouse to rest and call it a day. Day three will be an exciting day as it was a full on sight-seeing around Kyoto!
Stayed tune and have a good weekend everyone!
