Kyoto gallery

Kiyomizu-dera is a Buddhist temple that is among the most popular in Japan with a breathtaking bird's-eye view of nearby Kyoto. A Shinto temple shares the grounds, as does a fountain with three sources of sacred water. Legend has it that if you drink from the first spout you will have good health; the second one will bring you wealth; and the third wisdom. "If you drink from all three, you will be considered greedy," said our guide Hiroko Miyamoto.

 

 With Topy under the covered bridge on the grounds of the Kiyomizu Temple.

 

Bright red brick and green roofs were a legacy of Chinese influence. Emperor Kammu in the 8th Century also adopted the Chinese way of city planning, establishing the checkerboard street system and giving names unique to Kyoto.

The four-story Kinkaku-ji, or Temple of the Golden Pavillion, was built in the 14th Century as a retirement home for Shoguns. It was later burned down by an emotionally disturbed monk and rebuilt in the 20th century. It took from 1954 to 1988 to finance the renovation that required five layers of gold leaf.