Kyoto temples & gardens ( Part 2)

Famous rock gardens at Ryoanji ( A World heritage site)

With over 1600 temples and shrines, including 17 Unesco World Heritage sites in Kyoto, it is impossible to visit them all even if you live in the city. Hence it is best to plan ahead, so on this trip, I concentrated mostly around the Arashiyama district and Myoshinji area. However, I was still constantly running out of time as some temples close quite early in winters. And with so many hills, trekking up and down can also be quite tiring. I especially regretted cycling to Ryoan-ji as I had to climb uphill most of the time, and since I am not a regular cyclist, it was extremely physcially demanding for me.

Here are some photos of the other temples that I visited on this trip, but I also recommend Ginkaku-ji, Honen-in and the wonderful Philosophy path which I have previously visited. Although winters may not be the ‘prettiest’ time to visit, but it is less touristy and has a more subdued and calm atmosphere, which made me realise that the beauty of Kyoto can in fact be appreciated in all seasons.