After a full day of Arashiyama I arrived back at my Hotel and decided I still had time to squeeze in the Heian Shrine which was not too far of a walk from my hotel. I was not as well prepared for Kyoto in general as I was for Tokyo. Maybe it is because I have spent more time in Kyoto so I was less worried about it. I did not make a bunch of detailed maps which I kind of regretted as Kyoto to me seemed a bit more complicated to get around in. It took me a little longer to find the Heian shrine than it should have.

Giant Torii (鳥居) - Kyoto, Japan

It was getting late. I had about 1 hour before the gardens at the shrine closed. I took a few shots of the huge gate and the streets as well as a few shots of the interior of the shrine. I had been here once before but again that was really before I was very serious about photography so I did not have much in the way of photo's.

Looking at the main gate from the inner courtard

The Heian shrine is actually not as old as most people would expect certainly not when compared to other shrines and temples in Kyoto. It was built in 1895 for the 1100th anniversary of the establishment of Heian-kyo (the old name of Kyoto).

Last time I was here I never made it to the garden so I quickly bought my ticket and headed into the garden area. There was almost nobody around at all. Of course it was pretty late for most people to go to a shrine and or garden. All of the tour buses have stopped for the day.

This Way

The first area of the garden had a cool old train car packed in it but apart from that I felt it was nice but nothing special. The paths were calm and the mood was peaceful but there was no color and nothing really caught my eye. I think it may be better in other seasons. I kept moving forward and as I did the garden became more and more beautiful. There was a great tea house about halfway through the garden and an amazing bridge as well. I was able to see some interesting birds and unique plants.

At this point I was pretty much limping along after walking all day. I sat in the covered bridge which crossed the small Heian lake. It was so peaceful and beautiful there. While I took my rest I talked a little with a nice girl visiting from China. It was enjoyable to share stories and pass time in the beautiful garden setting.

On my way out I stopped and shot a few more photos of the shrine and headed back to my hotel to clean up and get ready for dinner and exploring a little of Kyoto at night.

To see more photo's of the Heian Shrine and the Garden please visit either of these two sets

Heian Shrine: http://kfrates.zenfolio.com/p156586135

or

Kyoto: http://kfrates.zenfolio.com/p45570337