Canal along Imadegawa Street, across from Kaguraoka.
Yabusame (horseback archery) is performed each year as part of the events leading up to the procession for Aoi Matsuri (Hollyhock Festival) held on May 15th. The archery tournament is held in the Tadasu-no-mori, the forested approach to Shimogamo Shrine.
We meet at the corner of Shirakawa and Imadegawa Streets. Our walk begins as we head south from Imadegawa Street on Kaguraoka Street, and we a climb a flight of stone stairs to a unique neighborhood built on terraces created on the side of the mountain. Tea was once grown on the east slope of Yoshida mountain, and the mountain is associated with the writer and medieval Buddhist monk, Yoshida Kenko, who composed the aphorisms in Tsurezuregusa, or Essays in Idleness. His pen name derives from the mountain where his small hut was located. From there, we take a hidden access into the woods, viewing some of the old traditional tea houses dating back to the period when tea was grown on the mountain. At the top of the mountain, we have a chance to relax at Moan, a tea house which is located in magnificent wooden building.
At the summit
From there, we head down to the narrow street that serves as the pass over the mountain. We crossover to the westside for a visit at the Yoshida-jinja, a Shinto shrine, before looping back to eastside of Yoshidayama. We pass through a section of torii gates leading to Takenaka-inari Jinja, a small Shinto shrine dedicated to the Fox gods of Japan.
We head south again, passing through Munetada Jinja before descending the stone stairs to the street that will lead us to Shinnyodo Temple. Before heading to the temple, we take a look at Yoshida Sanso, a Showa Era architectural marvel. Because of the narrow streets, tour buses are not allowed into the area adjacent to Shinnyodo Temple, so it's not as crowded as many places can be. It's a beautiful place to view autumn maples, or to ring the temple bell at New Year's. We exit the shrine through short-cut that takes us to the magnificent graveyard located above Kurodani Temple. From here we have an exceptional view of Kyoto, looking south to Kyoto Station. We descend another flight of stones stairs to explore Kurodani and take a rest in the exquisite garden of the sub-temples, Eishoin. From there, we head down to Marutamachi Street then over to Okazaki Park and the Heian Shrine, famous for its vermillion gate and sumptuous garden dating from the Meiji Period.
Heading to shinnyodo temple
overlooking kyoto
temple bell and mountain gate at kurodani
