Walk Through Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 2016

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine and Kiyomizu-dera Temple were the main sites on our agenda for the day, but the Kodai-ji Zen Temple (高台寺) was nearby in Higashiyama-ku. It is a temple of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism and the largest subtemple of the Kennin-ji branch.

Zen garden! I just want to run out there with a rake! 

You can see the Ryōzen Kannon sticking out of the trees.

Kevin walking around the garden

Me in front of a scenic pond and Kodai-ji Zen Temple

Gardens

From certain points of the Kodai-ji Zen Temple you can see the Ryōzen Kannon (霊山観音) War Memorial commemorating those who died in the Pacific War located in Eastern Kyoto. The statue of the Bodhisattva Kannon was made out steel and concrete by Hirosuke Ishikawa in 1955. The statue is 80 ft high.  The site also has a memorial hall in honor of the unknown soldier killed in World War II.

Side view of the Ryōzen Kannon from the Kodai-ji Zen Temple

Ryōzen Kannon and War Memorial building

Ryōzen Kannon  close-up

Through the gate

From there we headed back through Maruyama Park, which was gorgeous. The park has a weeping cherry tree, musical entertainment, and what appeared to be a heron trained to pose for pictures.

Maruyama Park

Trained heron

Music captured in a video I haven't uploaded yet

Park and Weeping Cherry Tree

To get to Gion, we passed through the Yasaka Shrine. Seriously, you can't get from point A to Point B in Kyoto without accidentally walking through a beautiful shrine or temple.

Yasaka Shrine

In Gion we walked around some more, did some shopping, and finally headed to the train station for our hotel reservation in Osaka that evening.

River in Gion

Streets in Gion

Gion