Once the capital of Japan, Kyoto is a city famous for its numerous classical Buddhist temples, as well as gardens, imperial palaces, Shinto shrines and traditional wooden houses. It’s also known for formal traditions and the geisha, a female entertainer often found in the Gion district. Among these traditions is the visit to the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, located south from the city centre, almost mandatory. World wide famous because of the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, from the book with same name, this Mountainside Shinto shrine dating from 711 A.D. features a trail with hundreds of traditional orange gates. Completed the 233m up, an extraordinary panoramic view of downtown will make the walk worth it. Around it many other shrines, tombs and small sanctuaries can also be visited. Traditional food tents are open inside the perimeter. Take the subway north until the Gojo-Zaka, not interesting on its own but serves as the entrance street to the Kiyomizu Temple, an iconic Buddhist temple on Mount Otowa known for its sizeable veranda, an observatory and a Waterfall. An entrance fee is here required. The area around the Temple is quite diverse and as many others like it, dozens of Shinto shrines, paths and stairs will keep you active. The Thousand Stone Buddha was for me a cheerful surprise. Going down to the Gojobashihigashi district you cannot miss the shopping area with conventional houses made of wood and, of course, the Studio Ghibli store located in the intersection of the Gojo-Zaka with the Matsubara Street.
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