© robertharding

Southern Higashiyama is the most important sightseeing district in Kyoto. It contains everything from dazzling temples, to preserved lanes, to the city’s main geisha district. The Southern Higashiyama runs along the base of the Higashiyama (Eastern Mountains). Thick with temples, shrines, museums and traditional shops, it’s great to explore on foot, with some pedestrian-only walkways plus parks and expansive temple grounds. At its northwestern end, we find Gion entertainment district , the city’s traditional geisha district and some of the city’s finest ryokan (traditional Japanese inns)

Kyoto Sanmon of Chion-in Buddhist temple (the original

temple was built in 1234). The colossal main gate, the Sanmon,

was built in 1619 and is the largest surviving structure of its

kind in Japan

Daiun-in Temple

Daiun-in Temple

Daiun-in Temple

The most important feature of Daiun-in Temple is its very peculiar tower, built in 1928, which is unlike any other pagoda or tower in Japan. It was made to resemble a float of the Gion festival, as the temple is located in Gion.

Gionkaku tower, located inside the Daiun-in Temple. While the temple is normally not open for visits, it does sometimes let people in for a week, usually in autumn. The tower then offers a commanding and unique view on Higahiyama and Gion to the lucky visitor. Inside the tower, the staircase walls are also elaborately decorated with paintings all the way up to the top

Bronze Buddha Statue in front of Daiun-in Temple dedicated to the warlord Oda Nobunaga

Daiun-in Temple dedicated to the warlord Oda Nobunaga

Callicarpa japonica is quite a favorite of the Japanese among native ornamental berry plants. It’s not only called Beauty Berry for nothing, but also has a literary and romantic name in Japanese – Murasaki Shikibu – after a lady of the court of the Heian Period who wrote the world’s first romance novel called “Tale of the Genji”.

Murasaki Shikibu’s Beauty Berries

Callicarpa Japonica, Japanese Beautyberry, Purple Berries, Midwest Shrub, Murasaki Shikibu’s Beauty Berries

Pilot Iroshizuku Bottled Fountain Pen Ink, Murasaki-shikibu, Japanese Beautyberry, PurpleThe statue of Murasaki Shikibu by the famous Uji Bridge

The statue of Marishi-ten

Marishi-ten, believed to offer protection, good fortune, and

victory, in Mahayana and

Vajrayana Buddhism is a deva or bodhisattva

associated with light and the sun

In many places hang Kukurizaru talismans. Kukurizaru is the round, ball shaped talisman made of cloth, representing the good faith monkeys. The folk faith says that to have a wish granted, you must sacrifice one desire. If you put your desire inside one of the color balls that represent the monkey Kukurizaru, Kōshin will help you to make that desire vanish and because desires are what keep wishes from coming true, your wish will be granted and you will also become a better person

The koshi mado or wooden lattice window on the front facade enabled the inhabitant to observe street activity while obscuring the public view into the house

Nene, the wife of one of Japan's most famous warlord, Toyotomi HideyoshiWishing for a happy marriage just like Hideyoshi and Nene, who slipped through the Warring States period. Wishing for peaceful remaining years surrounded by many people like Nene

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu Nicoleta Leu InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Traditional Music of the Japanese Geisha by Hideo Osaka Ensemble 2017