We could’ve checked out Yasaka Shrine (or Yasaka Jinja) in the daytime. And I’m sure it’s quite a beautiful sight to behold, but I just really wanted to see the lanterns light up Yasaka Shrine at night. Did I make a good call? You bet!
Located next to the famous geisha district, Yasaka Shrine is also known as Gion Shrine and dates back to 876. Japanese residents go to this famous Shinto shrine to give thanks, celebrate special days, and pray for luck and happiness.
Walking through the vermillion (I love this colour!) gates, we found ourselves in the main hall of the shrine with hundreds of hanging lanterns all lit up. It’s a totally enchanting sight.
Yasaka Shrine is next to Maruyama Park which happens to be a very popular cherry blossom viewing destination. We came across a yozakura (hanami party at night). Lots of people were celebrating the sakura season in this park, which had been set up with tables, benches, cushions, and lights. We didn’t know that this even existed, so it was total serendipity. Such a great idea and so much fun.
We only wish we knew about all the food vendors there, selling cheap n’ cheerful street food, instead of already having ourselves a rather pricey (but delicious) dinner in Pontocho Alley. Looks like the joke was on us!
Kyoto is so lovely at night. A cultural mix of old world with its cobblestone paths, lanterns a plenty and machiya houses, co-existing with the flashy signage and modern architecture.
The walk back to the hotel was lovely. There’s so much history here and Kyoto is really the centre of traditional Japanese culture. The vibe is mellow here, compared to Tokyo. I would love to explore more of Kyoto in the daytime too. This trip won’t allow us much time because of our plans to see the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and Fushimi Inari Shrine, but that just means we’ll just have to come back again.
View more photos of Kyoto and Japan on my Flickr albums.
Address:
625 Kitagawa, Gion-machi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-8311
GPS coordinates: 35,003837, 135.778505
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