Attractions in Kyoto, Japan: photos

The central part of the island of Honshu is Kyoto Prefecture. The sights of this historic area of Japan are concentrated in the central city of the same name. It is an ancient Japanese city, formerly the capital of the state for more than a millennium. Heian - so called in the old days the main residence of the Japanese emperors.

Everyone can admire the attractions in Kyoto, photos of which serve as a worthy decoration for travelers' albums. It's like modern architectural wonders, as well as ancient, storing the secrets of history. It is remarkable that they all represent a single whole with the natural landscape, their surroundings. The city is stretched among the hills, and its streets are built in checkerboard order.

The most interesting ancient sights of Kyoto - it's its palaces and temples. In the city they are more than 2 000. In fact, it is the center of ancient architecture, art, religion, philosophy, crafts. It can be safely called the treasury of Japan. Many historical sights of Kyoto are classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Nijo Shogun Palace

There are two palaces in the city. One of them belonged to the shoguns of the Tokugawa clan, the second - the imperial palace. At the same time, the first considerably exceeds the palace designed for the imperial family, both in size and luxury, which indicates who was the real master of the country.

Nijo - the name of the sight of Kyoto, which belonged to the military rulers of the country of the Rising Sun. This palace, like others, of similar designation, has nothing in common with such architectural brethren of Europe. Outwardly, there is nothing particularly attractive. The building is completely constructed of cypress wood, but the interior is full of gold.

Paintings made in the technique of woodcarving, you can admire the clock. The interior of the palace is famous for its special floors. They are called singing, or nightingale. The boards are stacked in a special way and they make sounds that sound like melodious creaking. Such floors were made for the purpose that no one could pass unnoticed through the corridors of the Nijo Palace.

Surrounding the palace of the shoguns is a huge territory, on which are broken several gardens, skilfully decorated. The picturesque pond is amazing - its shore is replete with the stones arranged in a special order, matched in size and color. In the gardens planted a lot of Japanese cherries of different varieties, so at any time of year you can see the cherry blossom here. I want to wander here unhurriedly and indefinitely. This walk, incidentally, is not cheap. You can get to the territory only by purchasing a ticket worth about 600 yen.

Imperial Palace Gye

The Imperial Palace Gosyo looks much more modest. The fact is that the emperor in Japan is a sacred figure. He practically did not participate in the secular life of the country and had to make prayers for its prosperity, to be a symbol of purity and spirituality. So there were no excesses in the castle.

It is completely wooden and for centuries has been subjected to a lot of destruction and fires. The latest version was built in 1946.

Around the palace Gosyo stretches the park. Trees of different types are picked up in it so that their picturesque appearance pleases the views of visitors walking in the park all year round.

In the city, as already mentioned above, many temples. Especially popular are the Golden and Silver Pavilions. These Kyoto sights were originally built as some dacha residences of the shogun. At present, Buddhist temples are located in them . The pavilions themselves and the territories surrounding them are very picturesque.

The silver pavilion of Ginkaku-ji

The silver pavilion of Ginkaku-ji is located in the temple complex of Shokoku-ji. Initially it was planned that its roof would be silver, but this plan did not materialize for unknown reasons. Nevertheless, the sun's rays, refracting on the roof of the temple, give it a silvery outflow. So the name "Silver" justifies itself.

The silver pavilion attracts many travelers to the existing on the territory of the Sand Garden. The lake of sand and pebbles is a work of art of the 16th century.

The Golden Pavilion of Kinkakuji

Kinkakuji, or the Golden Pavilion, rises on the shore of the pond, reflecting in its water with golden reflections. The picture is a completely fabulous view.

This three-tier structure is golden yellow, the roof of which is crowned by a bronze sphinx. The pavilion is framed by evergreen vegetation. Its original purpose is to serve for the recreation of the shogun and his entourage, but later Kinkakuji turned into a Buddhist temple.

Fusimi Inari Temple

Kyoto is a city whose attractions can impress many with its unusual. And one of such places is the Fushimi Itari Temple, erected many centuries ago in honor of the god of rice Itari, according to legend, passing through these places. More precisely, it is a whole temple complex, the road to which runs from the foot of the hill of the same name to its top, crowned with the main temple.

The whole way can be done in two hours. Part of the path will pass through the bright red gate of the Tory. The whole path is very picturesque. Such a distant and marvelous road according to the plan was to push the traveler to philosophical thoughts.

On the territory surrounding the main Shinto temple, you can find many sculpture fox figures. This is not an accidental coincidence. According to legend, these animals are messengers and companions of God Inari.

It is remarkable that the entrance to the temple is free, unlike other similar religious buildings.

Sagano - bamboo forest

The bamboo forest of Sangano is located a few kilometers from the outskirts of Kyoto in the town of Arashiyama. It is very popular among tourists. Getting into a bamboo thicket feels like an inhabitant of another planet. Thick green stems go into the sky. They all have about the same 20-meter height. Through these impenetrable thickets, many trails for pedestrians have been made.

It should be noted that when visiting the sights of Kyoto (Japan), it is necessary to do a photo very carefully, that is, it is necessary to shoot only in places where it is permitted, otherwise you will not get into trouble. To such forbidden territories are both the palaces - shooting indoors is prohibited. Such restrictions exist in Japan everywhere.