We decided to split our Kyoto temple visits into two mornings, so we didn’t overdo things in all the heat. Our first trip was to Eikandō Temple, where we started by walking up to the enormous front gates and taking a lot of pictures. Next, we veered to the left through the garden and entered a large residential structure that, similar to Nijo Castle, allowed us to peek in from the hallway into rooms that featured exquisite murals. The floorboards didn’t chirp, however, so it wasn’t as endearing as Nijo and there also weren’t very many descriptions of the rooms or artwork, as there were at the Castle.
It did, however, have two gorgeous viewing platforms where we could gaze out on one side on the pond and plants, and on the other side on a garden of sand, rocks and shrubs. Both were exquisite and we loved sitting and gazing at them both.
Next, the tour took us up and down several paths until we reached the temple, which is gorgeously decorated with enormous lanterns suspended from the ceiling and an altar that has a unique statue of Amida Buddha, called “The Looking-back Amida” because of a miracle that occurred at Eikandō’s Amida-dō Hall in 1082.
After sitting and resting by the fans in the temple and walking softly on the wooden planked floor to view the statues and decorations, we wound our way back to the front of the temple to put our shoes back on and trek up the few dozen steps to the pagoda on the hillside behind. The peak offered gorgeous views of Kyoto and another nice rest spot from the heat.
Our second visit of the day was just a few minutes walk away through the residential streets of the eastern side of Kyoto at the Okazaki Shrine. Originally built in 794, the Shinto shrine is known for having lots of bunny statues, which are super adorable. We posed and took pictures with lots of them and even purchased a figurine to leave behind as an offering (and one to take home, of course!).
Okazaki is a small shrine, but so worth visiting, especially since Eikandō is so close by. We spent about 30 minutes there, walking around and admiring the beautiful architecture, and the beautiful bunnies.
Afterward, we stopped to grab some lunch at the convenience store before heading out again for some shopping in the downtown area. We followed that up with dinner at Pizzeria Marita, which we visited when we were in Kyoto last time. The owner makes amazing, traditional Neapolitan pizza and we absolutely loved it.
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