I mentioned in a recent post that the under-the-radar temples and shrines in Kyoto are where it’s at; well, on the other end of the spectrum is the Fushimi Inari Shrine, which is famous for its seemingly endless pathways of orange gates.
I know, more cemeteries? Weird, right? Well what can I say, they’re entrancing.
I was wandering around after visiting the Kiyomizu Temple (which was really nice, but completely overrun with tourists), and I stumbled across an absolutely amazing cemetery.
I think this is one of those posts where I’m going to let the pictures do most of the talking, because Nijo Castle is pretty remarkable.
There are over 1600 temples and 400 shrines in Kyoto, which is readily apparent when you’re walking around the city. It’s hard to walk more than a few blocks without stumbling onto a temple or a shrine, and when you’re on the outskirts of the city, they’re absolutely everywhere.
There’s a place near Nagano called Jigokudani Monkey Park, and it gives you exactly what you’re hoping for. So many monkeys.
Yeah, I know, yet another Tokyo park post. But this is the nicest one yet, so I think you’ll just have to put up with one more.
Want an amazing view of Tokyo? You could go up the Tokyo Tower and spend a whopping 1600 yen (!), or you could visit the Tokyo Skytree, which costs as much as 3090 yen (!!!) to go all the way to the top.
Or! Go to Tokyo City Hall, spend a grand total of zero dollars, and get an absolutely magnificent view of the city.
Tokyo seems to be pretty good about making sure that the city has a bunch of green space mixed in with the in-your-face modernity of the majority of the city. I’ve been to a few of these areas so far, though I think the Imperial Palace East Gardens might be my favourite.
I mentioned the Meiji Shrine in a recent post — one of the city’s many other shrines is the Nezu Shrine, and though it’s not nearly as popular, I’d say it’s equally worth visiting.