​We started out at the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine which is one of the most visited places in Japan. Notable for the statues of foxes, the messengers of the gods, flanking the entrance. We first went to see the main shrine buildings and showed you how to make a shinto prayer and taught you a little about the customs of shintoism. Then we made our way to the real highlight, the amazing "sen-bon dori" with it's over one thousand gates resembling a red tunnel. We chatted about Shinto beliefs as well as some stories about the founding of the shrine. This is a truly magical place. We got some great photos along the way and then made our way back to where we met that morning to grab a taxi to the next stop.

We then made our way to the amazing Kiyomizu Temple. A place rich in heritage and with spectacular views of the temple complex itself as well as the city below. We could take in the place in a relative calm, making it hard to believe we were at the most famous temple in Japan. Then a chance to look out at the city below from the famous "Kiyomizu platform" where surprisingly people used to take a "leap of faith" seeing if the gods favored them or not. We could also look at the treasured deity of the temple the "Kannon" goddess of mercy.

After that we took a stroll down the stairs passing the famous falls where you can drink for longevity, love and success in school then continued through the beautiful grounds until we reached the slope filled with many shops slowly starting to open. We then visited the areas of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka in the Higashiyama district before concluding our tour next to the imposing Yasaka Pagoda. This is one of the most iconic structures in Kyoto and the current structure was built in 1440, but it is believed that there has been several versions with the oldest dating back to the 6th century! We covered a lot of ground and got to the most popular sightseeing places in Japan right before they got crowded. We hope you enjoyed your day with Kyoto Fun!