A day trip to Kyoto was always in the cards for my trip to Japan. I had decided to stay in Osaka to allow more time to explore the food culture of that city, knowing Kyoto was just a comfortable 45 minute train ride away. The question of my trip wasn’t “if” Kyoto, but “when” Kyoto. After a fall typhoon bent eastward sparing the region a direct hit but still making for a pretty impressive wind and rain storm, it allowed me to hop a train the very next morning from Osaka to Kyoto.

Getting a jump on the crowds that descend on Kyoto’s attractions, in particular, its shrines and temples, my early morning train and a short walk got me to Fushimi Inari shrine to enjoy it in a relative state of tranquility.

While the main shrine was beautiful, my primary reason for making this the first stop on my day trip was to follow the paths to hike to the summit of Mount Inari.

Very early on the hike, I encountered this fairly stark warning. I’m glad they translated this into English as I had no desire to come face to face with a fierce monkey resembling the one in this photo.

During my time in Japan, I became progressively more enamoured with the torii (gates) at many of the shrines I visited.

There are approximately a thousand torii leading up the mountain, many of them donated, and many organized in close proximity making it seem like you are walking through an outdoor tunnel.

About half way up Mount Inari there is a lookout where the path diverges in a loop – one way up to the peak and its continuance the other way down from the peak. The view from here over Kyoto, as the morning clouds started to pull away from the previous day’s storm, was stunning.

Resuming my trek to the summit, the torii gates continued to provide a dramatic visual element to the walking path and stairs. One of the things I’ll always remember from this morning is the sound of water from the heavy rains of the previous day running down the mountain.

I reached the summit after about an hour of moderately paced hiking. About 800 feet above sea level, I paused at this small shrine marking the peak.

With many of the visitors stopping and turning around only half way up the mountain, the paths on the upper half were calm and quiet. The smell of the wet earth and trees and the sounds of the water cascading in streams down the mountain made for a contemplative environment. My day in Kyoto was off to a great start.

Leaving Fushimi Inari, I headed to catch a train further into central Kyoto. One of the things I love about day trips abroad is the experience of the transit – all of the different trains, trams, buses – that make up the day.

Next up for me was a visit to Kyoto’s Nishiki Market. Arriving there just after it opened on this Sunday morning, it wasn’t as animated as it would be later in the day, and that gave me a great chance to sample foods liberally. While I passed on trying “sparrow on a stick” for a more conventional (for a Canadian) coffee and croissant a bit later, I tried a lot of fermented vegetables, wasabi-seasoned snacks, and at the ripe hour of 10:30am, a couple of small glasses of sake.

I wandered through central Kyoto on my way to catch a subway to the east side to visit some temples in the afternoon. Along the way I stopped to watch a little league team practice fielding and throwing… they were far more regimented than I remember my little league team ever being.

I arrived at Shoren-in a bit after noon and was at once taken my the serenity of the Buddhist temple and surrounding gardens.

I felt worlds away from the crowds I had encountered elsewhere around Kyoto and enjoyed following the paths here and sitting to listen to a small waterfall while I had this nature-framed view of the temple.

Walking south from Shoren-in, I passed Chion-in. While I didn’t stop here to visit the temple of the Jodo sect of Japanese Buddhism, I stood below the main gate, the Sanmon, in awe. This gate was one of the singularly amazing pieces of architecture I was fortunate enough to experience over two weeks in Japan.

Continuing my journey south on the east side of Kyoto, I strolled through this mostly commerical street. While the shops were a combination of enterprises to play to tourists, I loved the architecture in this area.

I stopped at the far end of this shopping street for a quick breather before making my way to my final destination of the day.

And what a destination it was! Kiyomizu-dera, another Buddhist temple, was a place I was excited to explore, even if its main temple was under active restoration while I was visiting. The main gate and pagoda against the blue sky stopped me in my tracks.

Walking through the main temple offered spectacular views of the site. First, looking southward and down…

Next, looking out to the mountains south of Kyoto with the start of the fall colours appearing on what was becoming a glorious mid-October afternoon.

Leaving the temple to continue to explore the grounds, what would normally have been a stunning view of the temple ended up being a great view of a lot of scaffolding and tarps.

While that was a bit of a disappointment, the views back over the city of Kyoto and the pagoda were amazing. I stopped here for a while, a wide grin from ear to ear thinking about how lucky I was to be visiting such a beautiful place.

After a bit of a hike and a crowded bus ride where I wasn’t entirely sure I had picked the right route, I ended up back in central Kyoto to grab a drink at a recommended craft beer bar before hopping on a train back to my home base in Osaka. The beers at Beer Pub Ichi-Ya were delicious, but better was the company of these fine folks from Tromsø, Norway. As fellow northern dwellers, we shared a few laughs over stories of winter living before heading our separate ways. A perfect end to a wonderful day trip to Kyoto!