Kiyomizu-dera
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic Monuments Of Ancient Kyoto (1994); The Main Hall Is A National Treasure · Kyoto, Kyoto
A Buddhist temple on the wooded slopes of Mount Otowa in eastern Kyoto, founded in 778, and famous for its great wooden stage, which juts out from the main hall on a scaffold of tall zelkova pillars joined without a single nail. The view from it over maple and cherry trees to the city is a classic image of Kyoto. The present buildings date from 1633, rebuilt after fires. The temple is named after the Otowa waterfall below the stage, where three streams of spring water fall into a pool; visitors catch the water with long-handled cups and drink from one, for health, love or success, since drinking from all three is thought greedy. Behind the main hall, Jishu Shrine is devoted to love, with two stones set apart that you try to walk between with your eyes closed. The approach climbs the Matsubara and Chawan-zaka streets, lined with pottery and sweet shops, and continues down the old stone lanes of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka towards Gion. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, and is lit up at night in spring, summer and autumn.
1-294 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto, 605-0862, Japan
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED - CONFIRM BEFORE GOING. The typical pattern: open every day of the year from about 6am to about 6pm, with the closing time a little later in summer, and no weekly closing day. The night illuminations in spring, around mid August and in autumn reopen the temple after dark until around 9pm with a separate ticket and their own last entry. Shops on the approach mostly open around 9 or 10am and close by 5 or 6pm. The traps: the stage is gridlocked by 10am in blossom and maple seasons, buses from Kyoto Station fill up, and the illumination queue can take an hour. Confirm times before relying on them.