Kyoto is just north of Osaka , about 15 mins on the Shinkansen, roughly in the centre of the Japan . It was once the Capital of Japan, so has many old buildings from that time still standing. The city is in a valley, and has height restrictions on new buildings so that the mountains surrounding the city remain viewable. Kyoto people are very traditional in their lifestyle.

I arrived by Shinkansen on the Hikari Super Express from Tokyo , about a 3 hour trip. By means beyond my control I didn't leave Tokyo until mid morning, and as it was a day trip I only spent an afternoon in Kyoto . I'd advise other travellers to get there early, as all the temples, shrines and castles begin to close at 5pm .

I was lucky enough to have a Japanese friend meet me at the station and show me the best way to get around. We got a taxi from across the road to the station (taxis on the station side of the road are more expensive because the taxis need to pay a fee to pick up there) to Kiyomizudera ? the biggest temple in Kyoto . It took about 15 mins and cost a bit over AU$10, the quickest and cheapest option for the four of us.

The taxi dropped us off at the bottom of the hill below Kiyomizudera. We walked up the narrow traditionally styled roads lined with shops targeted at tourists. Some interesting things were for sale in these shops, and the prices weren't as bad as I thought. Along the way we passed some girls dressed as Maiko, obviously not real Maiko or they wouldn't be wearing make up and a kimono in the afternoon. We were then greeted with the Saimon ? a section of the Kiyomizudera that was predominately red and perched on top of rise in the mountain. One of the impressive things about the Kiyomizudera is that it uses no nails; everything is just balanced so it stays up!

We continued on to the Butai of Kiyomizudera, passing several ponds of spring water where you can wash your hands with holy water. The Butai sits on an elevated platform on the side of a hill ? the engineering is quite impressive. You get a good view of Kyoto city as well as the scent of incense. You can continue around to the Love Shrine, where you can pray to the gods that you fall in love and further on is another platform that gives you good views of the Butai and Kyoto . Down the long stone stair case below the Butai is a place where you can drink the mountain water ? be prepared to wait in line. There's also a small café where you can sit out on another wooden platform in the trees and eat noodles.

We spent a few hours at the Kiyomizudera, and had a late lunch in a traditional Ramen house a few streets away. We then wandered through the streets along the edge of the forest. We followed some narrow alley ways, coming across small shrines, cafes and art galleries that were hidden away from the main streets.

As the sun set we walked in to one of Kyoto 's larger shrines, the Yasaka Shrine ? this one was surrounded by trees and in quite a peaceful area. The sun setting provided a nice backdrop as the shrine's lights were turned on.

I didn't realise how close to the city we were, as we walked through a group of trees we came out on the main street ? Shijo-Dori. It was early evening, which is the best time to see the Geisha girls leaving their homes. So we headed for the Gion district, the most famous Geisha viewing area.

The Gion district is located on the west of Kawaramachi, Shijo-dori Street . The district retains old Japanese-style buildings, similar to the area around the Kiyomizudera and the street we'd just walked, although much more busy. It wasn't long before we saw a girl leaving her house. There were a few Japanese men standing around waiting to take her photo too. We headed down some of the more narrow streets and must have been there at the right time, as there were many leaving their houses and getting in to taxis.

From there we got the subway back to Kyoto JR station, we were early for our train so had time to head up to the top of the station, which is one of the tallest buildings. It provided a view of Kyoto at night, and gave us a chance to buy some food before boarding the Shinkansen bound for Tokyo .

Kyoto was is one of the best places I've been, I'd like to return and stay in a Ryokan (Japanese style guest house) soon!

Anthony.