Photo By: Elin Chow
Official Website: Kiyomizudera Temple

Rise and shine! We started our third day of our 7D6N Osaka - Kyoto - Nara - Kobe Trip early this morning. After packing up, we checked out of our Airbnb apartment in Kyoto. Our destination for the day was to visit the famous Kiyomizudera Temple in the eastern part of Kyoto before embarking on a train journey to Osaka.

While most hotels would be able to hold your luggage even after you have checked out, this was unfortunately not an option if you are staying at an Airbnb apartment. We were unable to store our luggage like we usually do at hotels. Since we do not want to drag our luggage around, we have to find a temporary storage for them.

You will find coin lockers throughout the Kyoto station building. In fact, almost all major stations in Japan have coin lockers. The coin lockers comes in various sizes and are available at fees of 300 Yen, 500 Yen and 700 Yen.

However, please note that there are a huge demand for coin lockers in Kyoto Station and they tend to get full really fast, especially the largest sized ones. So if you are planning to store your luggage in the coin lockers, please make sure that you get there as early as 7.00 am.

However, if you have large and bulky pieces of luggage like us, you can consider using the Baggage Room located on the B1 floor of the Kyoto Station building. The Baggage Room is very easy to access. Simply use the escalator located in the central part of Kyoto Station down to the B1 floor. You should find an opening with sign pointing to the Baggage Room.

The Baggage Room is open from 8.00 am to 9.00 pm daily and the fee is 500 Yen per luggage for one day storage. Generally, we find the Baggage storage service cheaper and more convenient than coin lockers. Why do I say so? Well, it is because we carry one large and one medium-sized luggage. To store them, we will need to rent one large and one medium-sized coin lockers, which will cost us 1,200 Yen (700 Yen + 500 Yen) in total. However, the total fee to store our luggage at the Baggage Room is only 1,000 Yen. This is also why we decided to use the Baggage Room instead of the coin lockers.


The Baggage Room also provides baggage forwarding services. You can have your luggage forwarded to any hotel in Kyoto or anywhere in Japan at a fee. Please do not keep your valuables or any dangerous items in the baggage.

The luggage storage service enables us to do sightseeing without having to worrying about carrying heavy luggage.



At Kyoto Station, you can take either bus 100 or 206 and get off at Gojo-Zaka or Kiyomizu-mich Bus Stop. From the bus stop, it is another 10-15 minutes uphill walk as no public transportation can go directly to the temple.

The Kiyomizudera Temple is also reachable by train. Take the Keihan Railway and alight at Kiyomizu-Gojo Station. The temple is located about a 20 -25 minutes walk from the station. So, if you are arriving by train, be prepared to take a long walk.


In Kyoto, buses are boarded on the left side through the back door and the fare are paid only when you exit via the front door. You can pay at the coin machine in the front by the driver's seat.


Buses are probably the cheapest mode of transportation in Kyoto. The fare is a flat 230 Yen for adult and 120 Yen for children under the age of 12 if you travel within the designated area. You can be paid either by cash or by the IC cards. If you are paying by cash, you will need to pay by exact fare as there will not be any small change given.

If you plan to use the buses a lot to travel around Kyoto, you might want to consider buying a City-Bus All Day Pass, which will provide unlimited travel on the city buses for one day. The City-Bus All Day Pass cost 500 Yen for adult and 250 Yen for children and will pay off only if you plan to use the buses more than three times that day. Please note that it can only be used within the designated areas.


However, the buses tend to get extremely crowded during rush hours and it can be very time-consuming to get around due to heavy traffic conditions. Announcements are made in English and other languages as well as Japanese. There are also electronic signs with the next bus stop displayed in front of the bus.


We alighted at Gojo-Zaka Bus Stop. Kiyomizudera Temple is located high up a hill and is accessible via a fairly steep road. The approach to the temple is lined with beautiful wooden houses, traditional tea houses and shops selling souvenirs and traditional wares. Simply follow the tourist crowds if you are unsure which way to go.


However, the attraction was not very wheelchair or stroller friendly. Even though the temple has put in significant efforts to make the attraction wheelchair accessible, people with mobility problems might still find it a challenge to visit and move around the area.


After a steep ascend, we finally arrived at the gorgeous entrance to the temple. Standing at the entrance of the temple is the vermillion-colored Nio-mon gate, a two storey structure guarded by two Koma-inu (Lion dog)

Kiyomizudera Temple, also known as Pure Water Temple, is one of the oldest and most popular temple in Kyoto. Its name is derived from the pure water flowing from the Otawa Waterfall. An iconic landmark of Kyoto, the temple is registered as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

Kiyomizudera Temple is open from 6.00 am to 6.00 pm daily. However, hours of operation is extended to 6.30 pm on weekends and holidays from mid April through July and everyday in August and September. You can check its operation hours from its official website. 


The temple attracts tourists all year round, and is overwhelmingly crowded during spring and autumn. Hundreds and thousands of tourists flock to this temple to view the beautiful cherry blossoms in spring and fall colors in autumn.


Outside the main hall's entrance of the temple, you will find various other temple buildings and a ticket office. Among which is Sanju-no-to, known to be the tallest three-storied pagoda in Japan. The pagoda is renovated and repainted in Vermillion color in 1987.


While the general grounds of the temple are free to wander, an entrance fee is required in order to enter the temple's Main Hall (Hondo). Admission to the temple is 400 Yen per person. Unlike our visit to the Tenryuji Temple in Arashiyama (or any other temples in Kyoto), we decided to pay the admission fee to enter the Main Hall this time round.


The Main Hall of the temple is built on the steep cliff of Mt Otowa using a traditional Japanese method of construction. No nails are used to constructed this impressive wooden structure. The entire wooden structure is supported by 18 giant pillars made from over 400-year old Zelkova trees. It was truly a sight to behold.

From a distance, the entire wooden structure looks fragile. But surprisingly, it was incredibly durable and well-maintained, surviving over 1,200 years in its original form. Furthermore, it is highly earthquake-resistant even on a steep hill.

The Main Hall of the temple houses a small statue of the eleven faced, thousand armed Kannon Bodhisattva. However, we did not enter the Main Hall to catch a glimpse of the Kannon Bodhisattva statue. In fact, only very few people are interested in the prime object of worship of the temple.


Instead, we were attracted by the wide-open veranda that juts out from the main hall over the hillside, just like anyone else. Called the Kiyomizu Stage, it is undoubtedly the main attraction of the temple. This is also what attracts the thousands of tourists flocking to the temple every single day!



Standing at 13 metres tall (almost equal to a four-storey high building), the stage offers a spectacular view of the cherry blossom during Spring and fall colors during Autumn. During Autumn, the stage is surrounded by a sea of red and yellow leaves amd is always bustling with people eager to capture the beauty on their camera.


Just behind the Main Hall, you will find Jishu shrine, a shrine dedicated to the deity of love and matchmaking. In front of the shrine, there are two stones, each positioned 18 metres apart. Legend says that if you can find your way from one to the other with your eyes closed, you will have luck finding love.



Just like Kiyomizu stage, the smaller stage at Okunoin Hall is extremely noisy and insanely crowded. The elevated wooden walkway is filled with hundred of pictures crazy tourists and its smaller size also made it more difficult to move around.


The smaller stage of Okunoin Hall offers a spectacular view of Kiyomizu Stage and Kyoto cityscape. It is probably the most photographed sight in Kiyomizudera Temple. However, we find it relatively difficult and challenging to take a nice picture. Almost everyone around us are fighting for the best spot to take the best selfies with the temple, causing the path to be blocked.




The view was certainly much more impressive from here. Far in the distance is the city of Kyoto, with Kyoto Tower standing proudly against the blue sky. The autumn colors are especially stunning in their full swing andthe Main Hall looks amazing being surrounded by colorful leaves. Absolutely stunning!


To be honest, my husband and I are never a fan of religious architecture. So even if our budget permits, we would never want to pay an admission fee to enter a temple. The magnificent view is the reason why we decided to pay to it.  Luckily, it was an experience worth paying for.
Please note that the main hall is currently undergoing extensive repair works. From February 2017 to March 2020, the main hall will be covered up by scaffolding for the renovation of its roof. The scaffolding work is scheduled to be completed in June 2017, which is expected to block the pictureque views of the temple. During this period, visitors are still allowed to enter the Main Hall for worship.

Following a paved path through the trees down the hill, you will find Otowa Waterfall at the base of the temple. The water from the waterfall fall from three separate streams into a pond. According to legend, each stream of water is said to have different benefits.


Drinking the sacred water from the waterfall is believed to bring longevity, success in studies or luck in love. However, it will be considered greedy to drink from all three streams, so make sure you choose carefully. To drink, use the tin cap attached to long poles collect the water from the stream.



Passing the Otowa Waterfall, we continued along a stone paved path lined with hundreds of maple trees,  forming the perfect fall colors. Enjoy a relaxing stroll amongst the hundreds of maple trees that erupted into a sea of red and yellow colors in Autumn.


Near the exit of the temple, there is a small pond surroundedby maple trees that were at their peak.




Exiting from the temple, we continued our way down Sannen-Zaka and Ninen-Zaka, a steep downwards-sloping shopping street that leads to Yasaka Shrine in the Gion District.

The street is lined with traditional wooden shophouses selling talismans, incenses, paper fortunes, sweets, pottery, pickles and other usual tourists souvenirs. There are also plenty of restaurants and tea houses to refresh yourself after a tiring day of exploring. All in all, it is a great place to get some souvenirs and gifts for yourself and your loved ones, so do take your time to explore these streets.


We stumbled upon this restaurant called Saryo Seihan - Tei while looking for somewhere to eat lunch. Tucked in a little alley, off the main shopping street, the restaurant specializes in soba and Udon.

It was a very cozy restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere. English menu with pictures is available, but choices are a little limited.

Price: 1,250 Yen

Both my husband and I ordered Cold Buckwheat noodles with Tempura. Complimentary tea or water was served upon being seated and are refillable at the self-serve station to your heart's content. Although a little pricey, the quality of food and service offered were very high. We have an very enjoyable dining experience.

Being one of the major attraction in Kyoto, Kiyomizudera Temple is definitely a must-visit. I suggest allocating at least 2-3 hours for your visit to the temple. When visiting, remember to bring your camera along as there will be plenty of opportunities for photography around the area, especially during the cherry blossom and fall seasons.

If you are interested to know more about our trip, you may want to check out our 7D6N Osaka - Kyoto - Nara - Kobe Trip Itinerary + Overview for the list of attractions that we had visited during our 7 days in Japan. For anyone planning your first trip to Japan but have no idea where to start, you should read my "How To Plan A Trip To Japan" post.
Be sure to follow me on Facebook or Twitter for the latest updates on my 7 days adventures in Japan! You might also want to check My Wanderlust page for some of my other travel adventures.