#Heian

In the east of Kyoto you’ll find the Heian-jingu, a massive shrine complex built in 1895.

Wrapping around the shrine is the Shin-en, the Garden of the Gods. It’s 33,060 m² in size and features several ponds connected by pathways. Loads of cherry trees decorate the garden, making the grounds an absolute must-visit during cherry blossom season.

In the ponds, you can spot rather rare animal species like the yellow pond turtle or the Japanese pond turtle. The fish and turtles love being fed, and you can buy the right food right there on site.

Visiting the Heian-jingu itself is free, but access to the garden costs 600¥. It’s worth not getting there too late, as time really flies by there, and the garden closes at 5 pm.

Today we were out and about on our own again. We walked along the Philosopher’s Path on the eastern outskirts of Kyoto. It starts near the Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion. The picturesque path follows a stream. You can keep popping off it to visit a nearby temple or shrine.

After a detour to the Heian Shrine, we carried on through the Gion district with its old tea houses. If you’re lucky, you can spot a real geiko here (that’s what they call a geisha around here). Sadly, we weren’t in luck.

In the evening, the group went out for dinner together one last time. We went to a Japanese restaurant where we got to try our way through Japanese cuisine with lots of small courses.

And just like that, the last day of our trip is over. Our bags are all packed for the flight back. The bus is picking us up tomorrow morning to take us to the airport. We’d have loved to stay a bit longer.