After exiting To-ji we move north towards Nishi Hongwan-ji another temple in Kyoto. In fact Kyoto has it seems hundreds of temples from which tens are historically important but with us having only one full day we decided to focus on a few of them and then visit the Imperial Palace. On the way to Hongwan-ji we pass through a few typical residential areas which is interesting just for the fact that we spend most time in tourist areas which are not necessarily typical of how a typical Japanese person lives.
We arrive at Nishi Hongwan-ji a temple of one of the most popular and wealthy Buddhist sects Jodo Shinshu founded in the 12th century. Initially we arrive at the southern door which is beautifully decorated but unfortunately closed so we have to walk around the complex to identify the correct entrance.
But of course first we enjoy the decorations, they are quite beautiful especially the tiger/leopard demon.
We find the entrance on the east side and are surprised at the size of the complex. It has a separate building that acts as a visitor center, multiple panels with detailed information about the complex in English and overall seems very tourist oriented.
There are queues of students trying to enter the main hall, Goeido (Founders Hall) but somehow we manage to avoid them during our wanderings as we enter the buildings in a different order than the tours.
We wander around quite a bit both in the old temple halls that surprisingly we can take photos in and in the newer build halls. In fact we almost get lost in the new complex and get a bit cold at the feet (shoes of course have to be taken off).
The new complex feels almost new and we wander through modern amphitheathers and art displays without no other soul around us. There is a lot of gold everywhere which is not unusual for the temples here and we really enjoy them but soon it is time to search for an exit as we have an appointment soon at the Imperial Palace.
We are still lost for some time but finally we find an exit and hurry outside as we need to rush to the Imperial Palace for our tour – one of the few English speaking ones. And the Palace is some distance away and we are not sure how long it will take to get there, luckily all is well and we arrive in time to the palace for our tour.
