The wooden stage
Over the valley.
Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jordy Meow — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Zairon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · The original uploader was Bobak at English Wikipedia. — CC BY-SA 2.5 · fw42 from Germany — CC BY 2.0 · inunami — CC BY 2.0 · Sarah Stierch — CC BY 4.0 · Steve Collis from Melbourne, Australia — CC BY 2.0
A Buddhist temple on the slopes of Mount Otowa in eastern Kyoto, its name meaning «Pure Water Temple», and one of the few temples in the city older than its founding as the capital. Tradition dates its beginnings to 778, and it is one of the «Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto» on UNESCO's list. It is famous for its main hall and wide wooden stage jutting out over the valley on huge wooden pillars; the hall was rebuilt in 1633 with a donation from the shōgun Tokugawa Iemitsu. The stage looks over thick woodland that turns colour in spring and autumn, with the city on the horizon. A Japanese saying, «to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu», means to take the plunge, after an Edo-period tradition. Below the hall is the Otowa waterfall, whose water visitors drink. Admission is about 500 yen, and it opens 6:00-18:00, with evening openings during illumination seasons, per visitor guides. The way up climbs the old Matsubara and Sannenzaka streets with their shops, and early morning is calmest.
Over the valley.
Water to drink.
Spring and autumn.
Higashiyama, eastern Kyoto
It opens 6:00-18:00, with evening openings in illumination seasons, and admission is about 500 yen, per visitor guides. Early morning is calmest.
