what is good to see in kyoto?

Question

I AM GOING TO BE IN KYOTO IN OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR.

CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT EVENTS WILL BE AVAILABLE.
SUMO WRESTLING,PUPPET SHOW ETC.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Answer 1

Old bulding , geisha , kinkakuji

Answer 2

Ravanne_1 has some good suggestions of places to visit.

My favorites are Kinkaku-ji - built in the late 14th Century by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu at the height of the Ashikaga Shogunate
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/7100/dscn0185nv0.jpg

Ginkakuji - built nearly a century later by Ashikaga Yoshimasa after the Shogunate had declined, Kyoto had been devastated by the Onin War, and the country began to slide into anarchy
http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/1981/p1017570wc4.jpg

Toji Temple with the tallest pagoda - there's often a market there on the 21st of each month
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/1580/p1013145hi3.jpg

Fushimi Inari at night is mystical. I've been there three times and only at night
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/3625/dscn0400ks0.jpg

Go to Gion and Pontocho in the evening when you're more likely to spot Geisha scurrying about to their assignments. In Gion, you can go to Gion Corner and watch an hour-long sample of various cultural performances such as tea ceremony, geisha dancing, puppet show. Check at the touris office at Kyoto Station for more detail.

As for Sumo - no sumo in October.

As for festivals, there are two big festivals on the same day:
Oct 22nd. The first one is the Jidai Matsuri - Festival of Ages. This is a parade with people in historical costumes going back over a thousand years.

In the evening on Mt Kurama, there's a fire festival where people carry huge torches about.

Jidai Matsuri Part I
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?article_class=5&no=255583&rel_no=1

Jidai Matsuri Part II
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?article_class=5&no=255600&rel_no=1

Kurama Fire Festival
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?article_class=5&no=258434&rel_no=1
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an aside rant - how could anyone give ravanne_1 two thumbs down for answering the question effectively with a list of Kyoto's hot spots? Seems rather immature.The first person didn't even come close to answering the question excpet in the vaguest sense and yet they got a thumbs up.

Answer 3

You should probably visit Gion, where geiko and maiko are still training. Don't forget all the marvelous temples, like Kiyomizu-dera. October will also be a great time for momiji-viewing (autumn leaves) at all the places you're going to see. Have fun!

Answer 4

There is so much to see in Kyoto that you can spend weeks there and barely scratch the surface. I spent six days there in October 2006 and while I did manage to see a lot, I know that I got in only a small fraction of all the city has to offer. Here are some of the spots you must see.

1) Arashiyama district - on the outskirts of Kyoto up near the mountains is the Arashiyama district. Lovely little town with lots of wonderful stores and a large park with beautiful walking paths down by the Oi river. Near the park is Tenryu-ji, a beauful Buddhist temple (an UNESCO world heritage site). You'll find beautifully maintained buildings decorated with murals of dragons and gorgeous gardens with a huge pond at the center.

2) Sanjusangendo Hall is the longest wooden structure in Japan and houses numerous status of the thousand-armed goddess Kannon that are national treasure of Japan. The sight of all those golden status awash in candle light is an absolutely surreal and magical experience.

3) Kiyamizo-dera Temple is a Buddhist temple dedicated to the goddess Kannon that was originally founded in 798. The highlights of a visit here are the beautiful mountains surrounding the temple, the 3-story pagoda and a chance to sip water from the pristine Otowa waterfall that gave the temple it's name (Kiyamizo means clear water).

4) Sannenzaka is the area around the Kiyamizo-dera Temple that is made up of numerous streets with historical wooden building housing restaurants and craft shops of every type. A true shopper's paradise.

5) The Gion is the historical geisha district where you will still find numerous high-end traditional resturants and tea houses (called ochaya) where the geisha work. The main drag is pretty tawdry now and there are numerous bars, but go along the side streets and Pontocho alley and you find the real historical characer of the place. Take a stroll down by the canal at sunset and you'll see several maiko (apprentice geisha) dressed in elaborate kimonos and makeup on their way to appointments. There are a number of high-end stores in the area, many selling kimonos and accessories that cost the equivelent to the downpayment on a house. While here, go the Gion Corner Theater that does nightly demonstrations on traditional Japanese arts including the tea ceremony, playing the koto, ikebana (flower arranging), gagaku (court music), kyogen (comedy), kyomi (Kyoto-style dance performed by a maiko), and bunraku (puppets). It's one of the few chances to actually see a maiko perform. They also offer a tea ceremony lesson upstairs after the performance for an additional fee, but I found it well worth it.

6) Nishiki Market where you will find the best and freshest food items in Kyoto. Whatever you could possibly want – meat, fish, veggies, pickles, spices, sweets, tea… it’s a chef’s paradise and most of the best restaurants and ryokans get their groceries here. If you are at all a foodie, you'll have a lot of fun walking down the street and seeing how so many great foods are prepared (be prepared for sticker shock at the prices for some produce). Food is beautifully displayed to show off how fresh it is and venders are often offering free samples to try. A great store to hit is Aritsugu, a kitchenware store that has been there for over 400 years and produces some of the finest chefs knives in the world.

7) Kinkaku-ji (The Temple of the Golden Pavilion) and Ginkaku-ji (The Temple of the Silver Pavilion) are icons of Japanese architecture and both buildings are surrounded by some of the most beautiful gardens you'll ever see. Kinkaku-ji was built by the third Ashikaga Shogun, Yoshimitsu and Ginkaku-ji was built by his grandson. While Kinkaku-ji is covered with gold leaf, Ginkaku-ji never got it's covering of silver because of a war the broke out at the time. These should not be missed, and the history of both is facinating to read about.

8) Ryoan-ji is another Buddhist temple that is an UNESCO world heritage site that is famous for is Zen garden where you are supposed to medidate on the patterns carefully raked into the white gravel. Expect huge crowds here so it's best to arrive early in the day before the tour buses start arriving. Take your time and also check out the older gardens in the temple that have gorgeous landscaping and ponds with lotus blossums.

9) Nijo Castle was built by the Shogun Ieyasu and is a monument to his paranoia. While renouned for its magnificent murals and ornate decorations, the highlight is walking on the Nightingale floors, where the boards were designed to squeek when walked on to prevent Ieyasu from being taken by surprise. The castle is surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscaping in the city and you'll be tempted to spend hours there.

10) If you have time for a few hours outside the city, check out the Fushimi Inari Shrine, the primary Inari shrine in Japan. You can reach it easily by taking the Nara local commuter train from Kyoto station. Dedicated to the Shinto god of the harvest, the temple is decorated with numerous of stone foxes and is famed for the path of hundreds of red tori gates. When walking down the path, seeing the sunlight filtered through the gates, it makes for an absolutely surreal experience. You'll see plenty of activity here as this is a very active temple and not just a tourist site.

Other things that you'll want to see is the Heian Shine, the primary Shinto shine in Kyoto, and take your time just walking down the streets. Kyoto is an amazing city full of history and October is a wonderful time to visit.

Have a wonderful trip!

Answer 5

The big Budda statue, sumo is seasonal their must be a website telling when, try to find a fertility festival.