Keeping up with Kyoto

One of Japan's most revered and storied cities is home to beautiful temples, unique sweets and drinks, and exquisite entertainers

- MARTIN FALBISONER, HANNAH BRANDLER

We crept forward in the pitch-black, using our hands to trace the Buddha beads running along the wall. I was in the womb of the Zuigu-bosatsu (the mother of Buddha), otherwise known as the tunnel of Tanai-meguri, preparing to make my wish to the Zuigo stone.

The journey through the darkened temple corridor represents a form of spiritual rebirth. While perhaps not advisable for claustrophobics, the sensory deprivation can be a meditative experience. By focusing on my footsteps, I found my mind was freed of clutter. When we finally exited the tunnel and escaped the darkness, we had apparently gained an enlightened state.

This spiritual journey takes place at the UNESCO World Heritage Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Many of Kyoto’s 1,600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines boast this status, but this is one of the oldest and most revered. The temple is situated halfway up Mount Otowa, in Kyoto’s Higashiyama ward, but a certain level of willpower is required to reach the temple as the ascent weaves through narrow lanes filled with tempting souvenir stalls, pottery studios and sweet shops.

It’s worth persevering. The ancient temple was originally built in 798 and the buildings here are reconstructions dating back to 1633. The temple is most famous for its Main Hall, where a cliffside veranda (known as the Kiyomizu Stage) stands 13 metres high, supported by 18 pillars joined with wooden rails. It’s an architectural marvel, with not a single nail in sight thanks to traditional forms of carpentry that feature elaborate wooden joints to support structures instead. The Main Hall was also renovated in 2020, with a spectacular new roof added.