Kiyomizu-dera is the oldest temple in Japan. This historic template is located in the city of Kyoto and attracts millions of visitors each year. The temple is located on the East side of Kyoto and is easily accessible by either bus or train. However, in order to get to the main temple structure here, it is still a bit of walk from the closest bus stop and the train station. Also, keep in mind that the JR Pass cannot be used on the train that goes to Kiyomizu station. Instead, we got Kyoto subway 1 day pass and it can be used on all the buses and trains within Kyoto.
We went to Kiyomizu-dera in the afternoon by taking the train to the Kiyomizu-Gojo station and had to walk for about 15 minutes to get to the entrance gate of Kiyomizu-dera. Along the way, there were many Edo era shops along the street serving traditional Japanese snacks and food. There were also many Japanese souvenirs being sold in the store. thus it was quite an experience while just walking towards Kiyomizu temple. Many people were also wearing Kimono along the street as well.
When we got to the main Kiyomizu temple, there were so many people there. The entrance fee is 300 Japanese Yen per adult to enter the temple. The temple was larger than many other Japanese temples that we have visited before, and there were many wind chimes hanging from the ceiling. The unfortunate part was that the main Kiyomizu temple was currently under renovation, and thus the exterior of the temple structure was covered up. We were told the renovation is for 2020 Tokyo Olympic and the renovation will not be done until then.
There was also a large dragon like water fountain on the side of the temple structure for people to cleanse their hand. The water scoops were longer than usual in order to reach out for water flowing off the hill. We did not try this because the line was extremely long. We just cleansed our hands at the regular fountain before entering the temple.
Kiyomizu-dera is definitely a must visit place when visiting Kyoto. It is the oldest temple in Japan and other than just the temple, the shopping experience along the old Japanese street was incredible. Many antique shops were quite interesting. Thus this is an absolute must visit place when visiting Japan.
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