Solace for All
As a parent of pre-tween kids, when looking to escape for a week or so I need to find something compelling for them, as well as a place that gives my wife and I an escape from the kids too.
Atomic Bombs and Pure Water
Kiyomizu-dera Temple - Kyoto, JAPAN
If you’re going to Japan, you need to visit the city of Kyoto! Take one of the futuristic Shinkansen (bullet trains) from Tokyo, in just over 3 hours it’ll whiz you to this fascinating destination, speeding along at 320km/hour while jaw-dropping scenery like Mt Fuji flashes past.
Kyoto is beautiful and packed so full of culture and history that during World War II, it was decided that no air raids would be conducted there. The city was then taken off the list of possible atomic bomb drop sites.
If you only visit one of Kyoto’s temples, it should be the Kiyomizu-dera. It’s a 380-year-old Buddhist temple built into the side of a hill with a huge pillared verandah facing out to endless views over Kyoto. The entire structure was built without using a single nail and the dark wood floor has been polished to a fine sheen by thousands of feet over the years.
The name of the temple, Kiyomizu, means pure water and a waterfall flows down the hill and is channeled through the temple. The Japanese believe that drinking this water will grant wishes and while I’m still waiting on mine to come true, this was the best tasting, most refreshing, crystal clear water I’ve ever had.
- Ellen
