Kyoto

Summer Evening in Gion Higashiyama

Taking advantage of a cooler, less crowded time of day

Cathy Cawood Sep 16, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>In Kyoto many young women wear yukata in summer</p>

<p>Yasaka pagoda stands tall at the end of the street</p>

<p>Red gate of a shrine, now closed for the night</p>

<p>The streets are lined with beautiful traditional style houses</p>

<p>Picturesque paved streets descend from Kiyomizu temple  </p>

<p>Pine branch overhangs a wood and plaster wall</p>

<p>A red covered bench outside a restaurant where customers can wait for a table</p>

<p>The evening sun makes leaf patterns on a wall</p>

<p>Earlier in the day this street would have been crowded</p>

<p>Thick shutter windows wide open to let heat trapped in the building escape</p>

<p>A restaurant worker ducks through a small door in the wooden wall</p>

<p>If you're tired of walking you can take a rickshaw</p>

<p>Lamps begin to glow in gardens and restaurant entrances even before the light is gone</p>

Gion Higashiyama is popular with tourists for good reason! It's a fascinating area rich in tradition and beautiful detail. Because it is so popular it is usually crowded, but I went there one summer evening and found it less busy than usual. I could enjoy taking photos of the traditional buildings and beautiful streets.

Cathy Cawood @cathy.cawood

I came to Japan in 2003 to teach English. I lived in Shiga prefecture for 1 year, and it still holds a special place in my heart. I lived in Kyoto for 9 years, then moved to Machida, Tokyo in 2014 after meeting my Japanese partner. I love to take photos, and my Japan in Pictures Facebook page ha...