Yasaka Shrine is one of the most famous shrines in Kyoto. It was originally build in 656. Most of the shrine has been built or rebuilt at some point since that time (many in the 1400's and 1600's). Just seeing these super old buildings are interesting.
Beyond seeing the famous gates and main shrine, I was interested to learn that one of the minor shrines was a place to pray for both inner and outer beauty. Many geisha and maiko (apprentices) go to Utsukushi Gozensha to reflect and pray. If there were any there, we did not recognize them in their street clothes. There was, however, a line about 10 people deep for people to both pray at the shrine and to gather water from the biyousui (a fountain) that they then splashed onto their faces.
There was also a neat old building that we really didn't know what it was. The outside of it had all sort of signs and plaques from the 1940s to current. The map called it "Ema-dou" or halls filled with ema (illustrated wooden plaques given as votive offerings to shrines and temples). The building does not look like it is being cared for. In fact, under the building was a lot of building materials and vehicles were parked all around it. It was such a shame, because it was a really interesting building unlike any I had seen before.
Stopping here was a great end to our trip to Kyoto. Before we knew it, we were on the Shinkansen heading back to Tokyo and our home.
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