The last stop of our visit to Kyoto was the Heian Shrine located in the Sakyo district...
The shrine is located in the vicinity of the public library, Municipal Museum of Art, the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto Kaikan - a concert hall and the Kyoto Zoo...
The main entrance to the shrine...
Kids having a great time in the gardens at the main gate...
Sake barrels - I guess these are messages of goodwill...
Heian Shrine is regarded as a Beppyou Jinja which denotes it ranks among the top rank for Shinto shrines...
The shrine isn't too old. It was built in 1895, as a reproduction of the Heian Palace from days of Heian-kyo, the medieval name of Kyoto. It was constructed to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the establishment of Heian-kyo and more specifically for the the industrial exposition fair that was held in Kyoto that year. The replica of Heian Palace was to be the main monument. Inability to buy enough land meant that the monument was constructed on a smaller scale.
When the capital of Japan was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo, residents of the city were shocked and the mood in the city was that of despondence.
After the Second World War, the revival of Kyoto received a fresh impetus. The replica the Heian Palace was converted into a Shinto Shrine and came to be regarded as a symbol of revival of the city.
Ladies in kimonos...
A lady in a bright kimono...
Soryuro - the castle in the corner...
A view of the Heian-jingu torii across the road...
Smiles all over...
And we too all smiles - quite happy that we visited Kyoto, as we head back to Kyoto station, to take a train back to Kansai Airport...
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