A Little Bit of eastern Kyoto

What?
Kyoto (京都) was the capital of Japan before losing that title to Tokyo in 1868. While the latter is now the center of all economic, fashion and pop-culture activity, Kyoto is still the place to be for traditional Japanese culture. Daigoji (醍醐寺) and Byodoin (平等院) are two of the finest temples Kyoto has to offer, while Fushimi-Momoyama Castle (伏見桃山城) was the main attraction of a now defunct theme park and couldn’t be much further from the authenticity Kyoto stands for. Nonetheless it is magnificent, and a short walk to the nearby Tomb of Emperor Meiji (明治天皇伏見桃山陵) gives you all the authenticity you need.
Where?
As Kyoto is the biggest touristic center of Japan it is easily reached by train. From central Kyoto you can get anywhere with the right bus, but in my experience traffic in Kyoto doesn’t allow them to move very fast. Daigoji can be reached by taking the Kyoto Tozai Subway line (東西線) and getting of at Daigo Station (醍醐駅). From there it’s a 10 minute walk east to the temple grounds. Both Byodoin and Fushimi-Momoyama Castle can be easily accessed from here. Byodoin is a ten minute walk from either JR Uji Station (宇治駅) or Keihan Uji Station (京阪宇治駅), while the concrete castle is a 20 minute walk from a plethora of stations: Kintetsu-Tambabashi Station (近鉄丹波橋駅) and Momoyama-Goryo-Mae Station (桃山御陵前駅) on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line, Tambabashi Station (丹波橋駅) on the Keihan Main Line, JR Momoyama Station (桃山駅) on the JR Nara Line and Momoyama-Minamiguchi Station (桃山南口駅) on the Keihan Uji Line. This last station is also perfect to visit Emperor Meiji’s tomb.
URL
Japan Guide Outline Byodoin Daigoji

While the center of Kyoto gets overwhelmed with visitors, the farther you move away from the center the more quiet it becomes. That doesn’t mean you will have any place for yourself, but it does allow you to enjoy the historical and cultural heart of Japan more thoroughly. Personally, I adore Arashiyama in western Kyoto, but obviously that does not mean the other side of Kyoto doesn’t boast any worthwhile sightseeing spots.

1/ Byodo-in
It was back in 2006 when I first visited this temple. I had vaguely learned about it during my college days but had forgotten all about its existence. When I arrived at the temple complex with my fellow exchange students I was overwhelmed by its beauty. Built in the shape of a phenix, the main hall is truly unique in its kind.
The temple grounds also include an extensive underground museum and I truly regret not knowing about it at the time. I will definitely visit here again in the future though and not forget to look beyond the fantastic main hall.
Fun fact: Byodo-in’s phenix hall figures on the back of the copper colored 10 yen pieces.

2/ Daigo-ji
Completely overlooked by most foreign tourists, Daigoji is a gem. It’s rather expensive, especially in the season when most people visit the temple, namely during cherry blossom season. The entrance ticket gives you access to three separate areas: the living quarters of the priests (Sanboin), a cluster of museums (of which only the small Butsuzoto was accessible when I visited) and the most impressive temple complex area. This last area consists out of a few temple halls, but the main attractions are without doubt the five-storied pagoda and the small Bentendo hall which makes for a fairytale picture.
For an additional fee you can exit the temple complex area at the back to enter the trailhead to the original location of the temple on top of the mountain. I can’t tell you if it’s worth it as I did not take it, but I am certain you will be one of the very few taking on this challenge, and as such you will likely to find some solitude.
When I visited in 2020 the temple was still suffering from a devastating typhoon in 2018. While the temple’s buildings are largely restored (except for the main gate to the temple complex all looked in very good shape), the surrounding trees are all cut down and make for a desolate surrounding landscape.

The Byodoin back in 2007.

From a different angle.

Inside the main hall of Daigoji.

Daigoji's five-storied pagoda behind cherry blossoms.

3/ Fushimi-Momoyama Castle
No, you won’t find this castle in any guidebook, nor will you find an official website. As Wikipedia states, the castle is a reconstruction from the 60’s and served as museum/theme park. It probably suffered from all the more accessible touristic spots nearby and closed down in 2003.
There’s no trace anymore of a theme park, but the locals still love the park surrounding the remaining castle reconstruction that’s running down slowly. It’s a pity that nobody maintains the buildings anymore, because even it’s a concrete replica of a castle that was never really intended as one (it was actually a villa for Toyotomi Hideyoshi), the towering structure is one of the more impressive ones I’ve seen. Even when the park is crowded it’s pretty easy to hop over the flimsy cord that fences off the buildings. You can’t enter anywhere – and you shouldn’t, but the castle deserves people taking a closer look.
Have an onigiri here. Take in the view. Take your time. Even though the old theme park is now home to several heavily used sports fields, you’re likely to be the only tourist here.

4/ Tomb of Emperor Meiji
The current location of the Fushimi-Momoyama Castle is not the original one. On that place now stands the tomb of Emperor Meiji. It’s a leisurely stroll of about 20 minutes to the tomb, but truth to be told, nor the walk nor the tomb are particularly pretty. If you take the long stairs up the tomb though, you will be impressed by the great view of what I think are Uji and Nara.