This Five-Storied Pagoda is “Yasaka-no-Tou”a tower in Yasaka.A formal name is Five-Storied Pagoda in Hokan-ji Temple.
The photograph of this tower is so often used for the cover page of the guide book of Kyoto and the pamphlet etc. found in the travel agency to Kyoto.
The TV drama filmed in Kyoto also use this “Yasaka-no-Tou” in opening as a typical landscape of Kyoto, or use the place where this tower is seen in behind appears as a place that immoral lovers meet.
Do you know Japanese actress Nanako Matsushima? I was so impressed with a TV drama starred by her, and I remember the scene she run to the lover waiting in front of the “Yasaka-no-Tou.” It was so romantic… .
Oh, I am sorry for tottering in my day dream. ;)
I skip describing a detailed explanation of this Five-Storied Pagoda in this article.
I will introduce you to enjoy this tower in unknown way, but don’t laugh at me. After paying admission fees of Hokan-ji temple, though you can see the main temple at first when entering on, when it is me, I will directly go to Five-Storied Pagoda and walk into the pagoda.
Although I am a skinny Japanese woman and it is easy to walk inside pagoda, It may be troublesome for you to walk in pagoda, because it is very narrow inside Five-Storied Pagoda, and you often need to twist you body making a room to passers walk.
In addition, you should go up the stairs that do not rise considerably easily, so you should better not wear a miniskirt.
But I promise you it is valuable to walk in the pagoda.
From the 3rd stairs, you can watch Kyoto town or Higashiyama mountain beautifully and you can imagine the ancient people’s life in Kyoto, but it is too ordinary, and I recommend you to try one other watching style ;). You can find a several small holes on the wood made wall of pagoda, and you can watch outside from those halls gently. The scene itself is just the same as normal window, but you feel like as if you are a small animal watching outside from the nest in the tree.
Squirrel's child?
Owl’s chicken?
Dormouse that awoke from hibernation?
You can imagine the view of those small animals watching human being from the tree halls from ancient age to now. I love this style watching whenever I visit Yasaka-no-tou.
Why don’t you try to be a squirrel's child?
…Yes, I know I’m too childish and far away from immoral love romance.
