Kyoto

I came to Kyoto by Shinkansen train (superexpress). Apparently, I came during very busy time - I had troubles booking a hotel. I settled on staying Hyatt for the first two nights and then moving to a cheaper business hotel for another two nights.
Hyatt is located in the Eastern part of  of the town, close to Kiyomizu-dera and I immediately went there. Kyoto is much smaller than Tokyo and has almost provincial feeling, but being a capital for several centuries it has temples almost everywhere. From Kiyomizu-dera I went to see Gion district following the crowd and stopping at multiple temples.

Technically taller than Buddhas in Kamakura and Nara, this is 24 m high statue of Kannon (Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara) in the Monument to a [Japanese] Unknown Soldier.

Wow - there are temples and geisha everywhere!!!

Entrance gate of Kiyomizu-dera