The image above is of Kiyomizudera buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan, the night I was there. Except I wasn’t there. I had walked up to the temple that New Year’s eve in 2014 and found it closed. What I didn’t know was that the temple would open up a couple hours after I had arrived at the temple for New Year’s lighted up viewing. So I missed this amazing sight. Yeah, pretty much.
This was not the first time I missed a chance to see Kyomizudera. When I had visited Kyoto for the first time with my family nearly two decades ago, my brother and I had told my mom that we were sick of seeing temples and wanted to wander on our own. While we discovered Dance Dance Revolution, our parents went to Kiyiomizudera without us.
So I currently call this breathtakingly beautiful temple my temple of non-destiny since I basically missed both chances I had to visit it.
My family tells me this is pretty much the most beautiful temple in Kyoto, that if you could only visit one temple, it had to be Kiyomizudera. You can see from the temple’s Instagram account that it’s clearly no exaggeration.
So, I suppose this is just a sign that I need to go back Kyoto to uncross my stars with this temple.
Next up, strolling down the Ninen Zaka and Sannen Zaka.
