Date I went: 04/06/2020
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I found my favorite spot in Kyoto pretty early on during my stay, none other than Sanneizaka! and its sister street Nineizaka. The two streets are connected leading up the mountain side of Higashiyama to Kiyomizu Temple. Zaka in Japanese means slope, and these two streets definitely earned their zaka titles. As you climb higher up the streets you pass by many shops, cafes, restaurants, inns, and one of the most expensive hotels in Kyoto, the Park Hyatt in Kyoto. I loved spending hours at a time here, just walking (or during Covid since no one was here) biking up and down the streets.
Sanneizaka (Sannenzaka) 産寧坂 (三年坂）
Sanneizaka Close Up
Nineizaka (Ninenzaka) 二寧坂（二年坂）
One of the coolest parts about these streets is the amount of Japanese and Foreigners you find dressed in Yukata or Kimono. It's one of the most picturesque spots in Kyoto to get that traditional Kyoto picture.
During Covid this area felt like a complete ghost town though. Usually these streets look something like this.
As you can imagine many businesses closed during the pandemic in this area, as it is one of the most heavily populated tourist areas in Kyoto.
Nio-mon (Kiyomizudera Temple) (清水寺仁王門)
At the end of Sanneizaka you find this grand temple called Ni-mon sitting atop the hill. Just through Ni-mon is one of Japan's most renowned temples called Kiyomizu-dera, but I was new to Kyoto at this time so didn't even think to check back there.
There's some really tranquil spots and nice views around the temple. I'd say you can actually get the best view of Kyoto from this area.
Otowanotaki (音羽の滝)
The last, but not least, stop I made on this day was to this waterfall shrine known as Otowanotaki. The legends say that each fountain grants you either long life, a good love life, or success in your studies. But you shouldn't drink from all three as that is greedy and frowned upon. I never actually ended up drinking from them, not to say that I didn't need some luck in these categories. I actually only ended up learning this fact two years after visiting the shrine for the first time from a google review.
A lot of customs and traditions like this are known by Japanese people, but not something you would know as a foreigner of course. When I did visit places in Japan with particular customs and legends like this my Japanese friends would know what to do to max out their luck at the temple! I followed their lead whenever I was with them of course, so if you do have Japanese friends bring them to the temple with you and have the luckiest year you've ever had.
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