Temple town of Higashi Honganji

Kyoto Hana Hostel is located in the temple town of Higashi Honganji Temple. It's used to be a "Tsumesyo" which is a low-cost lodging for people who come to worship from rural areas. There are many shops related to Buddhism around Hana Hostel. Even though it is near Kyoto Station you can feel the atmosphere of the old days.

Candle and grids

Kyoto Tower was designed by Mamoru Yamada, who also designed Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. It is the first building in Japan to adopt a “monocoque structure (stress-enveloped structure),” in which cylindrical steel plates are joined together without using any steel frames. You can see Kiyomizu-dera, To-ji, Tofuku-ji, and Chion-in from the observatory 100m above the ground.

The Kyoto Station Building was designed by Hiroshi Hara, who also designed the Umeda Sky Building and Sapporo Dome. You can see Kyoto-inspired designs everywhere, such as the lattice-like design that is conscious of the grid pattern at the key points of the building. At the top of the central concourse, there is an aerial route (Skyway) where you can walk 45m above the ground, so please take a walk.