A Journey Through Curry and Architecture
Walking to the Next Stop, Passing Churches Along the Way
After a delicious curry, I headed to my next destination with a big smile on my face. My first stop was the machiya-style Columbia Kyoto store.
I recently bought a pair of snow boots from Columbia for a trip to a cold region—Nagano. The fit was great, so I started thinking I’d like another pair of shoes and made a point of stopping by the Kyoto store.
In the end they didn’t have what I was looking for, but I still had fun browsing the Kyoto-exclusive items.
After leaving the Columbia Kyoto store, I set off walking through the city again. Along the way, this church caught my eye: the Kyoto Orthodox Church, also known as the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Theotokos.
It was built in 1901 (Meiji 34) in an authentic Russian Byzantine style. I admired it from a distance, from outside.
Once I started walking again, I came across another church. This one was St. Agnes’ Church. Its unmistakably Gothic tower, stained glass, and weighty brick construction gave it a wonderful atmosphere.
It was completed in 1898 (Meiji 31). Since it isn’t open for visits, I admired this one from outside as well.
One of Kyoto’s charms is that, beyond its traditional temples and shrines, it still preserves buildings like these from modern Japan.
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