Our tour schedule had us visiting Kiyomizu-dera during a rainstorm, but that didn't seem to deter all the other tourists there. The ascent up the shopping street was a sea of umbrellas, reminding more of the movie Blade Runner than the lead-up to one of Kyoto's iconic sights. Once at the top of the street and at the entrance to the temple, the crowds spread out a bit more, and I felt less like part of a cattle drive. The temple itself and the grounds looked great from the restoration work that had happened between the time I was last there. However, due to the weather and number of folks entering the grounds at an increasing rate, I felt an urgency to just take my photos and move along to the next area, rather than take in the atmosphere (wasn't much serenity to say the least). Outside of Senso-ji temple in Asakusa, I think this was the only one to invoke a stressed reaction in me, rather than inner peace. Taking the public bus back to Kyoto Station showed me the real ugly side of over-tourism due to all the foreigners, providing the proverbial "cherry-on-top" to this experience
This was my second visit to Kiyomizu-dera in 10 years, and even if it wasn't raining, I believe first time was enough for me, due to the amount people trying to visit these places.