Here is a very short video from the train. In this video we were slowing for one of the stops but you can see some of the scenery from the train. It was very cloudy with some rain.
When we arrived in Kyoto it was still raining so we took cabs from the station to the hotel. About a 5 min ride and $5. I had a busy schedule the next day so we just ate and went to bed.
The Kyoto subway system is not so convenient. There are not many available and the places they go are limited. The main way to get around is by bus. We payed $5 each for an all day pass. This proved to be the best way to get around, but I really came to appreciate the subways of Tokyo. The buses in Kyoto get stuck in traffic like all the other vehicles, so travel can be quite slow. For the day I planned to follow the 1/2 day walking tour in my Lonely Planet book. It turned out to be the entire day.
On the walk to our first temple we saw the Japanese version of the helicopter seed. It spins to the ground like the US version, but has multiple seeds at the bottom. I don't know what kind of tree it is from.
We also walked past this huge cemetery. In Japan it is my understanding that most people are cremated when they pass away. The ashes are placed in these monument stones. Some of them can be very elaborate.
My father works at Habitat for Humanity in the US so it was interesting to see that there is a branch in Japan as well. These children were collecting money for the organization.
Finally we arrived at our first temple, Kiyomizu-Dera. This temple was first built in 798, but the present building dates back to 1633 (still pretty old). Many temples have burned down and been replaced, but they were still replace a crazy long time ago.
The temple is more of a complex than a single building. It took between 1-2 hours to walk around it.
This is one of the water baths for purification.
An overview of the temple grounds.
At this temple we payed extra for a trip down a completely dark corridor. We walked for maybe 5 mins. in complete darkness until finally we rounded a corner to see an illuminated spinning stone in the middle of the room. I thought I read it was Buddha's womb. This points out how little I actually understand about Buddhism because I thought Buddha was a dude. Maybe I need to read up a bit more on this temple. You can make a wish and touch the stone.
From Kiyomizu Dera we walked to Gion. This is a district with small streets and many interesting shops along them. It is an area with a lot of history and is know for the Geisha that once (and I am told still) roamed these streets.
We saw some Geisha walking around, but my hunch is that these women payed to be dressed up and walk around for the experience. Similar to what Kate did in Tokyo a few posts ago.
It is an option to ride around the streets in rickshaws. Since they only carry two and we had 6 in our party we didn't even talk about it. I think it would have been quite expensive.
One of the things I found interesting about this area is that nestled within the narrow streets are many interesting buildings and temples. If you aren't careful it is easy to walk past them. We missed the pagoda below and had to double back to find it.
From a distance it is easy to see, but once you walk into the narrow streets it disappears until you are right under it. This pagoda is called Yasaka pagoda.
Next was Kodai ji. Kodai Ji was founded in 1605. This temple had some very nice gardens.
I was told by one of the workers at the temple that dragons offer protection from fire. The covered walkway below was created in the image of a dragons tail for that reason.
The final temple on the day was the Chion in. The oldest building on site dates back to the 17th century (ala Lonely Planet)
Parked in front of the temple entrance was this cab. I took this picture for Troy and Ruben. For those not familiar, the wheels on this cab are Volks. They are very expensive aftermarket wheels so I was surprised to see them on a cab.
While walking up the steps the children were able to catch a blue lizard. The excitement gave them enough energy to finish the hike up the huge steps to the top.
When we started our day we met a gentleman named Tom. He is going to medical school and now spending a little time schooling in Japan. He took this picture of all of us. I figured I should put it on here because typically one of us has to take the picture and thus is not in it.
Now we were worn out so we caught the bus back to the hotel and called it a night, if you follow this tour it be warned it is not a 1/2 day tour..
The next day I planned another action packed day.
First up was Kinkakuji. It is the famous gold temple. We have had a picture of this temple on our computer wallpaper for some time now so I felt we had to go.
The picture below is interesting because if you expand it you can see the individual sheets of gold that were applied to the temple.
On the walking path we decided to take a picture of Warren and the children. He was having so much fun he is just beaming with excitement.
Also while on the walking path a random Japanese woman asked if she could have her picture taken with the children. We said it was no problem. Kate snapped one at the same time.
Finally before leaving Kyoto for Nara I wanted to stop at Ryoan-Ji. It is a Buddhist temple with a famous zen garden. It was only two stops away on the bus from Kinkakuji.
The garden has an observation deck that you can sit on and relax while viewing the garden. Actually this temple has a huge garden area other than the zen garden to walk around. It is a beautiful area. We only spent a short time there, but it would be easy to spend hours walking around.
Next we took the JR train from Kyoto to Nara. On the way we stopped at Fushimi-Inari Taisha. This temple has a 4km walking path that is lined with hundreds of tori gates of various sizes. Since we were limited on time we only walked a short distance before turning back to finish the journey to Nara, but it was a very impressive sight to see. If possible I would like to go back and walk the entire path.
Finally we arrived at Nara at 4:00. Many of the temples start closing around 4:30 so I pushed everyone to walk pretty fast. There is a huge Daibutsu (Buddha) statue enclosed in a large wooden building and I wanted to make it in time to see. I have since been told that this building is the largest wooden building in the world. The Buddha is from something crazy like 786. Over the years it has been damaged in fires and earthquakes. At one point the head fell off. Of course it has since been repaired.
For me this was the highlight of our trip. Unfortunately the pictures can not do the size justice. The best I can to to show the size is with the video below. In the corner of the building is a column with a hole carved in it. The hole is the same size as one of the huge Buddha's nostrils. If you can crawl through the hole you will gain "enlightenment". The video is of Kate working her way through it.
In Nara there are a handful of temples and pagodas. We walked past this one on our way back to the station.
For the children the highlight of Nara are the deer. There are tons of them roaming the streets. You can purchase deer crackers to feed them. Sometimes the dear will bow when you give the cracker to them. Mine did not, they just bit at my pockets as if to say "hey, hey I am back here. Give me a cracker!!!" The dear can be a bit intimidating especially for the children, but they really enjoyed feeding them.
While walking to the station to head home we ate at an Okanomiyaki place. This is the food we ate with Miyazaki san a few weeks back. The staff were very friendly and everyone had a good meal.
At this restaurant we saw an advertisement for kodomo beer. Kodomo in Japanese stands for children or child.
This has now become my next goal. I have found a restaurant in Utsunomiya that serves this drink. I don't have all the details yet, but I am assuming it is non alcoholic. Please enjoy the commercial for it that I found on YouTube. Definitely an interesting concept. Not really what I hope to promote to the children. Anyway we should try once....
On the final day we finished out our stay in Kyoto by walking around the Nishiki market. It is a covered market area (great for rainy days) where a number of different foods and gifts can be purchased.
There was fish on a stick.
Many types of vegetables.
Even fish heads and eye combo platters......um..um..
Really 3 days is not enough time to see everything in Kyoto. It would be easy to spend weeks there and still not see everything. We were really able to pack a lot into the short time we had.
I have to go to bed now, so I can't type any more..
