Day 7 – Temples, Shrines and Palaces

Today is our Kyoto tour. Kyoto is the old capital city of Japan and has a rich history of Shoguns and Emperors. Most of the tour consisted of visits to various Shinto Shrines, Imperial Palaces/Gardens and Buddhist temples

First stop was the Nijo castle.

Next was the Kinkaku-ji Temple, or more commonly named, Golden Pavilion. This was by far the most beautiful temple we had seen in Japan. The light snow that fell in the morning transformed the temple and surrounds into a postcard picturesque scene. It was hard to take bad photos.

Next was the Kyoto Imperial Palace. This is the Emperors Kyoto residence (in olden times). Now its used for ceremonial events (and tourists).

Heian Shrine. This a Shinto Shine with Chinese inspired architecture.

We had a picture with some girls dressed in traditional kimonos. We learned later that nearly all of these girls are tourists. hiring kimonos for the day.

Nest stop was the Buddhist temple of Sanju-Sangendo Hall. No photos allowed inside.

Last stop was the Kiyomizu Temple which was up a steep hill lined with souvenir shops. The temple itself was very nice and offered commanding views over Kyoyo city. “Mizu” means water, and you can drink from a mountain waterfall.

 

I think we’re all templed out!

On the way to our drop off point, our tourist guide, Mi Yuki, suggested to go to Osaka. She said its only 30 minutes by train. That sounded like a good idea. So we’re off to Osaka tomorrow!