KIYOMIZU TEMPLE, KYOTO, JAPAN
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One of the more famous temples in Kyoto is Kiyomizu Temple, and it has a grand view of the city. It is a hike up a hill to get to the temple, which is half the fun as the road … Continue reading
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KATSURA RIVER, KYOTO
Our 3rd day included the Monkey Park (previous posts) and a boat ride down the Katsura River which runs below it. Across the river is a famous bridge that people like to photograph, the Togetsukyo or “Moon Crossing bridge”. It … Continue reading
THE MONKEY BABIES, KYOTO, JAPAN
There were plenty of monkey babies at the Iwatayama Monkey Park. This little fellow didn’t look old and wobbled like a new born. He also stayed very close to his mom. It was interesting to watch the mothers. At one … Continue reading
KYOTO MONKEY, JAPAN
I am not sure if people know about Iwatayama Monkey Park in Kyoto. It wasn’t listed as one of the “must see” in Kyoto as I researched for our trip. But as an animal loving family, when we found out … Continue reading
GOLDEN PAVILION, KYOTO, JAPAN
One of the more famous sites in Kyoto is the Golden Pavilion at Kinkaku-ji: The site of Kinkaku-ji was originally a villa called Kitayama-dai, belonging to a powerful statesman, Saionji Kintsune.[8] Kinkaku-ji’s history dates to 1397, when the villa was … Continue reading
KYOTO FIELDS, JAPAN
Part of having a guide is that he takes you into different places (if she is good). Our guide took us out of the city of Kyoto to show us the countryside and the rice fields. It was a 15 … Continue reading
NIJO CASTLE, KYOTO
Our first stop on our big “day tour” was Nijo Castle, samurai and shogun home. In 1601, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, ordered all the feudal lords in Western Japan to contribute to the construction of Nijō … Continue reading
10,000 TORI GATES, KYOTO, JAPAN
Fushimi Inari is one of the more famous Kyoto temples, known for one prominent feature – 10,000 Tori gates. Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社?) is the head shrine of Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The shrine sits at the base … Continue reading
BAMBOO FOREST, KYOTO
It is one of those must go places (they say). A simple bamboo forest where a single stock of bamboo can grow up to 1.3M overnight. Another ‘short’ visit location on our day tour of Kyoto. Our guide drove to … Continue reading
THE MOSS TEMPLE, KYOTO
Off the beaten path is a small temple called the Moss Temple, or Gio-ji. It is lesser known than the famous and Y3,000 larger moss temple. The history of the temple is one of lost love: A Shirabyoshi dancer Gio … Continue reading
DINNER WITH A GEISHA (Maiko) Part I in KYOTO
This is a very interesting post to write as it elicits mixed feelings. Part of living in a different culture is that never ending quest to understand, learn and to grow while trying not to use your own cultural biases … Continue reading
NISHIIKI MARKET, KYOTO
After our first temple we headed to Nishiki market. A cab dropped us off at one entrance and we started down this very long covered walkway past hundreds of interesting stalls. Uniquely Japanese is a good way to describe it; … Continue reading
SANJUSANGENDO HALL, KYOTO
After checking into the Westin our first stop (after a big Japanese lunch) was this hall, home to 1001 life-sized wooden statues of Kannon, goddess of mercy. Like many of the temples, they offered souvenirs and in this case, an … Continue reading
SHINKANSEN TO KYOTO
Last year the Shinkansen (bullet train) faced an average delay of just 36 seconds. Said to be so punctual that a salaryman can finish his noodles 2 minutes before departure time and count on the train being there .. it … Continue reading
A 3 DAY TRIP TO KYOTO
We spent 3 days in Kyoto recently and it was a fantastic trip, although complex to organize. I present this itinerary for others, with a few suggestions that I hope help. TripAdvisor City Guides. If you have not downloaded this … Continue reading
THREE TYPES OF TRAVEL
In my mind there are three types of travel: 1. The relax trip: this involves reading, eating, some exercise of the conventional nature (to balance out eating) and for us, usually a beach. Recently, that was a family week in … Continue reading
DINNER WITH A GEISHA (Maiko): THE CONVERSATION
As mentioned in my initial post on Kyoto, we enjoy learning the history and culture of Japan. We did not know what to expect with our dining with a maiko/geisha/geiko experience. When the maiko-san originally arrived, our interpreter quickly helped … Continue reading
DINNER WITH A GEISHA (Maiko) Part 2
Using the concierge at the Westin we booked Yoshikawa in Kyoto with a room overlooking the garden. Attached to a Japanese Inn that has played host to the rich and famous, it was a beautiful traditional restaurant and amazing staff … Continue reading
I DID NOT SEE A GHOST ON THIS TOUR (Part 1)
As previously mentioned, we went on a Ghost Walk tour on the last day of the New Year holiday. One of the frustrating things about Japan is that they are not that interested in sharing their rich and diverse … Continue reading
