on the bus to Utsunomiya
city bus
We are on the Shinkansen! (hajimete!)
Upon arriving in Kyoto, I was greeted by a steaming lasagna burrito from 7-11.
another shot of the lasagna burrito action
breakfast
map of the Kinkaku-ji grounds
Kinkaku-ji: the Golden Pavilion
me at Kinkaku-ji
afternoon tea in the shade
There's nothing like a hot bowl of matcha and a...sweet.
Of the Japanese sweets that I sampled in Kyoto, I found them, overall, to be superior to the sweets that we usually get up here in the Kanto region. My favorite was yatsuhashi. Mmm.
matcha soft ice for Josiah
and choco soft ice for me!
my very first "omu-rice" experience: it was delicious
the entrance to Nijo Castle
gardens at Nijo Castle
map of the Nijo-jo grounds
koi
view of the Nijo-jo grounds from the top of a hill
We rented bikes for our first day in Kyoto. Late in the afternoon, we rode them down to the river.
The river near the Gion district
Gion
that same spot by the river...a couple hours later
day two: waiting for the train to go to Himeji Castle
cheese bagel!
me at Himeji-jo
peep hole
It was so crowded, even after buying our tickets to get in, we had to wait in line for about an hour just to get into the castle. Then, once we were inside, there were people everywhere and we shuffled through at a snail's pace.
medieval suit of armor
view of Himeji from the top of the castle
Kyoto station
Kyoto Tower
a gazebo!
day 3: starting at Sanjusangen-do temple, enjoying the bright orange walls outside
approaching Fushimi Shrine in southern Kyoto
Josiah's ideal cat
Fushimi shrine
The beginning of the avenue of torii gates at Fushimi shrine: they loop around in different directions and seem to go on forever, all over the hillside.
There is a wrong way and a right way to use a Japanese toilet.
view from the observation deck at Kyoto Tower
Shinkansen coming into Kyoto Station
Kyoto Station
I actually don't know what this is.
My favorite part of this picture is actually the people behind us.
last night in Kyoto: about to get on a train in Kyoto station
