Sleepin on the train to Kyoto
Kane, Marc, Alana on top of Kyoto Train station, overlooking Kyoto
Delicious sashimi and disgusting raw shrimps...they're looking at you!!
Some cherry blossoms were in bloom in Kyoto, not many yet though
Roof tiles seen on all the traditional buildings
Higashi Hongan-ji just north of the Kyoto train station.
Reflection of Kyoto Tower in the train station walls
The real Kyoto Tower
Purses
Millions of purses, purses for me. Millions of purses, purses for 840 yen.
Japanese phrase shirts...not sure why you'd want either one of these
Marc at a shrine in the shopping arcades
Alana, Kane, Marc at a shrine
One of the most awesome and elaborate plastic food displays. Note the magnificent sundae at the very top.
4 Liter plastic bottle of sake, what more do we need?
Why do my friends make good pictures into bad ones?
Sample pickles...they love their pickles in Japan
No, actually, I don't eat.
Alana does not eat either.
Marc does eat tiny squid with quail egg in the head. I think it was a bit much even for him.
Kane enjoying sashimi on a shick at the Nishiki Food Markets in Kyoto
Sashimi on a stick, 150 Yen at the Nashiki Food Market, yum.
Me and Kane at the Nashiki Food Market in Kyoto
Little fishies in a baggie at the Nashiki Food Market
Fishies at Nashiki Market
A million cookie cutters
Hangie thingies for sale
Kitty thingies for sale
Tiny purses for sale
A million danglie thingies for your cell phone, a must-have in Japan
Shrine
Origami strings at a shrine
Kane and a shrine
Temple at night of Yasaka-jinga in South Higashiyama, Kyoto
Our plush karaoke room
Karaoke madness
Karaoke Kane, you can call him
Gotta hate when that happens (Price List)
Bonsai!
My favorite bonsai tree in the botanical gardens in Kyoto
Extreme Photography Part I
Extreme Photography Part II
Kyoto Botanical Gardens
Sussing out where we are and where we're going at the Botanical Gardens. All I know is that it's cold outside.
Some cherry blossoms at the botanical gardens
Bamboo!!
Lookin' up the bamboo's skirt.
Found the flower greenhouse at the Botanical Gardens...many flower pictures to follow...
Greenhouse at Botanical Gardens, Kyoto
Kane in the greenhouse
Focus and blurry in the greenhouse
Purple ones in front, yellow ones behind. Greenhouse at the Botanical Gardens.
The possee in the botanical gardens
The tiniest cream pourer ever
Daitoku-ji area in NW Kyoto
Roof at Daitoku-ji
Possibly Daisen-in? Not sure. I do know that they used orange paint.
Alana and shrine.
What I think might be Daisen-in. We weren't using maps because we're crazy like that.
Dragon on a lantern
Daisen-in?
Kinkaku-ji - the Golden Pavilion, Kyoto
Us at Kinkaku-ji - the Golden Pavilion, Kyoto
Us with good old Kinkaku-ji - the Golden Pavilion, Kyoto
Marc being mobbed by Japanese schoolgirls at Kinkaku-ji - the Golden Pavilion, Kyoto
Marc gives the crowd what they want
Rad roof made of many layers of bark
Oh, does it?
Nijo Castle, Kyoto
Nijo Castle
Roof
I ask for excited and they deliver. Good people.
Fake geisha at Nijo Castle
Fushimi-Inari Taisha shrine just south of Kyoto station a few stops. These gate thingies are called torii and there are hundreds in this shrine, very cool.
Us at the entrance to the torii gates at Fushimi-Inari Taisha shrine
Walking through the torii
All the pretty torii gates at Fushimi-Inari Taisha shrine
Torii gates forever and ever
From the side
Shrine goodness
Water catcher gutter thingie
Gold ends on a platform at the shrine were cool
Little fox figurines decorate the graves at the shrine
An Alana-sized activity
Leaving the Fushimi-Inari Taisha shrine
The chefs at this Izakaya restaurant
When Japanese girls dress up as geishas, they look real, unlike us whities.
Fake geisha on the traditional street in Kyoto
Notice you can see the weenie on the man statue...was that detail really necessary?
Dressing up like a geisha in Kyoto
Alana getting geisha-ed up
Cruella Deville, geisha style
Getting all burrito-ed up in kimonos
Geisha Vogue
Thumbs up geisha
Oops I did it again geisha
Alana and I pose for our geisha bff pics
We were led into a garden to take our own pics for 10 mins; Kane and Marc went to town with the pics
Party geisha
Geisha show their kimonos
Serene geisha
Coy geisha
Hippity hop geisha
Professional Geisha Pic #1
Professional Geisha Pic #2
Professional Geisha Pic #3
Professional Geisha Pic #4
Geisha buddies
They let the boys jump in for a pic when we dressed up as geisha
Only mildly ashamed to have gone to TGI Friday's in Kyoto for milkshakes...they were gooooood
Little Japanese AC/DC in the making
Rub the heads of the stone dolls for good luck in marriage - that's what makes a good relationship
Gigantic buddha in Kyoto
Ryozen Kannon in Kyoto - giant buddha statue
Sannen-zaka, cool street lined with old wooden houses, traditional shops, and restaurants in Kyoto
Girls dressed up in kimonos walking the streets of traditional (and touristy) Kyoto
More Sannen-zaka in South Higashiama, Kyoto
Sannen-zaka
Some of the cherry blossoms were in bloom for our visit, but not many
Entrance to Kiyomizu-Dera in southeast Kyoto
Entrance to Kiyomizu-Dera in southeast Kyoto, closeup with statue and cherry tree
Pagoda at Kiyomizu-Dera
Pagoda at Kiyomizu-Dera again
Us at Kiyomizu-Dera with a view of Kyoto behind us
Yasuka-Jinja shrine from the inside, Gion district of Kyoto
Yasuka-Jinja shrine from the outside
Gardens outside Tenryu-ji in Arashiyama, just outside Kyoto
Bamboo forest just outside Tenryu-ji in Arashiyama
Bamboo forest again
Engrish.
It seems like a mis-translation, but maybe it's just a really deep poem?
Monkeys climb the cage to get food from the people inside. Monkey park in Arashiyama.
Monkeys climbing the fence for food
Monkey overlooking Kyoto
Wise old man
Patient lady
We were a little freaked out at the monkeys, the monkeys didn't mind us one bit.
Old man having a sit down
Getting freaky
Kane, Marc, Alana, enjoying the monkey park
Concentrating monkey
Kissy monkeys
Peace signs at the lit up temple in Kyoto
Lit up temple in Kyoto, didn't get any great pics of it :(
Lit up temple in Kyoto again
Lanterns line the street for the lights festival in Kyoto, this pic courtesy of Kane!
Girls doing some sort of traditional (I assume) music ceremony - it sounded freaking terrible
Ramen!
No ramen!
All you can drink beverage bar - coffee machine, hot tea spread, iced tea jugs, soda foundain, hot chocolate machine. Best thing ever.
All you can drink beverages sometimes provide items that match your outfit
Traditional wooden building in Kyoto
Squinty faces
Sannen-zaka at night
Kane at Kiyomizu-dera for the lights festival - where the temples are lit up at night
Kiyomizu-dera lit up at night, through the trees
Kiyomizu-dera lit up at night
Pagoda at Kiyomizu-dera lit up for the festival
Yasaka Pagoda lit up at night in Kyoto
Himeji Castle from afar: Himeji is an hour west of Osaka
Himeji Castle on the hill
Will do.
Us and Himeji castle
Himeji Castle
Neat roofline at Himeji Castle
View of Himeji from the Castle top floor
