From Miyajima it was back to Hiroshima and on to Kyoto, a city that survived the destruction of war so is chock full of temples, castles and Japanese culture. We rented a house in Kyoto which was quite a good size by Japanese standards I think, but still quite quirky and small. But it fit us all in well and gave us all a chance to catch up and laze around for a while.
Kyoto is flat - good for walking and everyone seems to ride a bike here. Just walking around the streets is interesting, looking at different houses and buildings and finding different districts. Japan seems to stay alive longer into the evenings than we are used to with shops open and people mulling around well until 9 or 10pm.
The streets of Kyoto:-
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| McDonalds home delivery |
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| This was a smoking spot |
We didn't do nearly as many temples as I had on the list - it was hot and we were a bit saturated. But by Kyoto I feel we had got Japan "sorted" and were able to more confidently find our way around and know what we wanted in a supermarket and how to find it, etc. Robin and I were able to leave the kids at the house a few times and go out to dinner and wander around. As I think I mentioned before, wifi is EVERYWHERE and at times this can be your best friend!
We walked to Nijo Castle one hot day which is restored and has beautiful grounds. I had brought food, thinking we could sit under a tree somewhere for lunch ... but no ... everything is roped off and the only places to sit are with the crowds near the vending machines and smoking areas! But this was made up for by the fine mist sprays that were set up near the exit - very much appreciated.
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| Mum it's too hot!! |
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| View of the moat |
One day we took a day trip to Arashiyama to see the Bamboo Grove there. The bamboo is very impressive but I think the crowds were more so. It was sooooooooo crowded and, with the heat, made the experience a bit trying. The village and the temple and surrounds are very striking and "Japanese" looking but it was hard not to want to "just go home".
We had some school children come up to us with their teacher to practice their English - asking us questions like where we are from, our favourite Japanese food, what Japanese words we know, etc. It was so nice to talk with them.
We persevered however and continued on the trail and worked our way down to the river. We walked as far along as we could (until a barrier stopped us) and sat on the rocks in the shade and dabbled our feet. Erin was the bravest and went swimming, Natalie nearly did but couldn't get the idea of sharks and eels out of her head, no matter how hard we tried.
This is one of the Imperial Palaces, the parklands of which are open to the public (the palace is not). We spent a morning here after leaving our accommodation and before catching the train to Osaka. There are a couple of temples here and lots of beautiful old trees and the gardens are obviously used a lot by locals. The best thing we saw was about eight preschoolers, obviously from a day care centre, being pushed to and from the park in a trolley, like a large linen basket on wheels.
And here is Kyoto station though this photo doesn't do it justice. It is very large and modern. And so off to Osaka...
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| Because this is what you do when you are waiting for a train |
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