Goodbye Asia - Hello Jetlag: Kyoto

After the Disney parks, we took a bullet train to Kyoto for some sightseeing.

We went around and visited the Gold and Silver Pavilions which had really beautiful gardens and landscaping.

We went to the Ryoan-ji Temple to visit the Rock Garden. You're supposed to sit and stare until you gain some enlightening. It was really very neat. We also ate the Yudofu, which they are apparently known for, but it just ended up being really really pricey tofu in water.

We toured the Nijo Castle which was huge. Some very nice gardens and artwork inside. The history of the creaking floorboards was really interesting.

The most popular temple seemed to be the Kiyomizu Temple which is really high up on a hill. You're supposed to lean out over the railing and leave all your troubles behind. We also saw the famous kissing stones. It was really crowded when we went with schools, but had an incredible view and was very refreshing.

We also visited the Heian Shrine which has maybe the most beautiful garden in Kyoto.

Also in Kyoto was the best Ramen I've ever had at Honke Dai-ichi Asahi. There was a long line out the door, so we knew we were in good hands. We also had Burnt Ramen from Gogyo, which is a more trendy ramen place. It was really good, but burned in lard makes for a heavy feeling. Didn't feel well after.

We also had some okonomiyaki from a crazy looking place with a statue of a dog pulling a boy's underwear down. Hilarious.


To be continued...