Back to Kyoto
Kyoto, Kyoto desu...
We went back to Kyoto to see more of the palace in the sun and to check out an area that supposedly had some cool streets and a large park prime for cherry blossom viewing. We’re here a bit early to see many blossoms, but there have been some, so we figured we’d give it a shot.
We first went up to the Imperial Palace again to try to get a few more pictures in the better light. While there we decided to go check out the Golden Temple which gave us a chance to try out the bus. So COOL! Buses in foreign countries are always fun, and while challenging offer a great way to see a city. The buses here proved to be pretty easy, with a flat fare to ride and several stops clearly marked along the way. When we got to the shrine we found ourselves at the most touristy part of our trip to date and shuffled into the crowd. To me, the gardens and landscaping were more impressive than the shrine itself... there was a woman hand-grooming the moss on the ground.
We ended our day at a park known for cherry blossoms. Unfortunately we're here a bit early for the peak season but we did enjoy the park and the area. There's lots of shopping and a 'traditional' area that has store fronts and streets much akin to the mental connotation of older Japan that was in my mind before coming. We saw a few Geishas which was really cool and it was pretty amazing to see how close that area was to such a cosmopolitan section of town.
We went back to Kyoto to see more of the palace in the sun and to check out an area that supposedly had some cool streets and a large park prime for cherry blossom viewing. We’re here a bit early to see many blossoms, but there have been some, so we figured we’d give it a shot.
We first went up to the Imperial Palace again to try to get a few more pictures in the better light. While there we decided to go check out the Golden Temple which gave us a chance to try out the bus. So COOL! Buses in foreign countries are always fun, and while challenging offer a great way to see a city. The buses here proved to be pretty easy, with a flat fare to ride and several stops clearly marked along the way. When we got to the shrine we found ourselves at the most touristy part of our trip to date and shuffled into the crowd. To me, the gardens and landscaping were more impressive than the shrine itself... there was a woman hand-grooming the moss on the ground.
We ended our day at a park known for cherry blossoms. Unfortunately we're here a bit early for the peak season but we did enjoy the park and the area. There's lots of shopping and a 'traditional' area that has store fronts and streets much akin to the mental connotation of older Japan that was in my mind before coming. We saw a few Geishas which was really cool and it was pretty amazing to see how close that area was to such a cosmopolitan section of town.
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