I don't think that the true wonder and beauty of Kyoto can be expressed in just a few words. Suffice it to say that we had an amazing trip. In just three nights, we attempted to experience the city dubbed as the "Paris of Japan." Our first night we walked to a park that was a mile or so away from our hotel (Hotel Alpha Kyoto) to see a famous lit up cherry blossom tree. It was quite fantastic to behold hundreds of Japanese people all gathered beneath the cherry trees eating their picnics by lantern-light. Everyone from teenagers to families to groups of businessmen in their three piece suits. Magical, really. Thursday was packed full with tour activities. We began the day at the Diatokuji Temple, which was very quiet and serene with beautiful gardens and an interesting tomb area outside that included the grave of a Christian woman (separate from the rest of the graves). Next we went to the Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji). While it did not quite seem to match the picture in its respective brochure, the structure was still quite beautiful to behold. Third, we visited a textile center where we were able to take in a short kimono fashion show. In the afternoon, the skies finally unleashed the rain they had been holding back thus far. We braved the weather to explore the Kiyomizu Temple, arguably one of the most photographed places in Kyoto (Lori, you have a magnet of this on your fridge!). This is where Hyatt drank from some special spring - apparently the water is supposed to give you health, wealth, good studies, or some such things. Truthfully, the water did taste pretty delicious (he brought us some in the 200Y cup he bought as a memento). That evening we ate with the rest of the tour at a Japanese restaurant and were able to meet an apprentice geisha.
Friday was our free day. We began the day with a trip on the subway to the Nijojo Castle. This was a trip highlight, as we had the opportunity to walk on beautiful wood floors that were built in such a way that they sang like nightingales when you walked on them. Truly a marvel. Apparently they were built that way as a security measure however many hundred years ago. The grounds around that castle were incredible, with cherry blossom trees, moats, ornate gates, and a pond with beautifully arranged rocks. Early that afternoon, after lunch at McDonald's, Hyatt walked all the way to a little store near the park we went to the first night with me. I really wanted a special hair thing from there, but I hadn't realized how far away it was until we arrived there:) That afternoon we took the subway to the 10,000 Torii gates. I think Abi and Chris would probably agree with us that this was the highlight of our time in Kyoto. Perhaps because it was so unexpected. I knew that there were 10,000 Torii gates there, of course, but it is quite another thing to see them stretching in front of my eyes as far as I could see, and to walk through them down one path and then up one staircase after another, never to find the end of them. The view from up near the top was incredible - we had all of Kyoto at our feet.
That evening we found a jewel in the midst of the city. We were looking for the perfect place to eat dinner (but were really quite ready to settle for a fast food pizza joint or the chain hamburger steak place, because we just needed something in our stomachs), when we came across a sign and a little staircase going down to the area beside the canal. Tucked in there was a modern-chic little Italian restaurant (called Cafe Cento Cento). There were a couple of unoccupied tables set out on the patio (perhaps because it was still a little chilly... but we're from northern Japan, so it wasn't TOO chilly to enjoy the atmosphere of a canal bathed in candlelight, running underneath the cherry blossoms and willow trees. And the food was something not just to be tasted, but to really be experienced. Maybe one of the best dinners we've ever had. The perfect ending to the perfect trip.
And so, there you have an attempt at putting our days in Kyoto into words. Now I will put it into pictures... imagine these pictures plus the other 400 or so that we took:) What can I say? It was beautiful!
