Kyoto - Gion District

After the castle, we spent forever looking for food. We found a great spot online, but it was closed already, so we went with a second choice. That place ended up being closed when we walked there. We went to another place that was open, but the food was mediocre. Oh well, live and learn. We then went to Gion, the historic downtown part of Kyoto. You can read about it here We saw a street performer and some interesting buildings, but we were unable to go to the Kiyomizudera temple (check it out here). We walked that direction, but the temple was already closed for the day. It gets dark so early in Japan, so the sun was already down by the time we arrived near the temple. During the wintertime, there are illuminations at the temple, so there was a looong line of people waiting for tickets to get in.

Kyoto - Nijo Castle

Nijo Castle is another World Heritage site in Kyoto. You can read about it here. It was really cool! There is a lot to see as the property is quite large. We rode a bus from the Kinkakuji temple to the Nijo Castle. The bus was super crowded! We were warned about that, but there was literally NO ROOM left on that bus but people kept boarding. After being smooshed on the ride, it was nice to walk around the castle. You aren't supposed to take photos inside the castle.

Kyoto - Kinkakuji Temple

The Kinkakuji temple is also known as the Golden Pavilion. You can read about it here. The woman at the train station suggested taking a little tram from the bamboo forest area towards the Golden Pavilion. We saw a woman dressed as a geisha on our walk to the tram station. The Golden Pavilion is a quick stop on a sightseeing tour, since there isn't that much to see other than the outside of the Golden Pavilion building.

Kyoto - Tenryuji Temple

We walked to the Tenryuji temple. It is one of the World Heritage sites in Kyoto. You can read about it here. There is a trail on the side of the mountain, so you can overlook the lake and temple buildings. You can take your shoes off and tour one of the main buildings, but we didn't do that. We just ate some mochi while we sat outside. We brought the mochi with us, but there is a small restaurant at the temple. I don't know if it was vegetarian-friendly, so we didn't stop there. The leaves are turning colors this time of year, so there were tourists everywhere to get photos of the trees.

Kyoto - Bamboo forest

While my friend was here visiting, we made our first trip to Kyoto. We rode on the shinkansen (bullet train). My friend and I purchased Japan Rail Passes because we are tourists (she bought them because you can't buy one inside Japan). We didn't have a real sightseeing plan. We arrived at the train station and asked the info desk for suggestions. The woman working gave us a map and great to do list. We first went to the bamboo forest because my friend saw it on Google and the woman said it was pretty. In the area around the forest, there is a shrine and the Tenryuji temple. At first, we thought only the small shrine was in the area, so we were a little disappointed. Once we figured out where the Tenryuji temple was, we went there and were quite impressed.

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

I thought this was a modern art museum, but alas, it's not. There are no permanent exhibits at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. They only receive traveling exhibits and citizens' works. We saw the Japanese Print Society's anniversary collection. There were some really neat pieces, but the pieces should have been organized in a thematic way. There were nudes next to flowers next to cat drawings next to Japanese landscapes. Weird.

Sights at Ueno Park

Here are some photos from the Ueno park area. We came upon a group of people dancing in traditional Japanese clothing. They were performing a choreographed dance routine, but we couldn't figure out why.

Ueno Daibatsu's Remains

We stopped to check out a little shrine at the top of some stairs. I didn't see any signs indicating what it was, but the internet says it's Ueno Daibatsu's remains. I haven't seen a giant head like this anywhere else, so it was neat.

Kiyozumi Kannon-Do Temple

I took my friend to see Ueno Park. We checked out the shrines and temples contained within the park before checking out an art gallery. The first place we stopped was Kiyozumi Kannon-Do Temple. This temple was once located in Kyoto, but was moved in 1694 to Tokyo.

Expat Vegan Thanksgiving

Sorry for the gap in posts. My friend came to visit us the week of Thanksgiving. In the last week, I spent a lot of time trying to look at job materials online. My tourist visa is almost expired, so I really should find a job that will offer me a visa. Here are a few photos from my friend's visit to get things rollin' again here. :)

We're still alive!

Sorry for the gap in posts. My friend came to visit us the week of Thanksgiving. In the last week, I spent a lot of time trying to look at job materials online. My tourist visa is almost expired, so I really should find a job that will offer me a visa. Here are a few photos from my friend's visit to get things rollin' again here. :)