Rokuon-ji.
There were an amazing amount of tourists here. It is the busiest spot for tourists. There is also a very lovely garden that you walk through then have to dodge your way past all the shops. I thought Rome was bad….
Surprisingly enough after seeing this building the rest of the area is quite quick to walk through
Arashiyama is a beautiful location, with a number of temples, shrines, and bamboo groves.
As well as the other 100 plus tourists… the main street really is like harndorf. Lots of shops with food, or trickets of some description.
After our walk around the town and the groves, we had a great lunch in a department store at another end of the tram line. The meal was really good… octopus balls in a soup that was continually being cooked. Yummo.
A beautiful bridge, more cherry blossoms on our ride in Nara.
I dont think you can see enough cherry blossoms on a holiday.
We kind like using the mobile phone to post to the blog only problem is that we need to come back and add text because using a mobile phone keyboard is way to slow.
Cycling in Japan is a real transport option for local travel and everyone, including the police, cycle on the footpath. Fortunately the one or three gear bikes don’t go that fast so most pedestrians can dodge potential accidents. It also means that they are no great up hills.
Which was alright because as Lonely Planet described Nara as mostly flat (that description clearly excluded the Hilly Bits where the best toursit attractions were!). Undeterred we made these bikes transport our weary bodies for a day. We’re planning to do the same in Himeji and Hiroshima. I am aiming for a three speed bike this time and working brakes!
Kym
While we cycled around nara we made it to one of the temples in the park. You can see the top of large wooden temple in the background.
A Unesco world heritage site
Largest wooden structure in the world, and it houses the largest bronze buddha in the world. It was rather amazing.
Our first mobile phone photograph of our bikes in Nara.
Even Japanese bikes like to rest under a cherry tree in blossom.
Kym
We spent 5 hours following Johnnie Hillwalker around the back streets of Kyoto. We certainly got a better idea about some of the cottage industry that has provided the economic foundation for Kyoto for many many years!
In addition to pottery, fans and temples there is an opportunity to try some lovely snacks. Kyoto sweets are great!
If you are planning to visit Kyoto we’d recommend it. Find out more at http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/h-s-love/
KDT
You hope to catch a glimpse of a Geisha or a Maiko as they flit from appointment to appointment in the Gion district. It doesn’t take long to realise that something fishy is up when you start to see maikos and for that matter samurais flit about the tourist sites! Is is true that there is an upsurge of interest in being a maiko? Is the western lifestyle being rejected?
No, not at all. All became clear when we spotted a well placed sign for Maiko Makeovers! For as little as $50 you can become a maiko. That might explain why so many “maikos” were snapping the tourist sights with their digital cameras. But hey, the other tourists followed these pretend maikos snapping shots anyway. It is a business that not doubt saves the real maikos from the hassle of tourist hordes!
Kym
