With Kyoto being so close to Osaka, we opted to save money and just take the local train. While I had gotten an entire itinerary on-line, we pretty immediately scrapped it and just followed the crowds from the train station...
After reading so many warnings about extreme crowds, I was a bit wary. But at first it didn't seem crowded at all...
The first site was Yasaka-jinja Shrine, founded over 1350 years ago and also known as the Gion Shrine after the famous district near by.
it is super popular to rent a kimono to wear while wandering through Kyoto
The most popular place in Kyoto for hanami (cherry blossom viewing) is Marutama-koen Park, and we could totally see why. There are a ton of gorgeous sakura trees with vendors set up all around a picnic spot. Nothing was open yet but it was still an absolutely beautiful and popular spot! And like everyone in Japan during hanami, we took a ton of pics...
But the crowds didn't really pick up until we got to the Higashiyama District...
While not the most delicious thing we ate while in Japan (soy bean paste, agar jelly, white bean paste, and mochi) it was the most Instagramable thing we ate while in Japan
This is what Andy most wanted to see in Kyoto: the Kiyomizu-dera (Pure Water) Temple founded in 780. The present buildings were built in 1633 without using a single nail! It is a very important temple in Japan and was a finalist in 2007 for the New Seven Wonders of the World list. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1994.
Jishu Shrine for finding love
looking back at the street we walked up
the Koyasu Pagoda in the distance is for easy and safe childbirth
Okunion Hall
This stage is famous for the Japanese translation of the phrase "take the plunge." In the Edo Period, people would jump off the stage believing that if they survived the over 42-foot fall, their wished would come true. 84% of the 234 jumpers survived but they banned the practice in 1872.
People waited in long lines for a chance to have a drink from one of the three streams (longevity, success at school or fortunate love life) from the Otowa Waterfall. It is considered greedy to drink from all three.
a hall containing 200 statues of Jizo, the protector of children and travelers
After all that walking it was time to get some lunch and catch the train west to Arashiyama, a suburb area near Kyoto.
the udon was vey tasty
I can't imagine why they need phone booths. I don't think I saw anyone without a cell phone while we were there... :)
While Arashiyama felt rural and scenic and far from Kyoto, it was not a place to escape the crowds. There were people everywhere!
Rested by the train ride and fueled by lunch, we started with a 20 minute hike up the hill to the Monkey Park to see and feed snow monkeys...
Not only was it pretty cool to see all those monkeys but the view of Kyoto from the top was fantastic!
I'm not that into monkeys but having a baby monkey eat apples from your hand is so darn cute!
Then we walked the Togetsu-kyo Bridge over the Katsura River. The first bridge built at this site was erected in 836. The current bridge was completed in 1934.
Once again we followed the crowd to the next stop: the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. And it was a very impressive bamboo forest!
While it was beautiful, we had to walk it back to where we came because the train station we thought we could use was only a short sight-seeing train... :(
The Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine is known for it's miles of trails up the mountain covered by 10,000 torii gates with the name of its donor and date. The shrine has its origins back to 794 and the main complex was brought to its current size in 1499. I'm sure the hike to the top would have been spectacular but it was just too late in the day. So we waded through a few of the gates, snapped a few pictures, waited while tourists demanded everyone to wait so they could get their perfect shot for social media, and the caught the train back to Osaka.
people write their wishes on the back of these fox-shaped ema in hopes that they will come true
fox statues are everywhere and the symbol of the shrine as they are believed to be the messengers of the god, Inari
Back at the hotel in Osaka, the guys wanted to rest but I was too hungry. So I went on my first errand by myself in Japan, running to the nearby 7-11 for some late-night snacks...
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