Travels in Kyoto

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A five hour bus ride throught the gorgeous green mountains of Shikoku, across the bridge to Honshu (Japan's main island) and into the ancient city of Kyoto. The inland sea was teeming with ships, freights, and day cruisers. Much of the countryside was green forest, even as we approached Kyoto city. The cities here are concentrated into smaller spaces where everyone lives on top of one another. But at least this method leaves some nature...
Arriving in Kyoto on the southern side of the train station, Katie and I had a little trouble finding our way to the opposite side where our youth hostel was located. Carrying our packs in the heat and the sun, we walked through the city and came to the front entrance of Kyoto station. A wall of glass and shiny siver walls gleamed 10 or 11 stories high in front of us. Up one of the skinny street ways north of the station we found our "Budget Inn", a clean little youth hostel conveniently located near the bus station. We dropped our bags, cleaned up and hit the city. The first stops were the main temples close by. It is amazing to be walking in such a modern city and turn a corner to fall upon an enormous shrine or temple. Or even a castle wall.
Sunday afternoon we walked from Nishi Honganji Temple to Higashi Honganji Temple, Shosei-en Garden, and then across town to Toji Temple and pask Umekoji Park. We cleaned up at the hostel, checked email and got ready for dinner. The staff at the Budget Inn were very helpful in directing us to good food. We ate nearby on the main street, downstairs at a traditional sashimi restaurant. The owner was extremely excited to have us in his establishment. We signed his visitor's notebooks with images of Chicago (Katie) or the MN northwoods. The food was excellent, and he gave us a free dessert of lemon sherbet. That night we slept in a smaller bunk room with some girls from Taiwan. The Budget Inn is fairly new, with wood floors and strong ac, which helped us through the night.

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