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Published: January 8th 2012
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Our wonderful time in Japan with Beth is quickly coming to an end so of course, we crammed this day full of site seeing. We had a lot left on our list of "must do" in Kyoto so we started the day at the Imperial Palace. The original palace was built in 794 but like so many temples it was destroyed by fire from all of the fighting that took place with the shoguns. The present buildings were constructed in 1855. The murals inside are impressive and so was the garden areas. This was one of my favorite gardens. It was made to be a representation of the landscape of Japan with the tall trees being the mountains, the islands represent the land and the water the ocean,etc...
Next we visited Nijo-jo castle which was very impressive. This castle was built in 1603 for the first Tokugawa shogun. The over the top construction was a demonstration of the shogun prestige and power and it showed the end of the emperor's power which lasted for 200 years. There was a system of floors that would squeek to warn of intruders and two moats for protection. The Palace has amazing screen paintings
with gold leaf for the backrounds and they are all throughout this huge place comprised of 5 buildings all connected. Outside the Palace was another beautiful garden with a waterfall.
Next was a quick lunch at McDonalds, yes, we broke down and ate hamburgers. It's the only cost effective way we found to eat beef in Japan. The funny thing is they are having an American Tour promotion so we ate the "Grand Canyon Burger". It has an egg, sweet soy dressing and onion rings and spicy pickles. Really good and filling which we needed today, it was COLD! Being outside all day in the weather worked up quite an appetite.
We hopped on a cute purple trolley car next for a quick tour of Arashiyama. This area is right up against the mountains, about 25 mins from our hotel. I was really excited to see the Bamboo forest and it did not disappoint. What a cool little hike up the mountain! So peaceful, I would love to have a day just to wander around this area but alas, we are out of time. There are some commercial attractions in this area that are very touristy but we
didn't check those out. We headed back to Village Kyoto and went straight for the onsen. I swear my cold feet sizzled when I stepped in the water. What a great way to warm up!
We found a little bit more energy after the onsen and ventured back out in the cold for dinner and one last shopping stop at the area along the river, two train stations from our hotel. We found a unique place the serves what they call "au gratin" which is basically noodles in a cheesy sauce with seafood and they also have pizza and desserts. The place was mostly filled with teenagers because they have a "drink bar" where you can refill your pop and coffee or tea as many times as you like and the prices were really good. Obviously the kids dig that. I spied on two boys eating their rice with a fork! shame, shame you don't do that in Japan! Alas, the youngsters are learning all kinds of new ways, unfortunately not necessarily always an improvement on all of the old ways of their parents. It's inevitable that changes will come, especially with technology but I just hope that the
old Japan stays around for a while longer so the rest of the world can enjoy such a beautiful and rich culture.
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deb b
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I have tears in my eyes as well....thanks for such being such a great tour guide and allowing us a glimpse of all the memories you have made...