Kyoto

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When we arrived in Kyoto we were a little stressed out because we still didn't have a hotel. We were able to find one fairly quickly after Maureen talked to Stephen as he searched for one online for us while working back in Tokyo. As we checked into Miyako Hotel, a ver nice hotel, we were surprised to find out that the price for the 2nd night of our stay was almost double the amount of the 1st night. We realized that there must be some sort of event happenening in the city.

After getting settled in the hotel room we made our way out to find a taxi to take us into the Gion neighborhood of Kyoto. My friend, Carl Anderson, who lived in Kyoto for 5 years told me that this was the place to hang out at night. We asked the driver to take us to the intersection of Shijo and Karawachi streets and when we arrived we found out that there definitely was an event happening in the city. Shijo St. was completely closed off and there were hundreds of people walking up and down the strett. We had arrived in the middle of Gion Matsuri, a famous Japanese festival that takes place in Kyoto every July. We ended up spending both nights at the festival walking up and down the street people watching, observing the many large floats being displayed throughout the festival, eating great food, and having a great time.

My time in Kyoto was amazing, but I don't want to spend too much time writing about it. I'd rather have the pictures reflect the experience I had. In brief, my time in Kyoto included visits to many famous and beautiful Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples surrounding the city and spending our nights at Gion Matsuri.

THANKS to Carl Anderson for his suggestions on how to experience Kyoto in 2 days.

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Photos

Old Kyoto
A taste of Old Japan

Octupus balls at Chikyuya restaurant
This was Carl Anderson's suggestion. A little difficult to find, but we found it and loved it.

Drinking the water from Otowa-no-Taki (Otowa Falls) at Kiyomizudera
It's believed that the water from these falls possesses divine power. Drinking the water is said to have beneficial effects such as preventing illnesses. We'll see how the school year goes.