JAPAN 2018


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April 10th 2018
Published: April 10th 2018
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Today is our second day in Kyoto. The weather here seems to be very unpredictable. The weatherman never gets it right. Today is a beautiful day chilly in the morning but warm and sunny in the afternoon. Our guide, Macoon met us in the lobby at 8 am and we went over our days itinerary.

We went first to Arashiyama which was a beautiful zen area built by a shogun who was the best friend of the emperor who had been sent to and isolated isle. There is a beautiful lake at first that is very still and has large koi. Then the path leads through beautiful azalea and rhododendron plants. The colors were fantastic. We finally made our way to the path leading through the bamboo forest. That was really surreal. The bamboo are about 30 feet tall and very thick. We came out of the bamboo and walked along the Oi River down to the bridge, the Togetsikyo Bridge.

We then walked through the town which was very crowded and did a little shopping. We tasted a delicious green tea and white chocolate cookie. I bought some as a gift. By now we were hungry so we went to lunch at a Ramen noodle place. It was a small local shop called Ten Ten Yu. The ramen was very good and with a beer we were quite full.

We then went to a small temple off the beaten path called the Nembutsu-ji Temple. From ancient times the dead used to be buried in this area. Poor people could not afford a tombstone and there fore their bodies were just left here. In 774 a priest by the name of Kukai buried the dead and reposed the souls in this area until the 9th century. There are about 8000 stones of Buddha. Originally they were made as gravestones for the dead It is really a spectacular site to see all of these stones arranged in lines. It is a beautiflul peaceful site located in a very quiet residential area.

We then went to the Ryoan-Ji Temple. Entrance is through a large wooden gate whichwas specifically moved to its present location for the visit of Queen Elizabeth is 1975. She was most impressed by the rock garden which was designed by a Zen monk around 1500. There are 15 rocks in this garden but only 14 can been seen for any one point. There are many mysterious findings in this place which makes it very interesting.

We finally went back to the Westin. It was a long day. Only 3.89 miles today. tonight we pack for the trip tomorrow back to Tokyo.


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