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April 11th 2018

Published: April 11th 2018

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VIEW FROM OUR HOTEL ROOM IN KYOTO

KYOTO TO NARITA-

Today is our last day in Kyoto. We met Makoon for our last temple visits. The first temple that we went to is very popular averaging 13,000 visitors a day and of course even more in high season. Fushari anari, or the Temple of 10,000 tori. We got there early and it was already quite busy. The guardian animal of this temple is the fox. So there are fox at every gate. After passing by the major temple where people can make wishes or make vows of things they are committed to doing, the path splits and starts climbing through the first Tori. The first line of Tori number about 100. Then there is a second split with another 100 on each side and on it goes climbing up the mountain until the very top. It is really quite spectacular. then we cam back down and Michael who was boy now totally enamored with the Tori bought a small replica of the Tori and had Makoon write an inscription on it.

We then went to the exact opposite site the Shogun Zuka. This is the site from which the emperor first selected Kyoto as his capital.

ENTRANCE TO THE FUSHIRI INARI TEMPLE

It had been Nara but the Buddhist monks were getting out of hand and mixing into politics too much, so the emperor moved the capital to Kyoto. There are beautiful overlooks up here. You can see the whole city. There is a beautiful garden at the top surround a large mound that was put there by a samurai who was loyal to the emperor.We could here nightingales calling and hear the call of ravens.. What a beautiful site to sit and just appreciate the beauty and solitude all around you.

We then thanked Makoon and went back to our hotel. Michael and John continued on because they don’t leave Kyoto until tonight. We are on the bullet train again going to Narita airport. We have to change trains at Shinagawa and then on to Narita. As I have said before, the trains in Japan are beautiful. The are fast, clean, on time and a pleasure to ride in We are getting very good in navigating the train stations. Once you learn their system, it is really very easy and logical.

Tomorrow morning we leave to come back to Arizona. Hopefully our trip will be smooth and uneventful….just like