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Published: July 18th 2017
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Geo: 35.01, 135.75
Our plan today was to rent bikes and use that mode of transportation to visit some of Kyoto's sites. Unfortunately the bike shop didn't open until 10 a.m. and us still not having adjusted to the time difference we were up at 4 a.m. It was also unfortunate to get a late start because the temperature here today reached 90 degrees. Oh well, we adjusted and kept well hydrated.
We headed north on a path that ran along the Kamo River. the river is very shallow and all along the path there are locations where kids are playing in the water and adults are wading.
Our first destination was the Kyoto Botanical Gardens. The flower gardens were in full bloom and beautiful, especially the rose garden. Everything is well manicured, weeded and trimmed. We observed several gardeners attending to the plants and grounds. There were large groups of school kids with worksheets trying to identify the plants and flowers. There were small groups of adults having lunch in the rose garden. The garden had an attraction for all ages, with playground equipment for the kids and wide open grassy areas for them to run to benches and shelters in the shady
spots where adults could sit in quiet thought. The highlight of the garden for us though was the rose garden. There were thousands of blooms in every color. It was a spectacular burst of color!
After enjoying the beauty around us we headed to the Path of Philosophy which is a beautiful canal-side strolling path in northern Higashiyama. It is named after a professor at Kyoto University who when tired of contemplating about complex problems about the nature of reality and man's place in the universe would refresh himself with a brisk constitutional walk among Kyoto's most scenic spots. The path is most noted for the cherry blossoms in the spring or colorful foliage in the fall but in any season there is much to see.
After leaving the path we traveled some of the streets of the Higashiyama neighborhood before returning to the river path for our return trip. By now the path was very busy. People were sitting, sleeping, eating, wading, biking, walking, and running to just enjoy the outdoors.
Tonight we went to Pontocho. It's an alley way, probably six blocks long, lined on both sides with restaurants. We arrived around 7:30 and it was difficult to even walk through
the space because of the crowds. By appearance and menu choices we made our selection. We had to wait in a line outside because the place was so small. It seats 15 people at a counter with hardly any room to walk behind the seats. Luckily we were first in line because before we were called in there were about 12 people in line behind us and the line was still long when we left. Dinner was very good. I had noodles with pork and chives and Linda selected stir fries pork with bean sprouts, leeks, and mushrooms. They were both excellent choices. This location backs the riverfront where we road bikes today and it was just as lively after dark as it was in the afternoon.
The main streets around there are lined with shops and more restaurants, some of them just for dessert. We happened upon a bakery where we had cream puffs and coffee for dessert, the perfect ending for a perfect day!
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Carol Hayduk
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Beautiful flowers! And city!!