day 4- off to kyoto

i survived another freezing day and this time it was in kyoto!!!
we thought we were going to split kyoto into 2 days.....but we managed to finish almost all the places i had listed except 3- nanzenji temple, philosopher's path and nijo caste. but i guess there is only so many castle, shrine and temple one can do in one day.

and all the stairs i had to climb, gosh, they were putting a toll on my knees. no more temple for tomorrow.

when we arrived at kyoto, we checked the temperature, it was 6 degree celcius. so cold that i was practically shivering and had to jump around to warm that body.

kyoto station. we bought one day bus pass at 500 yen to hop on the raku bus which operates on the tourists sight seeing routes. very convenient and totally worth it.

our first destination was to kiyomizu temple which means pure water and it gets its name from the water fall from behind the temple.

to reach the temple, one has to walk up up up.....gosh....i guess most temples are better located on a hill where it is more serene.

cherry bloossoms again.....

three-storied pagoda.

make a wish?

we have to pay to enter the main building.

view from the wooden stage. i guess it will be breathtaking when all the flowers on the trees below bloom.

spring water from the waterfalls. you can go and get a drink.

i am not going to type all about the temple and its history here. not that i remember anything i read earlier before reaching there. ain't no japanese history expert.

streets lined the path down to the main road. lots of souvenirs and snacks to buy....but i will advise you not to buy from this place. the things are more expensive here. when you go to the other tourist attractions in kyoto such as the silver pavilion, you will also find similar things and they are much cheaper there. so buy when you get there.

some of the popular snacks are pickled vegetable and mochi.

fish cake anyone?? even this is also more expensive than at silver pavilion.

ok, my next destination was yasaka shrine in gion area. took the bus there again. did not really walk along the streets of gion. don't think i will see any geisha there.

throw a coin, make a wish and pray hard that it will come true....and also ring the bell.

another way to make a wish.....tying prayer papers onto cherry bloossom twigs.

this is taken at maruyama park which is just behind the yasaka shrine.
there are many cherry bloossom trees here and i bet this is where ppl in kyoto will picnic in the middle of the city.

can you see the mats under the trees?? if you want to sit there, just go ahead but most of the young trees are still shy to open their petals.

lunch was just at a small noodle place near the shrine. lazy to look for places to eat. i only ordered a medium bowl of udon with a slice of fish cake and tempura batter. had no appetite to eat due to the cold weather and was trying so hard not to wheeze so no cold air will get into my lungs.

after lunch, we went to ginkakuji- the silver pavilion.

the sand used here is gyoshan sand and it kind of feels zen-like eh.

the garden.

take a peek behind those bushes and you will see bamboo groves growing neatly.

oh, here you are.

people threw coins onto the rock there.

the path down. there is a designated route to take once you enter the temple so you better take all the photos you want as there is no u-turn.

 the canal outside the temple. again cherry bloossoms.....blossoming at their early stage.

 rickshaw ride. you can see many ladies in kimonos in kyoto as well.

our last destination for the day was the golden pavilion, kinkakuji.

 the pavilion really looks striking in its gold leaf lacquer. but it is not really that big and you can't enter that building.

 another point for you to make a wish....again, throw some coins.

tea house in the temple area. they do have many tea houses inside temple and shrine areas. brrr....it is too cold to enjoy even a hot cup of green tea.

by the time we left the temple, it was 4pm. at first we thought of going to nijo castle to take a photo or two. but when the bus reached in front of the castle, the main gate was already closed. i knew that they close entrance at 4p.m. but i was hoping that their paid area will only be the main building like osaka castle. boy, i was wrong. i could only see the high wall outside for free and the moat.

so back to kyoto station we went and hunted for food.
had dinner on the 11th floor of isetan department store. you will always get food at the top floors of big department stores here in japan.

and for the second time, i was having noodles again on the same day. this time it was tempura-soba. it was good. you won't be let down if you eat japanese food in japan....but not from the street stalls hehehe.

after dinner and a little browsing and isetan, it was time to head back to osaka.
when we reached osaka, the weather was around 9. gosh...still freezing.

see those white pieces of paper? they are the tickets to silver and golden pavilions. looks more like prayer papers huh.

my bowl of fruit salad bought from isetan. i do need some vitamins.

well, time to call it a night. no paracetamol tonight. i have slight wheezing now but i hope it will get better tomorrow.
the runny nose is getting better too. now i just need to get some sound sleep. it was a disturbed sleep yesterday waking up at intervals. sigh.....i have to thank my lucky stars that i am still surviving in this frail health condition.

okok...night night