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Golden Pavilion
We had lunch in the cafeteria of Ritsumeikan University a university with close ties to UBC before heading out to see Kinkauji the golden pavilion. It stood majestically overlooking the pond and it shone even in the dimmer light. There were tones of Japanese students and dozens of different schools and uniforms. At a local […]
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Nijō castle
built by a powerful Shogun to maintain an era of peace after 120 years of civil war, Nijō castle is full to the brim with security measures and symbols of power to dissuade any potential uprisers. Some of the unique safety precautions is that the floor boards themselves are set up in such a way […]
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Free time well spent
After dinner we returned to our hotel before going shopping in the nearby mall. I got a yukata but it is proving difficult to wear, I have the utmost respect for any one who can put one on properly. Tia and I decided to seek out the Bengal cat cafe that we had seen on […]
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Tenryu temple
Tenryu temple is the birthplace of zen Buddhism in Japan. It consists of many traditional style buildings and Japanese gardens. If you head just a bit further into the garden you will find a beautiful flowering tree garden surrounded by bamboo. There is a path that takes you through the bamboo forest and it is […]
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Arashiyama
We took the express trains to Arashiyama, they were much more spacious than the trains we had taken previously to get around Osaka. It took around 20 minutes to climb to the top of the mountain, the forest was so lush and green that one could almost forget that they were so close to the […]
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Yuzen printing
After breakfast we took a bus and found ourselves in a traditional Yuzen style print shop where they do printing on kimonos, yukatas and other items. We were given instructions and a plain white handkerchief and were allowed to decorate our own Japanese style handkerchiefs with their collection of multi-step stencils. The results were colourful, […]
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Geiko and maiko
The next part of our day was set in a beautiful cultural area that housed a preforming and training area of the geiko ( called Geishas in other prefectures) and their apprentices the maiko. We had the privilege of watching an amazing performance done by a geiko and a maiko, their make up hair and […]
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Star dessert
Tia and I returned to the Star restaurant, the site of one of our previous dinners and our attention was immediately drawn to the beautiful displays of large strawberry parfaits and cakes. The store was already bustling with other customers enjoying their meals but there was still room for us. After much contemplation and some […]
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Turtles!
We met met these little guys in Nara while visiting the temple.
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Osaka castle
After many trains and switches we arrived at the Osaka castle area, the whole thing was surrounded by steep stone cliffs and an enormous moat, some of the stones that made up the walls were 20 feet across and 15 feet tall, they stood at the gates as a symbol of the power of the […]