Day 2

It was a long day yesterday , we put in a little over 11 miles walking! 😅 Determined to adjust to the time zone,we decided to stay out all day and not go back to the house until after dinner. So after a full day of sightseeing, we had an early dinner and were at home in bed by 8:40 😂 …we tried our best!!

The Golden Pavilion The Golden Pavilion (金閣 Kinkaku) – is a three-story building on the grounds of the Rokuon-ji temple complex. The top two stories of the pavilion are covered with pure gold leaf. The pavilion houses relics of the Buddha (Buddha’s Ashes)

The last time I visited the Golden Pavilion I was 11, the only thing I remember is the gold compact mirror i bought with the Golden Pavilion etched on the front of the case. It was a prized possession and I remember thinking it was so special, in fact i still have it! Well as it turns out it wasn’t so special, because they still sell it at the gift store today!😕😂

The Pavilion however, is just as beautiful as ever!

Luke was in high demand by school kids on assignment to practice their English! It was cute, he was very kind and patient with them 🤗

Next on the agenda for the day was Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. It is a natural forest of bamboo in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan. The forest consists of several pathways for tourists.

We were really looking forward to this, the path itself is not that long, but it is very beautiful!

At the start of the bamboo grove is the Tenryū-ji Temple (天龍寺), it is the head temple of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. The temple was founded by Ashikaga Takauji in 1339, primarily to venerate Gautama Buddha, and its first chief priest was Musō Soseki. Construction was completed in 1345. It is ranked number one among Kyoto’s so-called Five Mountains. 

It was a beautiful temple and surrounding grounds. After touring the temple we walked around the small town nearby, had another awesome lunch, and hopped the train to our next destination.

Each shrine or temple seems to have a ritual cleansing water feature. This one was unique!

Korean Tuna bowl. Not sure why its korean, but it was delicious!

Nijo Castle (二条城, Nijōjō) was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo Period(1603-1867).

This was the last stop of our day before heading back towards our place for dinner. It was hot, we were all tired, our feet hurt. It was pretty impressive though! After touring we made our way towards the river for dinner. Along the way finding some pretty cool alleys!

Beef Sukiyaki

Hot plate cooking! Luke tried the Wagyu beef 🥩!

Pork Shabu Shabu

Ok i have to mention the stationary store we found, arguably, the best pen selection i have ever seen, and this is just one display of pens. There were rows and rows of pens and paper and anything a student could want! It was heaven! 🤗🤗🤗