Osaka and Nara, Japan

After Kyoto, we went to Osaka which was about 1 hour from Kyoto by train. We stayed in the Namba area near Dotonbori which is a famous tourist area. Dotonbori is kind of like Causeway Bay area in Hong Kong. So many people, stores, restaurants, etc.

There is a climbing wall on the side of this building.

 Check out the wheels on this bike.

A river runs in the middle of Osaka.Here is day and night photo.

Random hotel front.

I found a new love for gyoza which are fried dumplings. And washed down with beer.

We found sad looking Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head figures.

Cool church sticking out.

We did a day trip to Nara to see the deer park since we had our fill of temples and shrines. But of course there were still temples to see in Nara.

 

Wishes!

 

 

 

Nara deer park. So there are just wild deer wandering around the park. People feed them, pet them, and take many pictures.

Our  favorite food in Osaka was Okonomiyaki which is a savory pancake containing a variety of ingredients. Most restaurants have you cooked your own. However, we didn't want to screw it up so we convinced the restaurant to cook for us. They were delicious!!!

Leaving Osaka to go to the airport and back to Hong Kong we got to ride on a Star Wars train.

 

Sad to see the week end. We had such a good trip and I love Japan!

Kyoto, Japan

After Tokyo visit, we took the bullet train to Kyoto. It took between 3-4 hours and was a good ride. We brought food and beverage on board and the time flew by.


View from our Kyoto hotel room.

Kyoto is beautiful. The first afternoon we just wandered around.

Imperial Garden around Palace in Kyoto. We were not allowed in the Palace without prior reservation.

The first full day we booked a biking tour. Emelian is a French guy living in Kyoto giving tours of the city. Biking is a great way to see Kyoto because it is relatively small and flat. 

We rented bikes in the Saitocho district close to Gion-Shijo train stop. Right here specifically. Bikes were real cheap for the day.

There is nice river in the city which you can ride along.

More types of animals to see.

The city has both temples and shrines. Temples are Buddhist and shrines are Shinto. Here is entrance to shrine. First stop was Shimogamo Shrine.

Bunnies in kimonos!

Then we visited Ginkakuji Temple (Silver Pavilion). This temple was established in 1482. We visited the temple but there were so many streets in the area with shops that I wish we had more time to explore this area.

Japanese zen garden... that's sand.

Then we went to Nanzenji Temple. There was a strange aquaduct in the middle of the temple which was a cool mix of Eastern and Western architecture.

We biked to an area where the Geisha live in hopes to catch a glimpse. The area where we got this picture is called Tatsumi-kyo. Our tour guide said they don't go out much because they get chased and harassed by tourists. But we were lucky that there were two in the area taking pictures. The girl on the right is a Minarai which is a Geisha in training. The lady on the right is a Geisha and would be responsible for training the Minarai.

My favorite was probably the Heian Jingu Shrine.
 

 
See the monks walking around the front?

 
The were many men pulling wagons carrying people. That's got to be a job to keep you in shape.

 

The last stop on the bike tour was Kennin-ji which is regarded as the oldest zen template in Kyoto. 

Have to take your shoes off.... make sure to wear socks without holes!

Night-time in Kyoto

At night the flowers look like they light up with camera flash.

We found this really good parfait/ice cream place. Look at those desserts.

There was a great food street market in Kyoto called Nishiki Food Market. Great place to try different foods.

Matcha soba noddles. Yummy!

Egg tart!

Street food!

 Flowers!

 Nijo Castle

Art in the subway.

Kyoto was my favorite city. So much more I would go back and do.