Firsts in Kansai

Well... I couldn't avoid Kansai forever. FINALLY, this week I visited Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara with my family. And heck, it's summer vacation, so a girl's gotta take advantage of that, right?!

The trip was great for me- I got to discover (along with family) all the beautiful temples and the tranquility of Kyoto, the beauty of Himeji Castle, the bustle and the aquatic life of Osaka and grandeur (read: BIG Buddha) of Nara. I'm so glad I got to see it for the first time with my family... here's the week's best shots.

Welcome to Kyoto...



Our first day in Kyoto we dedicated to temples. Uh, which is good, because Kyoto is pretty much temples, and more temples. Beginning with Ginkakuji, we headed to the northeastern side of Kyoto to see a beautiful temple, set over water, nestled in a park up on a hill. From there you could see out over the city. The zen gardens around the temple were meticulously created and showed such attention to detail. A beautiful begin to a great city.



While in Kyoto, we also went to see some Japanese performing arts at a Kabuki Theatre. On the way we got a little hot and decided to cool off. We certainly got a couple of looks from the neighbors, but I don't think you coulda pulled us out of the cool stream for anything. Except maybe ice cream.

We also visited Kiyomizudera, which was actually my favorite temple of Kyoto. It is a short walk away from the busy streets of Kyoto, but all of a sudden, you're at the temple, you look out, and you realize you are completely surrounded by trees. It was really, realy beautiful. So simple in design yet the location made it stunning.



Kiyomizudera with my new friend Satoru-kun. He was hilarious.



Another one of my favorites was Fushimi shrine. It's a ways out of central, touristy Kyoto, thus less crowded and just as beautiful. There is a 4 hour hike which is lined with the red tori gates the entire time. If you've seen the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" you've seen these red gates. On the hike up I even ran into two friends. From Tokyo! What a crazy small world.



Gotta was those hands!

My family said the city they loved most was Kyoto. I tried to get them to say Tokyo, but they just couldn't be bought. Booo. Oh well. I must admit, Kyoto, being the former capitol of Japan for more than a thousand years, kinda has a one-up on Tokyo. No matter, though. I still love it!

I'll be sure to post on Osaka, Himeji, and Nara soon. Not to mention more Tokyo pics. I'm back on blogging track, and with the sweltering heat keeping me inside, I'll probably have plenty of time to blog!

Love from Nihon!