We woke up on Dec. 23rd in beautiful Kyoto, and this was the view from our balcony: the orange torii of Heian Jingu.
It was the Emperor's Birthday here, so it was a busy day. We visited Ginkaku-ji, a World Heritage Site known for its kogetsudai or sand gardens.
Ginkaku-ji's main temple is under renovation until 2010, but the grounds and setting were still breaktaking.
We also acquired a new family member. A very nice Japanese man gave us a spontaneous tour of Ginkaku-ji and even took photos for us.
Up next was dad's favorite sight, Eikan-do, the Temple of the Maple Leaves.
We admired many stone lanters, beautiful scenery, and the traditional temple.
This was built in the 800's, so it's quite a place.
The last stop for the day was Nanzen-ji, a Zen temple built in the 1200's.
Notable sights here included the zen rock gardens, the giant gate, part of the old aqueduct, and many temples.
On Christmas Eve, we visted Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion. It is one of the most stunning places here.
The temple is dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy. Sadly, it was burnt to the ground in 1950 by a crazy monk, but it was meticulously rebuilt and is still a World Heritage Site.
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