Thursday, January 22, 2009

More Adventures with Nanu & Ninny

After returning from Sapporo, we enjoyed 2 days in Nagoya & Toyota City. We visited the shopping arcades and temple in lively Osu Kannon, had lunch at Oasis 21 and enjoyed their floating observatory, and saw the small Fujisengen Shrine.


On Friday morning we hopped on the shinkansen to Kyoto, the most beautiful city in Japan. We visited Shoren-in, one of the five Monzeki temples of the Tendai Buddhism sect. You know you've arrived at Shoren-in when you see the giant camphor trees outside its walls. Shoren-in is also known for its beautiful, serene gardens.

We also tried to see Chion-in, a very grand temple, but could only see the exterior because everything closes early in winter!


Last stop for the day was Kiyomizu-dera, one of the most famous spots in Kyoto. It's name means Pure Water Temple and it is a World Heritage Site. It also offers gorgeous views of the Kyoto skyline.



On Saturday we headed to the city of Kobe. We learned enough about earthquakes at the Human Renovation Museum of Disaster Reduction, which is a fancy name for the Earthquake Museum.

Then I continued on in my role as tour guide from hell and directed us towards the Shin-Kobe Ropeway.

My mom and Aunt Patsy were troopers though and we made it all the way to the top. The fall colors were pretty!

We enjoyed the views from the top, despite the cloudy day.


For our last night in Kyoto, we enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner together.
Sunday I was determined to see Fushimi-Inari shrine, despite frigid winds and my lack of a coat!

Fushimi-Inari is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari, the god of rice, sake, and prosperity. There are thousands of orange torii that have been donated by thankful people and it's amazing to see.

Kitsune, or foxes, are known as the messenger to Inari, and there are lots of kitsune statues throughout.

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