We have spent the last week taking 2 trips outside of Tokyo, the first was north to Kinugawa and then south to the former capital, Kyoto. Kinugawa is a town with snowy mountains, rivers, ravines and an awesome hot springs which is piped into several of the hotels in the town. We stayed in a traditional Japanese hotel with tatami floors and a tea room. During the day we visited a famous temple complex in Nikko that paid homage to samurai warriors and was decorated with intricate carvings and statues. We spent the evening dining on delicious Japanese cuisine much of which we had never tasted or heard of before. After our healthy dinner we headed to the onsen (hot springs spa) and soaked our bodies in mineral rich water at temperatures over 100 degrees. Before leaving we hiked down a large river gorge to a waterfall with a small shrine.
Here we are in our Kimonos before heading to the onsen.
Our second trip was a 2 day excursion which began on an overnight bus from Tokyo to Kyoto. We arrived exhausted but ready for sightseeing at 6:00 am but had to hang out in the subway station for a few hours until our destinations opened for the day. We then walked 3 miles from Kyoto Station to Kiyomizu-dera temple which was a mutual favorite. This temple is known for its kiyo-mizu "clear water" waterfall which legend says can cure any illness when drank however neither Josh nor I indulged since we have no trouble or worries. The second day we visited Ginkaku-ji (Silver Temple), Kinkaku-ji (Golden Temple) and the Imperial Park which used to be the residence of the emperor and nobles of the court. The Silver Temple was a bit disappointing since it was under renovation and its iconic pond was drained and full of mud, on the other hand the Golden temple was very impressive. All in all we feel Kyoto is a must see for anyone traveling to Japan.
On the steps in front of Kiyomizu-dera.
Posts
2 is better than 1 , when traveling eh?
ReplyDelete