Kyoto
Rainy Friday Noji-Ji Botanical Gardens Golden Pavillion
Rainy Friday
We arrived in Kyoto during a good Japanese typhoon and Dad takes it with good humor. Seriously, it was wet, and farther south it was dangerous.
We found out that many Japanese people only drive new cars and then send them to Australia (both drive on the left). So even though Japanese cars have long lifetimes, it would seem that they dont get the use out of them in Japan.
Hmmm. Does this look familiar...very like Innsbruck.
Shinto shrine.
The neighborhoods were very neat and spread around the city center like this. Nothing over three stories.
Noji Ji - Castle
Bamboo. i am a big fan, although we have a ton in my backyard in Atlanta, so why take this photo...well, it's beautiful.
This is where the Sho-gun lived. Inside it had creeking floors that sounded like birds chirping so they could hear an intruder.
Kyoto is surrounded by mountains, although we didnt make it to them, you can see them in the distance.
Botanical Gardens
These are some fantastic photos, if you want to save one, right click and select 'Save As...'
This is Deirdre's favorite.
Bonzai!
The idea is that you listen to one side of the bamboo and the other is pointed at the rocks so you can hear an echoing of water trickling. It is really cool.
This is a picture that i inverted because it looks cool, right?
Coy fish.
Japan is mad fashionable. Anything goes. The Cindy Lauper look was in.
Golden Pavillion and Kyoto Film Studio
Beautiful, right? it is covered in gold leaf. This Pavillion is one of the first pictures that i had ever seen of Kyoto, sent by my friend Soichiro Ako, who studied at GT.
We were very fortunate to have a tour guide from Kyoto this day. Dr. Fujimoto and another colleague of my Dads, Dmitri, spent the day with us and we had a great time. You can light these candles for many purposes such as finding a job...i chose that one, and about two weeks later, i had a job offer. Good fortune:)
Kyoto Film Studio.
This act was staged and it was a pretty fun sword fight.
Cemetery
This is a tree with prayer ribbons tied to the branches and there are so many that they substitute for leaves. I like this sentiment which i have also seen on Lakota parks in S. Dakota.
What...what is she carrying? a Raccoon, yep...it is a raccoon. It is a raccoon pet.
Downtown Kyoto. Deirdre and i sat out here for an evening and people watched while listening to the live jazz playing on the other side of the river.
Train ride to Tokyo.
TOKYO!