Continuing our trip in Japan we headed out to Kyoto the previous Imperial Capital of Japan.
We arrived late one night via bullet train (cool experience) and got a cab with a couple people who were going to join us for a tour the following morning. The one young man with us was Japanese and helped us communicate and tell stories with the cab driver. The driver had only perfected enough English to tell his samurai vs. ninja story making for a limited conversation. He also preferred to argue with the Chinese-American man in the front seat (which seemed like it might get serious). To break the tension I mentioned that Jolene drove a Toyota Camry and all the Japanese in the car thought that made her quite special.
We got to visit the city’s famous historical and cultural attractions like the Golden Pavilion, Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle. The nightingale floors (anti-ninja) made chirping noises as you walked on them making it basically impossible to sneak through the castle. Interestingly enough my house in the suburbs of the Chicago makes the same chirping noises. No ninjas in my house!
We arrived late one night via bullet train (cool experience) and got a cab with a couple people who were going to join us for a tour the following morning. The one young man with us was Japanese and helped us communicate and tell stories with the cab driver. The driver had only perfected enough English to tell his samurai vs. ninja story making for a limited conversation. He also preferred to argue with the Chinese-American man in the front seat (which seemed like it might get serious). To break the tension I mentioned that Jolene drove a Toyota Camry and all the Japanese in the car thought that made her quite special.
We got to visit the city’s famous historical and cultural attractions like the Golden Pavilion, Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle. The nightingale floors (anti-ninja) made chirping noises as you walked on them making it basically impossible to sneak through the castle. Interestingly enough my house in the suburbs of the Chicago makes the same chirping noises. No ninjas in my house!
In the afternoon we toured Sanjusangendo Hall, home to 1,001 images of Buddha; Heian Shrine, famous for its red exteriors; and Kiyomizu, a Buddhist temple with a large veranda built into a hillside.
Our guide Tammy did her best to entertain us with "jokes" as she helped us around the city. The gentleman who showed us around in the afternoon after our local lunch said that he believed over half the woman we were seeing in kimonos were actually Chinese tourists just renting them for the day. I've yet to officially prove that but it did put a different perspective on things.
While our time in Kyoto was short we saw a lot. To top off the trip we took a bullet train back to Tokyo but purchased our own sake and sushi for the ride. Riding on trains (basically always on time) with your own snacks is something no one should ever pass a chance at.
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