Our first morning in Japan. We were up at dawn on most mornings. Since Japan doesn't use daylight savings time, it was usually about 5 A.M.. Taken from the Radisson in Narita.
Mt. Fuji wasn't shy (as it so often is) on our trip via Shinkansen to Kyoto.
The intrepid travelers in a garden at Nijo Castle.
Joe Okada leads a walking tour of Kyoto on Saturday mornings. He's witty and insightful, providing a unique and enjoyable experience. Here we are at a tea house on the grounds of the Imperial Palace.
He starts his tour with a shot of sake in a local sake shop. They feature an excellent local (Fushimi, just south of Kyoto) sake. A great way to start any tour.
The next stop is a tea shop, where we tasted the first of this year's tea crop. Naturally, we had to bring some back with us.
On our next tour (with Tours By Locals), we were guests for a private tea ceremony. We had lots of opportunities to show just how clumsy and ignorant we were. Here we are pictured with the tea master. It was very understated and very special.
Here's our favorite tour guide, Mayumi Morooka. We met her during our last trip. She's no longer a professional tour guide, but graciously offered to take us on a walk through the woods on a Sunday morning.
We started our walk at Tofukuji, a quiet and serene temple in the south of Kyoto. Situated on a mountainside with lots of Japanese maples, a stream running through it, and beautiful rock gardens, it's become one of my favorite places in Kyoto.
This is a small bamboo forest a little farther along our walk. This is 3 months growth!
Our walk went through the rear entrance to the Fushimi Inari Shrine (home to 10,000 tori gates). You can see some of the first of the series. Here, we had heard a frog, but never did find it.
We had to go to Nara, to see the Daibutsu (Great Buddha). It was full of schoolchildren and tame deer. I found a great wall hanging picturing the Buddha with an "Hello Kitty" in his lap here.
The Silver Temple gardens, another of our favorite places. The moss covered steps show the intense green that was all through the garden. The glowing maple leaves were a good representation of the magic we felt there.
The pond at the Silver Temple.
On to Tokyo. As far as I am concerned, this is the best reason to visit Tokyo. This is the Daibutsu at Kamakura. It's done in bronze and is centuries old. This is the Buddha shown in "Around The World in 80 Days".
Here's Gary next to the Daibutsu's sandals.
