Kiyomizu-dera was as beautiful as ever. The way it's nestled into the eastern hills gives some spectacular views of the city. They wouldn't let me walk under the famous waterfall, even though there were steps clearly leading through the fall. Oh, well. I was looking forward to that experience. The winding path leading up to the temple was probably the favorite of the women -- filled with small shops selling sweets to souvenirs. It took us three hours to get through the four block approach to the temple. This is also where we gave our first interviews to students learning English.
Nara and the Daibutsu were new and incredible to me, despite the crowds of school children. The size of the Buddha was impressive, but his eyes were so piercing as well as serene. The temple also contained some large, expressive wooden figures. Everyone gave more "interviews". I did have a map of the temple area, but a predatory deer tore half of it from my hand and ate it.
Our last sightseeing day was devoted to the Silver Pavilion and Nijo Castle. We tried the Raku bus to get to the Silver Pavilion, but discovered, that for eight people, two taxis were about the same price. We had a light rain through the gardens, and more school children, but it's still one of the best gardens I've seen in Kyoto. Nijo-jo was impressive with the massive stoneworks, the amazing wood joinery, and the huge pond (lake) and garden. Bridges over the water were mostly single pieces of stone, spanning eight to twelve feet. The nightingale floors are literally sweet.
Meanwhile, back to the yakitori story. Steve verified, that, indeed, the yakitori place I had spotted was the one where he, Adam, and I had an excellent evening two years before. So, on Tuesday, Kelsey, Steve, Ted, and I went back for a yakitori dinner. On Wednesday, Cathy, Susie, Ted, and I went for seconds. On Thursday, after a great meal provided by Jane and Mae, I decided to take our last assortment of Jelly Bellys to Mr. Takeda and have one last yakitori as well. Steve went with me, and we sampled more than one. Just as we were paying the check, Mr. Takeda handed to us a sake set from his establishment! A perfect end to our last night in Kyoto. Steve is letting me hold on to the sake set for now. I may have paid the check, but Steve completely charmed him with his Japanese.
The ever-gracious Takeda-san poses with his yakitori grill
We were lucky during the shinkansen trip back to Tokyo Station in that we were able to see the top of Mt. Fuji for a few minutes. I found an empty seat and madly shot pictures, hoping to catch it between buildings and power lines at 160 miles an hour. A few hours later, I shot a picture of her cousin, Mt. McLoughlin from our puddle jumper to Medford.
Mount Fuji seen from the shinkansen (bullet train)
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