I spent my last day in Kyoto visiting 3 more temples before catching the bullet train back to Tokyo. Kyoto's metro system is crap...not very diverse and unusable if you don't speak Japanese as the ticket machines have no English option...their bus system, on the other hand, is amazing and really easy to navigate. So I spent the day bumming around town on the city bus seeing what I could before leaving.
I went to the Kinkakuji temple first, otherwise known as the Golden Pavilion as it is entirely covered in gold. It started out as a villa for the Shogun in the 1200's then was converted to a zen temple after his death. The gardens surrounding this temple are stunning. Japan knows it's landscaping!
Then I went to the Ryoanji Temple. This temple is famous for it's zen garden and is considered the finest example of dry-landscape style gardening. Considered a masterpiece of zen art this temple has no trees,hills, ponds...just 15 rocks arranged on a bed of raked dry white gravel. Minimalist to the max.
The last temple I saw was the Ninnanji Temple. This temple had the prettiest landscaping I've ever seen...it was so beautiful. What I wouldn't do to have a yard that looked like that.
GOLDEN PAVILION
GOLDEN PAVILION SURROUNDED BY IT'S BEAUTIFUL POND.
BEHIND THE TEMPLE.
PEOPLE THROW COINS IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET THEM IN THE MIDDLE ROCK CUP...IN SEARCH OF GOOD LUCK.
OVERLOOKING THE ENTRANCE TO ROYANJI TEMPLE.
ROYANJI'S ZEN ROCKS.
NINNAJI TEMPLE GROUNDS
NINNAJI TEMPLE. WHAT AMAZING LANDSCAPING.
PATH THROUGH NINNAJI TEMPLE
POND IN NINNAJI TEMPLE GROUNDS
STONE BUDDHA'S AT THE GATES ON NINNAJI TEMPLE
MANY TEAROOMS WITH BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK PAINTED ON THE SCREENS
ROCK GARDENS BEHIND NINNAJI TEMPLE ENTRANCE
NINNAJI PAGODA
KYOTO'S COOL TRAIN STATION..MILES OF ESCALATORS.
TWISTY METAL IN THE ROOFTOP OF KYOTO TRAIN STATION
ON MY WAY DOWN FROM THE 12TH FLOOR.
KYOTO TOWER REFLECTED FROM ACROSS THE STREET IN THE MIRRORED GLASS OF KYOTO TRAIN STATION.
I spent my last 1/2 day in Tokyo just bumming around. I slept in, packed, had a last sushi lunch and wandered around the Imperial Palace gardens. I caught a 10hour flight from Tokyo to Vancouver at 1900Tokyo time and now I sit in the Vancouver airport on a 2 hour layover before my flight to Calgary. It feels good to be almost home...I am sipping a double double from Tim's and thinking about how good my bed will feel, and all the comforts of home.
It was an amazing 7 weeks. It feels like it went by in a flash. I had a great trip and saw so many amazing things along the way. Now, Where to go next....
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