First Temple Experience

Alright, so we went back to Kyoto. We really like it, so I bet there will be many Kyoto updates to come. It helps that it is only 20 minutes away. Last weekend, Dan and I went to the Kyoto National Modern Art Museum. It was really nice, but we got into town too late to do any other museuming. There are alot of cool museums in Kyoto that we plan to see. Monday, we went back to Kyoto with our friends Yoko and Masami. You may remember the name Yoko from past posts, she is our coordinator. Anyway- we had a great time with them and were able to see things we wouldn't have known about.
Even our transportation was a learning experience. We met Yoko and Masami at the bus stop down the street from our house. We had never taken a bus, so she thought it would be good to teach us. We took a bus to Kusatsu station and then headed into the city via the JR(Japan Rail).

Here are the four of us in front of Kyoto station.

Next, we took the subway downtown and found our way to this awesome old market street called Nishiki Market. It was a covered arcade lined with stands selling different prepared foods, local produce, and textiles. We tried some samples- my favorite being the pickled eggplant and the mochi with sweet beans.

Here are some beautiful mushrooms at the Nishiki Market. I was told that they were very expensive, but I couldn't read the signs.

Here is green tea for sale at the Nishiki Market.

Dan and I are getting ready to see our first temple.

This was at the entrance to the temple to wash your hands as you come in.

Me and Yoko enjoying some shaved ice up around Chion-in.

A huge buddhist statue that appeared as we came up the steps to a temple. For adding effect, there was chanting that we could hear in the distance.

This is an awesome traditional street called Sannen-zaka. We walked along streets like this to the next temple.

A beautiful garden that we passed.

This is the main gate to Kiyomizu-dera. It is one of the most famous temples in Kyoto. About 2 minutes after this picture was taken, it stared to pour.

You can bearly see the pagoda poking through the trees. This view is from the main stage at Kiyomizu-dera. We were advised to come back in November, so that we could see the colorful leaves.

Another beautiful view.

This is a fountain at Kiyomizu-dera that pours out spring water and people drink it for good health. Dan and I did not drink it because we didn't want to wait in the line.

We don't have too much planned for this weekend, but we hope to get to Nara, Hiroshima, and Tokyo soon:)