Kyoto

For the long weekend, I went to Kyoto with a group of Toyama JETs. We left on Friday night from Toyama with three vans, twenty five people and a pocket full of dreams. After many stops and getting lost on the way, we finally found our hostel which might be the nicest place I've ever stayed. Seriously, it was like some sort of Super Hostel that looked more like Bed, Bath and Beyond than cheap lodging for dirty foreigners.
Saturday it rained the whole damn day and we went to Yasaka-jinga shrine in the Gion district-saw a wedding going on. Then went to the modern art museum. I wasn't terribly excited about it, but I saw a Max Enrst that I really liked. We tried to go to the other museum which has pieces from the Louvre, but they were about to close. That evening everyone went to a Mexican restaurant. I went to bed early after a stroll around the hostel.
Sunday the weather was perfect, so Warren, Phil and I decided to hit the touristy spots around Kyoto. We went to Kinkaku-ji(Golden Temple, reconstructed temple covered with, you guessed it, gold), Ginkaku-ji (Silver Temple-once the villa of a Shogun) and Kiyomizu-dera (has several buildings and a sacred waterfall). Will, Straight Outta Nagoya, was in town for a concert so I met up with him and we tooled around town. We found the Rub a Dub reggae bar, met some friendly Japanese kids and chugged daiquiris after looking for a working ATM for like three hours.
Monday we walked around the palace and the shopping district. The van ride home was pretty. I'm so tired.


Kyoto tower outside the station.

Wedding.

Gion district graveyard. Supposedly there's monkeys who steal offerings, but we didn't see any.

Yasaka-jinga.

Ginkaku-ji. It's not really silver, but the walk through the mountainside was great.

Kinkaku-ji. What they don't want you to know is that under the gold foil is delicious chocolate.

The Kiyomizu waterfall has sacred powers.

Ah, young lovers.

Kiyomizu. Maxin' and relaxin'.

Kiyomizu

Gettin' stung.

View of Kyoto.