Saturday, January 26, 2013

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Yesterday, we were allowed free time to do a little sight seeing. The group split up and went to their destinations of choice. I went with a subset of folks to the cities of Kyoto and Nara.

Kyoto:

There are so many temples and shrines in Kyoto, that we had a hard time choosing what to do first. We visited the Kiyomizudera temple (the pure water temple) and when we arrived, we realized that there was so much to see that we would not be able to take in any additional temples in the time we had, so we thoroughly enjoyed this one. I got to drink the pure water that runs in small streams. You catch the water in a ladle and the drink, make a wish. Let's see if my wish comes true ;-).


Nara:

In Nara, we wanted to visit the Tōdai-ji and see the largest bronze Buddha in Japan, but the area was closed just before we arrived (perhaps we can sneak back before we leave to get a glimpse). The Wakakusa Yamayaki festival was going on in Nara, so we had plenty of other things to see. The streets were lined with food venders and you could get just about anything on a stick. Hmm, reminds me of home. The basis for this festival is the act of burning the mountainside which is a very cool sight from just about anywhere in the city. The burning was proceeded by a grand fireworks display. I have never seen so many people in one place in my life! Everything was orderly, no pushing, no safety concerns, so wonderful.

Pics:
1-10 Kyoto
11- 18 Nara



































4 comments:

  1. In photo 7 there is a lot of steps. Did you do them? Are you feeling better?
    In photo 9 this looks like a security fence. Am I correct? In Guatemala we had one around our compound make out of broken pop bottles.
    What are the round things the guy is making in the second to the last photo before the fireworks?

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    Replies
    1. I did not do these exact steps, but there are so many other steps just like these that we did do. Plus, there was a large hill to traverse before you even get to the temple area. Good thing there are tourist shops along the way in which to rest!

      Yes, I believe this is a security fence. Although, since this is now a museum, is is mainly for show.

      The round things are called doroyaki (I have since learned that yaki is the way it is cooked). They are Japanese pancakes filled with red bean paste or custard or some other yummy goodness. Mine was filled with custard!

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    2. Oh, yes! I am feeling all better now.

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  2. Sooo glad you are feeling better. You have taken some fantastic photo's, Im really enjoying your picturs!

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