Here I am with my folks at the Kinkakuji (or Golden) Temple. This was a great spot with a lot of beautiful paths:
I came across this Buddha on one of the paths - very impassive looking, no?
Here is another shot of the gold leaf covered temple:
Along the way we stopped for some green tea and a sweet:
Another shot of the Golden Temple
These next few are taken at the Ryoanji Temple. Here's a close up of a late blooming cherry tree:
And the rock garden this temple is famous for:
This is a shot I'm rather proud of - I put my camera next to the ground to catch the carpet of cherry blossoms in one area of the temple gardens:
Here is a pic of my favorite temple in Kyoto, the Kiyomizu Temple:
This is a small carp filled lake at Ryoanji temple:
And some of the beautiful trees:
Here we are again at Kiyomizu temple:
Here people are drinking from the mountain spring water - our guide said that in the early mornings some monks go there for a wash in the freezing water:
This is the Ninomaru Palace (another map just calls it Nijo Castle). This is the shogun palace that has the nightingale floors:
Here is the view of the gardens from the palace:
These next pictures were taken at Fushimi-Inari Taisha, just outside of Kyoto. The area is known for the hundreds of torii that line the paths through the trees. I haven't seen it yet, but I heard there was a scene filmed here in "Memoirs of a Geisha." Can anyone verify this?:
Here's my brother and my mom back in Tokyo - we decided on T.G.I.Friday's for this meal:
And here are my nephews and niece after braving the crowded market streets near Ueno:
I also discovered a huge park in Shinjuku that reminded me a bit (tho' on a smaller scale) of Central Park:
These last pictures were taken a couple days ago when I met Alex, Scott and Alfred for dinner in an area called Nakano. At the station, we came across all these girls dressed up like they do in Harajuku so Alex and I went nuts taking pictures:
Well, that was my Golden Week. What's been happening in your neck of the woods?
4 comments:
Oh yes, there was a scene in "Memoirs of a Geisha" where the little girl is running through the red tunnels. Beautiful film.
Did you call the lining of the paths "torii"?
Great pictures--your parents look like they are having a blast!
Oh, you know, just farting and stuff.
I like the Japanese cheerleaders.
A #1!!!
Oh!! Won!! derful!!
I love that the Harajuku kids will just let you pose for pictures with them like they're the big walking characters at Disneyworld or something. I saw a pimp on the street in Toronto the other day and was tempted to do the same, but I don't think it would have gone quite as well.
(Dude! He had a gold-handled cane and everything!)
Hey Matty! I almost had a chance to visit you. Drescher was looking for a sub for one month there--starting Friday. I had to think about it and by the time I realized it would be really cool, she had found someone else.
Oh well. Maybe I'll win a lot of money and can just buy a plane ticket.
Anyhoo, I miss you. You'll be happy to know I read at the last writer's bloc. Had to let everyone know the lit people still rock. Ha. Can't wait to have you back.
Katy
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