Japan Day 7 - Kyoto

Day 7 - Kyoto

Today we wanted to hit the most iconic sights in Kyoto - maybe not all of them, but a couple that held our interest.

First, we went to the Fushimi Inari site. We were going to do it the previous day after Nara as it is conveniently located on the Nara line, but we were too tired. Getting there was very easy - just three stops to Kyoto and a couple to the Inari station.  

Coming off the train there was a large Torii gate and beyond, the grounds. This place is known for having nearly 10,000 torii gates as you walk up a mountainside. 800 of them format a tunnel near the beginning. We made it through the tunnel - about a quarter of the way - before turning back. Getting to the top would be no joke. There were some photo ops along the way and beside the gates there were other statues and buildings in the park.

From the Inari mountain, it is a short walk to the Geisha district to see the traditionally dressed Geisha living and performing the in area.  We decided to skip that area, though maybe on another trip it would be interesting to see them.

Instead, we made our way to Arashiyama in northwestern Kyoto. It's about a 30-minute train ride from Kyoto station.  Once there, we walked toward the famous bamboo forest. We stopped for lunch at Kichi Kyoto, close to the forest, and then ventured in among the tall bamboo area which was a couple block loop.

Kimono Forest

After making our way back out onto the main road, where they were selling ice cream, sake, and other knickknacks, we made a brief stop at the Kimono forest which is a bunch of poles with kimono fabric wrapped around them.   

Continuing across the Togetsukyo bridge, we saw people rowing boats on the wide river right before it cascaded down a series of rocks - very picturesque.

We arrived at our final destination - the Arashiyama Snow Monkey Park. During the winter, the snow monkeys hang out here and the hot baths, but now they were still there - getting treats from the tourists.  BUT... to get there you have to climb a really long hill to the top of the mountain.  It is an arduous walk - Shellie decided to hang back.  It took a good 20 minutes to get up there and we had to rest a couple times. 

There were tons of monkeys at the top and the kids were able to feed a baby monkey.  We took lots of pictures and videos with the monkeys and the great view of Kyoto from so high up.

We went back to the hotel and were rewarded with a firework show off the lake during dinner - we were actually higher up than many of the fireworks.  

What the bird doin'?