Japan - Kyoto

We are back from break and had the most wonderful holiday in Japan.  It's an exceptional country full of beauty, history, and heated toilet seats.  We'll break this into two posts as we spent the majority of our time in two fairly different cities:  historic, temple-filled Kyoto versus the hustle & bustle of urban Osaka. 

We had a few items on our list heading into Kyoto, but managed to leave with a longer list of targets for next time.  It was the Imperial Capital for over 1000 years and it has the relics and sites to prove this.  The Golden Pavilion of the Kinkakuji Temple was breathtakingly beautiful and this was the first time even the girls thought a temple tour was too short.

Next was Nijo Castle, another amazing site surrounded by not one, but two, moats and giant walls.  The interior has been maintained in the old style and we weren't allowed photos inside.  Our favorite part was the famous nightingale floors that sing and chirp as you walk across them just like mentioned in some of Ben's favorite books. 

Gion was a cool neighborhood with a bygone vibe.  Visitors can dress up in traditional kimonos as they wander the old streets and there is an abundance of shopping and food.

Fushimi Inari Shrine put on quite the show, was a chance to enjoy some nature, and gave us quite the climb.  The mountain provided a lovely hike through the many torii gates, most of which are hundreds of years old and the oldest date back to the 700s!  At the base of the mountain are temples, shops, and ceremonies.

Wandering the Ninenzaka neighborhood was a favorite of Nina's as she has watched a youtube video about it.  She was especially happy that we visited the first ever tatami-style Starbucks.  A tatami is a type of mat used as flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. 

Overall, it was amazing to see so many sites while just walking down the street.  It has been said that walking through the streets of Kyoto is like walking through eleven centuries of Japan.  It seemed as if every road we traveled had something that made us say, "Oh, I wish we could look in there."  From temples galore, to samurai shops, to cat cafes, Kyoto is filled with sites to be seen.

Blink of an eye

January disappeared while we switched from holiday mode back to school mode; very soon we switch back to holiday mode.  It's been relatively cold and somewhat polluted which has kept us mostly inside.  We've gone to a few museums and bookstores and tried out some restaurants, including Red Lobster to remind us of home.  We also managed to catch the Chinese American Football championship game, which featured some of the largest people you'll find in China.

 

Ben finished his basketball season with a tournament in Qingdao.  It was a fun stop to see the beach and the sea and to meet some new people from around Asia.  His team played well but had a heart-breaking final game when they lost by one point in overtime in the third place game. 

Meanwhile, the girls were busy enjoying a party for Chinese New Year and another party celebrating Australia Day.  They were the life of the latter party when they led the group in dancing, singing, and nonsense.