One of the Best Birthdays Ever

I got to celebrate my birthday in Kyoto, Japan doing one of the things I enjoy most--exploring! In spite of the fact that June is the rainy season in Japan, the weather was perfect--cool without a drop of rain. With over 1,000 temples and shrines to see, we hardly knew where to start. We hired a taxi driver to take us to the most famous. Our first stop was Ginkakuji (Silver) Temple, a Zen temple established in 1482. The path leading to the temple was lined with shops.

The gardens were enchanting.

Unfortunately restoration work was being done on the pavilion.

The different types of moss found in the gardens.

We saw the Path of Philosophy which in the spring is lined with cherry blossoms.

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial family's residence until 1868, was closed. We had to satisfy ourselves with a few pictures.

The Rokuon-ji (Golden) Temple was packed with visiting students....

...but the grounds were amazingly peaceful.

The pavilion, originally built in the 1200's, is covered with gold leaf. It houses sacred relics of the Buddha. The original pavilion was burnt by a fanatic monk in 1950. The present building dates from 1955.

An ancient pine tree.

The garden was exquisite and apparently remains as it was in former days.

We watched students trying to throw money into the bowl below.

This is the mound in memory of the white snake.

Thatch on one of the buildings.

As we made our way to Ryoanji Temple, we encountered this statue.

The main attraction at this temple, laid out at the end of the 15th century, is a simple rock garden consisting of white sand and 15 rocks. The walls are made of clay boiled in oil.

Note the moss on the ground in the gardens.

The stone wash basin for the tea room is inscribed with the words,
"I learn only to be contented."

The original silk screens are being restored.

At each building we were allowed to enter,
we left and then picked up our shoes at the entrance.

The architecture of the buildings was impressive.

Nijo Castle, the Kyoto shogun's residence, was built in the 1600s.
The formidable outer gate

The ornate inner gate

Located on Mt. Inariyama is the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. Inari is the Shinto god of rice. The shrine is famous for the torii gates that cover the hiking trails up the mountain. Businesses donate money to have a gate dedicated to them.

The washing place at the entrance.

The torii gates

The buildings at the base of the mountain.

Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers and replicas were found everywhere at the site.

A shop on the grounds

Our day in Kyoto was perfect. We only wished that we could have had several more!

Odawara and on to Kyoto

Jim's business meetings were held in Odawara next to the town of Oiso where our hotel was located. I explored Odawara during his last day of meetings. This restaurant caught my eye.

I toured the huge shopping mall (on the right in the picture below). I also caught a glimpse of Mt. Fuji which you may or may not be able to see rising above the distant mountain in the center of this photo--a rare occasion this time of year. By the time the meetings were over just an hour later, it was no longer visible and no one believed that I had actually even seen it!

Later in the day, Jim and I took a train to Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, for the vacation leg of our journey.

We arrived at the modern train station pictured above and checked into the Hyatt hotel, our luxurious accommodations for the night.

We immediately set out to explore the area taking advantage of the couple of hours of daylight left to us. First stop was Sanjusangen-do temple where the 1001 statues of the Buddhist deity are housed. The statues were made in the 12th and 13th century. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to photograph the statues.

The gardens were beautiful.

Afterward, our search for dinner brought us to a Japanese style fast food restaurant offering noodle bowls. Amazingly enough they even offered super-sized versions! Not necessarily impressed with our meal but satisfied, we continued our exploration. We saw this tower in the distance and curiously made our way to it. It cost too much to take the ride to the top and so we satisfied ourselves with shopping in the shops at the base. We bought a cake and wound our way back to the hotel to celebrate the eve of my birthday and 30 years of marriage.

Extraordinary Food in Japan

Dinner the second and third nights in Japan was unbelievable! The second night we ate in a restaurant situated in a 400 year old inn. It was gourmet, Japanese style.

Our table in the restaurant

The building was held together by ropes and wooden spikes.

The first course was octopus.

Next came assorted raw fish with flowers.

I believe this was a mushroom on tofu.

Fish and sweet potato

I don't think we wanted to know what this was.

A stacked salad

Stuffed squash

A small lobster in broth with a side of rice and pickled veggies.

The next night we ate at a French restaurant/wedding chapel on the ocean.

First course--I didn't recognize any of it.

Goose liver or foie gras came next--definitely interesting!

Something like yogurt covered with gravy and lima beans.

Some delicious fish dish.

Beef--quite rare--and a purple cauliflower.

Definitely dessert--my favorite part.

I felt privileged to be able to eat with Jim's colleagues .
I'm pleased to report that I tasted every single item served.