Kyoto

After spending the morning in Kobe, we grabbed a Bento box, ate lunch on the train and headed to Kyoto...the ride was about 1 hour.

 Once in Kyoto, we headed off to one of our favorite temples, Kiyomizu-deru.  You need to take the city bus to the area, and then walk a ways to get to the temple.  Thankfully, there are plenty of things to see along the way...like this old gate.  I love the mix of old and new that you find in Japan.

 Before you get to the temple, there is a huge hill to climb...the Japanese were smart, and put shops and restaurants all along this hill...we stopped often for a rest and snack!  This gate is the first thing you see when you make it up the hill...it is a welcomed site!

 Smaller buildings around the main temple...I love the roof lines and the small lanterns...

 There are quite a few buildings and structures that make up this temple...this building holds a bell...

 In the background you can see that part of the temple is under construction.  They cover things completely to do renovations...The color of the buildings is called Vermillion.  It is supposed to ward off evil spirits in the night.

                                
 Handwashing is an important step at temples...neat ornate fountains are stationed at the entrance to the more important buildings.  Be warned though...the water is VERY COLD!!

 Another lantern...and you can see the construction in the background...

 Beautiful blooming trees...

 This temple is built on the side of a hill...the structure is amazing...the color is a bit weird because the sun was setting...

 You walk down the other side of the hill and find these fountains...they are for drinking and luck.  Each stream is for something different, like good grades, health, wealth, etc...We bought a cup to use to drink from, and decided to try them all :)  Extra luck can't be bad, now can it?

Continuing our journey to the front of the temple, and trying to find those shops we passed on the way up...I turned around and saw part of the pagoda extending above the trees...so pretty.

This temple, and some shopping are all we did in Kyoto this time...we were only there a few hours.  After dinner, we boarded the train and headed back to our hotel in Osaka.  The next day, we had an early flight to Sapporo, so that's where we'll be tomorrow...stay tuned!