Kyoto 2/6/2017

Another great meal last night. We had Italian at the hotel. We had a great table with a lot of laughs. Pannacota cotta with a berry coulis was the highlight. The whole meal was fantastic.

This morning is a little cooler, about 24 degrees. Our first stop is the Fushmi Inari Shrine. It is a shrine with a thousand torii gates. All shrines have a torri gate at the entrance. At this shrine apart from the main gates the worshippers can buy gates to be erected on the path to the main shrine. There are different prices for different size gates. In fact we are told there are more than a thousand.

We then head on to the Todai-Ji Temple in Nara. This temple has the largest bronze Buddha in the world. He is a big fella! The grounds also have wild deer wandering around and you can buy food to feed them. 

After the shrine and temple we head to the Gekkeikan Okura Sake museum. We are shown how sake was made years ago. We then get to taste two different sakes and a plum wine. While ok I won't be buying any.

Japan has more temples and shrines than Europe has Cathedrals and churches.

We head back to Kyoto and are dropped off at the Kyoto train station. It is 15 minute walk back to the hotel, and we are able to wander around the shops before heading back for beer o'clock. 

Tonight we have Japanese cuisine and a geisha experience, although it will be an apprentice who are called Maiko. Their apprenticeship lasts five years.

A torii gate

The big Buddha

Schoolchildren who saw me taking their photo and I waved to them.

Don't like Sake!