After returning to Tokyo in the morning, we immediately head to the train station to go to Kyoto
The clan waiting for the Shinkansen
Shinkansen approaching
"Its nice to be out of the short bus where we can enjoy a cold beer while we travel"
View of Mount Fuji from the train
The Bennett's exploring Gion, an old traditional neighborhood in Kyoto famous for its Geisha (although unfortunately we were not able to cross paths with any) & traditional architecture
Pontocho Street in the heart of Gion
The old style of Japanese neighborhoods. Tight narrow streets lined by shops and restaurants on the ground floor with the owners living quarters above. All of the buildings were made of wood, which was a sturdy, long lasting, and readily available building material, but the fact that buildings touch each other coupled with the narrow streets proved to make containing fires very difficult. Thus very few of these types of neighborhoods survived the war.
A bunch of street toughs
Kyoto Station - a crazy complex of buildings with a central atrium. One end of the atrium is a gigantic staircase that leads you up to the top level and a roof top garden, connecting all of the retail & restaurants on the various levels as you move upwards.
Enjoying yakitori (grilled chicken on skewers) with a great view of Kyoto below
View down from the top of the atrium in the roof garden
There are also escalators for those who do not want to take the hard way up
That is a lot of stairs!!! But the view from the top is worth the effort.
No comments:
Post a Comment