The last day of my 2007 trip to Japan we visited the city of Nara just to the south of Kyoto. Nara is famous for two things: Todai-ji and the many tame deer that roam the city.
You may be thinking, “Fushimi Inari whaaa?” but I can assure you that you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you’re ever in Kyoto, definitely visit Fushimi. If you’ve ever in Fushimi definitely skip the sparrow. You’ll thank me on both counts.
During a visit to Kyoto in 2007 I had the chance to tour the Imperial Palace. These grounds were where the emperor lived until the government moved to Tokyo in the late 19th century. (See photos of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo here.)
Our third day in San Francisco had us heading down to to enjoy a little time on the beach and soak in the view of the Golden Gate Bridge followed by a long visit to the Exploratorium.
The second day of our trip to San Francisco had us doing a number of very touristy things starting bright and early in the morning. Dottie’s True Blue Cafe, S.F. Maritime Park, Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghiradelli Square awaited!
One easy way to pack in some sight seeing on a short trip is to make sure and visit things at night. Big attractions are often well-lit and offer some interesting photo opportunities. I put this tactic to good use by visiting the Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto at night.
While in Kyoto I was also able to stop by and see Nijo Castle (Nijojo). It was built in the early 1600’s by Tokugawa Ieyasu. While the name probably isn’t familiar, his story certainly is: the novel (and later mini-series) Shogun.
On a recent trip to Japan I visited Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto, a Buddhist temples first built in 798 and reconstructed in 1633. The temple offered fantastic views of the city of Kyoto and plenty of photo ops.
Greetings from Norway! As I write this it’s 29 degrees, a light snow is falling and at high noon the sun is barely above the horizon. I’ve just come in from a brisk walk where I got wear my scarf for the first time in years…
I’ve been travelling a good bit for work the past two months. In fact, I think last week was the first full week I’ve spent at home since April! Chicago, Washington D.C., Boston, Baltimore, San Francisco… It all kind of runs together after a while!