Kyoto (18 – 20 Dec. 2010)

We arrived late in the evening and realized finding our hostel in Kyoto was a little difficult. So we ended up taking a taxi from the train station.  More and more I experience that if only I had a compass it would be so much easier to find my way around. Also it is just much more easier to find your way when there is daylight.

After our positive experience biking in Takayama, we decided to see the sites in Kyoto by bike. That may have not been the smartest idea. It seems that Kyoto, not surprisingly, is a rather big city to see in just one day (basically the 19th) by bicycle. Most of the sites to see are located on the outskirts of the city, making the bike trip a little long. We also started the day a little late. By the time we got to the Silver Pavilion (Ginkaku-ji), located in north-eastern corner of the city, it was already 16:30. On the plus side the sun sets around 17:00 – 18:00, which for photographer is the perfect time to take landscape photos.

Having to return the bikes by 18:30 we rushed back in the dark desperately trying to locate the bike rental store, just barely making it back on time. Despite not seeing all the major sites in Kyoto, we did manage to see quite a few things along the way, such as the Kyoto International Manga Museum and Imperial Palace (can’t actually see the palace, because it is behind high walls).

One japanese dish I really like is sushi, so in Kyoto we ate at a sushi bar where the sushi comes on a conveyor belt. The best way to be served sushi!