Japan: Day 11 — Kyoto ...

The weather forecast wasn't looking too good. The skies were dark and rain was a definite possibility. The night prior, I had decided to visit a popular shrine in the area but I wasn't motivated for an early morning departure. I decided to visit the Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji) instead. It opened at 9am.  (¥400)

Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)

I got to the temple a half hour early in hopes of beating the crowds but there were tons of people hanging around the area waiting for the place to open. As the time neared 9am, a line started to form and thankfully I was near the front. There were easily 300 people in line. So much for having the place to myself.

It was a mad rush when the doors opened. People were pushing to buy tickets and then scurrying around to find the temple. I got a few shots in but it became harder to find an open space as time ticked on. Selfie central! Oh my!

The gardens surrounding the Pavilion

The pavilion is gorgeous as are the gardens surrounding it. I followed the pathway around the lake and before I knew it, I was walking out the exit. It took 20 minutes from start to finish. That included dawdling and a bathroom break. 9:20am ... now what?!

The Nijo Castle (¥600) was on the way back and a place I wanted to see. It was also packed with people but a very impressive castle. It took 1.5 hours to go around the outer and inner parts. The gardens surrounding the castle were lovely. I could only imagine what Japan would look in the spring or fall. The gardens are magnificent when they are green! They must be magical in autumn with the fall colors!

The Nijo Castle

I slowly wandered around the castle and at some point near the end of my visit it started to rain. I made my way back to the train and back to the guesthouse. I stopped at a Family Mart for some cold beer, a bagged salad and some sushi rolls. I had lunch in my room while the rain came down.

I hand washed some clothes and took a nap. I slept longer than intended and that didn’t really motivate me to do anything else for the day. There was also the rain. My stomach started rumbling around 5pm so I ran around the corner to the Thai place to try more of their food.

At some point during dinner, the rain started pounding down. I had a cold beer to wait it out. The rain let up briefly and I made it back to the hostel just in time. By the time I got up to my room on the second floor, it was absolutely pouring outside. Good timing! Thanks, Mother N, for not soaking me again.

After a long hot shower, I played around with some images but the lights went out at 9pm! Zzzzz.