Sat 13 Kanazawa

 market, gardens, old town rest 5 crowns shogun burger

Our day got off to a hurtful start.  Emmy has been using the Japanese shampoo and no conditioner and her hair was looking particularly good today, hence a compliment and the photo.  She, on the other hand, said I looked like Russell from the movie Up and even was so kind as to look it up for me.  Just had one thing to say to her.....fair call 😉😂

Then we marched on over to Omicho Fish Market where we sampled some Wagyu, very nice but Steve and I did get a a good 25c worth of gristly bits (estimate based on weight of gristle as a proportion of weight of total $12 skewer)

Em has discovered Japanese peaches!  Mmmm Mmmm.  Worth $3 each.

And then Steve decided to have a single, enormous oyster that took 3 bites to eat.  He described the last one as creamy.  Not selling it.

And then we wandered through the castle gardens....

to the meticulously maintained Kenroku-en gardens, with special care given to support the branches of the older trees.

And then it was over to the historic Higashi-chaya district, which was full of character and nowhere near as crowded as Kyoto.  

For dinner we headed to Shogun Burger for some (comparitively) expensive burgers.  They were good, but being a bunch of burger connoisseurs we felt qualified to rate them a solid 7, not bad but not the best we've ever had.  

Fri 12 Kyoto / Kanazawa

Travel day today - minimal steps - less than 10,000 😞.  

First leg - apartment to Kyoto station by bus.  230Y, 30 mins.

Next - use the green vending machines to purchase 4 Thunderbird / Shinkansen tickets from Kyoto to Kanazawa with a change in Tsuruga. 7920Y each. Then the agonising decision re what to have for lunch. The choice was almost overwhelming....

Steve making a bit of a boo boo at a cash only place and Daniel with the pick of the bunch and a lash out at 1500Y. Worth every yen!

A bit wet when we arrive at the station, so jumped in an Uber.  Traditional Japanese room with futons and tatami mats.  Very nice!.  Family Mart for dinner, after 5 Crowns and bevvies.

Thu 11 Kyoto

Another big day in the heat, but this time we were out earlier - 6:30am departure!!  Not to shabby, but still a few mins behind schedule.

Here's what we had planned......

Stop number one - Arishiyama Bamboo Forrest ....

And some sights en route to our next stop - plus a scenic early morning breakkie....

Here's what we looked like after hoofing it for 20 minutes to get to the Iwatayama Monkey Park (bottom left), conveniently located at the very top of a large hill. Just a scooch hot and bothered - but doing better than some who looked like they were about to pass out.  And of course a few monkey shots...

And then we caught an Uber over to the Gio-ji temple and moss gardens.  Unfortunately we got caught without cash so only I went in.  Loved the soft mossy-ness everywhere.....

And feeling knackered from the heat we all decided that the next stop at the magnificent Kinkaku Temple would be our last for the day, and what a stop it was....

We had sushi for dinner, but it wasn't very exciting so no photos.

Wed 10 Kyoto

Big day today.  Kyoto is super hot and full of tourists and we were not out the door early enough to beat the crowds. Our schedule started with a stroll along the pedestrian only paved laneways and staircases of Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka. 

Followed by visit to nearby Kiyomizu-dera Temple - a UNESCO World Heritage site dating back to 780 AD.

Daniel and Emily misting

These cute kiddies asked Daniel to help with their school English task....

From the main hall of the temple lies an enormous wooden stage perched 13 metres above the thick foliage below.

And tucked away in amongst all the heat, huste and bustle was this little moment of serenity....

It was sooo hot a coffee, iced of course, and an escape from the heat was required.

And then on to a delightful picnic by the river.  Popped our feet in the water.  There was a Japanese photography group practicing water shots, but they got distracted by us!

Me taking a photo of a man taking a photo of my feet in the water 😎

And then after the obligatory lunchtime 5 Crowns (yep - with drinks and yep - I won 😎) we ventured out again.  This time to 

Nanzen-ji Temple, one of the most important Zen temples in Japan. Dating back to the 13th century, this temple complex has been rebuilt and changed over the years but still retains its historical significance and serene atmosphere. One of the highlights is the old aqueduct that passes through the temple grounds, once used to transport water and goods between Lake Biwa and Kyoto.

Love the shot on the right!

And it was 7-Eleven for dinner!  Sushi for me, cold soba for Steve and cake for Emily.  Daniel did it again and nicked off to Macca's (shame 😞)