Hey There! It's 7:57 PM JST, 60°F, rain
I am simultaneously exhausted and elated today. Currently I am in Osaka, where the rain has been a bit intense. But yesterday was a beautiful day, perfect for viewing more cherry blossoms.
We started the day heading for the Jishoji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is the former residence of the shogun Ahsikaga Yoshimasa, and contains a very large statue of the Buddha with over 800 other small Buddhas surrounding it, as well as sculptures of the guardian gods of Buddhism. The garden surrounding the temple is pretty beautiful. Plenty of cherry trees.
We then went to the area surrounding the Daigoji Temple, a 5-tier structure in Kyoto. It's the oldest wooden building in the city. It's not open to the public, so you can only walk around it. The area surrounding it has hundreds of shops for souvenirs and food. It was crowded; in fact, most of the places we have been to in the last two days have been packed. It's been hard to get around.
I left the group after that because I needed to catch a separate train to get to Osaka. Once I took the train ride I checked into the hotel and pretty much set myself up for bed. When the others came, sleeping quarters were assigned, and I racked out.
I had to be woken up this morning about 30 minutes before we had to catch the tour bus for today's all-day tour. We visited 4 sites in one day, and while I can appreciate the fact that 4 sites in one day is very efficient, it's also exhausting. I didn't get to eat dinner last night (a little bit by choice tbh), and there was no breakfast before getting onto the bus. I did manage to grab a hot "Morning Shot" vending machine coffee that was hot.
The four sites we visited were Nijo-jo Castle, the Golden Pavilion, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, and Funari Shrine Torii Gates. I will leave you to look all those up, but suffice to say it was a lot to take in over one day. The rain became intense later in the day, which did not dampen the crowds. I would say that a certain overstimulation affected me in two ways. The first was the beauty of these places. The second was the packed crowds. It was packed enough already, but the use of umbrellas in Japan made it more crowded. By the end the general demeanor of the tourists (not good, a post for another time) and the rain got the better of me. I did not get far through the torii gates because of the dense crowd and use of umbrellas made the view impossible. I took what pictures I could and left the scene for the bus.
My brother and I went back to the hotel while others went to eat, but we had a simple dinner of sandwiches, fruit, and cold green tea. I am tired, but I have to admit not as tired as I should be. At least not tired enough that I can't end with a post.
I have many thoughts on this trip, and perhaps I will write up something once I return, but since this blog is intended to be no more than a catalog of the day's events, we shall see if that comes true or not.
'Til We Meet Again!