Waking up on our last morning in Kyoto was a little sad, I really enjoy Kyoto. But it was time to move on. We had breakfast and packed up all of our bags- man, we had a LOT of stuff!!. We checked out of Tamahan and headed out to do some last minute shopping before Miyuki picked us up.
But first it was time for one last shrine/temple/etc.
We were staying practically on the same block as Kodai-ji, built in 1605 for the widow of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. So it only seemed obvious that we needed to go see it. Luckily, we did. The gardens and grounds were just gorgeous. They are built into the side of a mountain and the paths kind of wonder through tall bamboo groves. There was much to appreciate here.
After Kodai-ji, we went to Ryozen Kannon. It was hard to miss this place- there is a 80 ft. high stone figure on the roof of the building. It was interesting to go into because it is dedicated to the Japanese soldiers who died in WWII. But, it also has a chapel area dedicated to the Allied forces who died on Japanese soil. They had archives of every soldiers' name and country. Also, there were loads of paper cranes made by Japanese school children. The place was a little strange, but quirky and fascinating as well.
From there, we started our shopping frenzy at Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka. Mom & I did some serious damage at many shops. Shoes, dolls, trinkets, teapots, etc...
We stopped to re-fuel and have lunch at a little cafe in the area. It was a fantastic day out, so we ate outside on the little patio overlooking the shops. Beer and pizza outside on a great spring day- perfect!!
Then, it was time to push on...there were a few more places that I wanted to hit before we left. Dad was a casualty of the frenzy and opted to sit at Starbucks and wait for Mom & I. Where he ran into one of their friends who happened to be in Japan at the same time- how completely random!!
When all was said and done, we had amassed a huge pile of bags!! The question was how were we going to deal with all the bags on the train??
I'm pretty sure Miyuki's eyes popped out of her head when she came to get us and saw all the bags. But after we piled everything into a cab and got to the station, we had figured out how to handle all the bags. After a short train trip to the NW suburbs of Kyoto, we arrived at Kameoka station.
There we were met by Fukiko, the last of our guides. We would actually be staying at Fukiko's house for the next two nights. And again, Fukiko was an amazing, generous, interesting person. She's very well-traveled and her English was perfect. She even speaks Spanish and German. As a matter of fact, we were her last homestay guests as she was gong back to college to get her degree in Spanish. As a full-time student!! In her 50's!! Just a really unique person (especially in Japan!)
Anyway, Fukiko picked us up and took us on a quick tour of Kameoka. On the way to her house, we stopped at this temple so she could get fresh drinking water. Wow- between Koya-san and temple water, I'm sure I'm going to be enlightened very soon.
Mom & Dad stayed in the main house, while I stayed in the little guest cottage. The house was very nice, and kind of half Western/half Japanese style. Fukiko's mom wanted the house to be more western than japanese. As we settled in, Fukiko cooked dinner- sukiyaki. And it was fantastic!! I ate way too much!!
I was completely wiped out from the shopping and the huge dinner, so afterwards I read for a bit and then went to bed.
Next up...when in Japan........
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