Kyoto

The ship docked in Osaka and we had booked a tour to Kyoto. The first stop was at Kinkaku-ji Shrine, also known as the Golden Palace. The top two floors are covered with gold leaf, both inside ad out . The palace sits in a small pond with trees and is located in a beautiful forest garden. There is a huge pine tree which is about 800 years old.

Our second stop was at a traditional factory for dyeing fabric where we learned a technique using stencils and each made a handkerchief. Dan's turned out so much better than mine!

Finally we went for a Shabu Shabu dinner. This is a Japanese style hot pot meal where you cook your food in boiling water. It was an interesting meal, rather like a fondue. There was a performance by a Meiko who is a professional artist in traditional Japanese arts in training to be a Geisha.

We arrived back at the ship in time to see the performance of a Japanese drum group, which was very entertaining.Lue lisää