Central and Downtown Kyoto

After resting/napping at our hotel for a bit after our early morning adventures, we set out to explore a different area of Kyoto.

Our first stop was Nishiki Market, where we tried food at various vendor stalls before queueing for an omakase sushi lunch experience. The sushi was incredible and the chefs were a ton of fun to watch!

Next, we had heard that the cherry blossoms in the gardens/park surrounding the imperial palace were in full bloom, so we set off on a cherry blossom hunt. We were certainly not alone in this endeavor and found crowds around every blooming tree. This was definitely the most dense collection of blooming trees we'd seen, though!

From here, we walked along the river bike path back to our hotel to do some laundry before we pack up to leave this hotel. The path was a welcome break from traffic-y streets, and seemed to be a popular local option for walking, biking, napping, and pickup games.

Tonight, our final destination is Nijo Castle, which has an illumination and projection mapping experience intended to align with the cherry blossom bloom. While there were only a few trees blooming here, and it would have been cooler with more bloomed trees, it was a really neat experience and a nice change of pace from all the temples.Read more