Kyoto

We are in Kyoto for 3 days and we already know we won’t be able to see a tenth of what there is to see. So we made a plan to get to discover what will enchant us the most. First stop: Nishiki market! We had a feast tasting different seafood delicacies.
What we did not plan on is that the first day is like a summer day (close to 30 degrees, full sun) and is a public holiday, i.e. the national celebration of health and sports which translates into the national sport of visiting Kyoto’s must see dressed as a geisha. We think strategically and head to Fushimi Inari-Taisha because it’s less central. Yes that is the site with the vermillon temples and alleys of toris. Except today it is packed with waves of fake geisha’s and (inter)national tourists. We find some peacefulness at Tofuku-ji before meeting again all the fellow tourists at Kiyomezu-Dera, the iconic site, under renovation for some part. That’s not exactly what we had foreseen... but the Tiki team is in for a blast and notices that cycling around Kyoto seems easy.

So, here we are on our second day, on our bikes heading West to visit Arashiyama bamboo grove and Tenryu-ji. The sites are still quite busy but the road is all ours youpiii! We smoothly make our way to the zen garden of Ryoan-ji and end the visit program of the day at Kinkaku-ji, the famous golden temple, a real beauty!!

We start our last day early in the Eastern part of town, first at quiet Nanzen-ji, then cycling along the canal of the Philosopher’s path that leads us to Ginkaku-ji and its beautiful garden. We take it easy in the afternoon, cycling around Ponto Cho and getting ready for THE dinner of the trip!!... To be continued...Read more