Fifth Full Day in Japan.

Travel Blog 2 Minutes

This is our first full day in Kyoto. We arranged for a tour guide to drive us around today. Mana, our driver, picked us up at 8:30 and drove us to our first stop on today’s tour.

This is the Fushimi Inari Shrine with its Red Tori Gates.
There are over 10,000 Red Tori Gates stretching up the hill for over a mile.
The Red Tori Gates are amazing.
My amazing daughters.

After we finished at this shrine we drove over to the Geisha District. This is where the geishas trained before they could enter into service at the emperor’s palace.

The Geisha District.

There is a Kiyomizu temple complex at the top of the hill overlooking the Geisha District.

Pagoda in the temple complex.
Temple complex.
There are temples and shrines all over this temple complex.

Next we went to the Sanjusangendo Temple.

Inside this temple there were over one thousand intricately carved Buddhas in a hall that was over one hundred yards long. No pictures allowed.
Lunch stop at the Nishiki Market. This row of food stalls stretched out for over a city block. I found a stall selling delicious teriyaki chicken bowls.

After lunch we went for a walk around a bamboo forest.

Did you know that bamboo can grow over one hundred feet in six weeks?

Our final stop was a small temple that had over one thousand small stone Buddhas scattered around the grounds.

Dinner tonight was at Lurra. It was the best meal I have ever had.

Lurra’s story.
Menu.
This is the kitchen. We are sitting at the bar watching the chef and his staff prepare our meal. Kear, the chef/owner, is the guy on the left side of the photo.
Barbecued baby corn tostada with chicatana ants and ancho chiles.
Baby fish.
Really delicious baby fish.
Sea urchin with fresh cheese and macadamia nuts.
White asparagus with caviar.
Au gratin onion with morels and green asparagus.
Zucchini flower and red mullet.
Wild boar.
Summer vegetables.
Grilled rice with peas and surf clams.
First desert. Kinda like a strawberry shortcake.
Second dessert. Pineapple donut.

Sara, Dana and I agree that this was the best meal and best dining experience we have ever had or ever will have.

Good night from Kyoto. I hope you are having a wonderful day wherever you are.

Unknown's avatar

Published by abeandmarkonthecamino

I've been retired from the Union Pacific Railroad since 2017. I've been planning to walk the Camino for about 6 months and can't wait to get started.

Published

Leave a comment