Picturesqueness: Kyoto, Japan

K y o t o  S t a t i o n ( 京 都 駅 )

Just in front of the Kyoto station is the well lighted Kyoto Tower Hotel.
We arrived at Kyoto in the afternoon; the tower then was not that striking,
come night time it glowed. Walastik!

C o m m u t e   b y   B u s

The bus is the way to go at Kyoto (oh wow that rhymed)
The bus can take you to a lot of historical temples and shrines
They even have express bus lines that only stops at tourist spots.
So I'm assuming that Kyoto is much more tourist friendly than Osaka, I guess?

H o t e l   S e i k i

The floor and some futons (布団)...
I'll call this; trying out the traditional Japanese bedding.
Anyway, it really is comfortable.  It may be because of the soft padded wooden floor.
Hmmm, One thing is for sure; I wouldn't try this on a cement floor.

N i j o  C a s t l e ( 二 条 城 )

Yep, Tita Lili was that excited to jump
We are off to see the place where many ninjas and samurai battled and died,
Tough luck, taking pictures inside the castle is not allowed.
Tsk... there goes the excitement.
(Photo courtesy of Alvin Villegas)

K i n k a k u - j i   T e m p l e ( 金 閣 寺 )

When the rays of the sun strikes the temple; AMAZING!

S a n j u s a n g e n d o   T e m p l e ( 三 十 三 間 堂 )

Home to the Thousand Armed Kannons
Again, taking pictures inside the temple is forbidden
In turn I bought a couple of expensive postcards
Their marketing strategy worked on me, sheesh!

K i y o m i z u d e r a   T e m p l e ( 音 羽 山 清 水 寺 )

We didn't take the plunge since it was already prohibited :P
The path to the temple is a road full of shops and people.  Getting there is
a mere 6 minute walk.  But taking in consideration all of the distractions you'd encounter
it would probably take half an hour or more depending on one's EQ.

That cat again!

H i g a s h i   H o n g a n j i   T e m p l e ( 東 本 願 寺 )

(Ten shot photo courtesy of Dinno Mendiola)
I just converted them to an animated gif using a free photo editing software
called PhotoScape.  Cool ,huh!  Never mind the temple, watch us move!

F u s h i m i   I n a r i   S h r i n e ( 伏 見 稲 荷 大 社 )

"Parang trasher lang na tumilapon ang skateboard!"
The Inari shrine is the wow place for me at Kyoto.
Glad I decided to wear a pair of sandals despite the cold weather.
I think my feet can't bear my weight while walking these path full of orange Torii.

N a m e l e s s   M a l l

I thank you nameless mall's food court, for you have offered me the chance to
eat what I was searching for. Omurice (オムライス) with demi glace sauce.

S a k e ( 日 本 酒 )   N i g h t s

The traditional night drinking spree that made the drunk Alvin and me cross the street
way off the pedestrian lane; just to buy  a couple of thirst quenching Suntory beer.

T r a v e l f a c t o r

How I love to travel with these guys again.
Thanks TravelFactor for another memorable trip; gaining new friends is a big reward in itself.
More power to your mission and vision. Adventure Time!
Happy birthday Atty. Genevieve Alcancia, thanks for dinner!
(Photo courtesy of Alvin Villegas)