I’m big in Japan: Kōdai-ji, Maruyama Park, & Chion’in (2005 May 16)

Next on the walking tour was Kōdai-ji; you guessed it… another temple. Didn’t take a lot of photos here; just spent the time walking around the beautiful gardens and looking at the artwork. Most of the screens and artwork were historic enough to warrant the "no pictures" warning; at least, that’s what my memory is telling me.

The walking tour continued through Maruyama Park, renowned for its huge cherry tree. It lived up to its billing; we strolled around and soaked in more scenery. Sat for a bit to rest up for the final leg of the walking tour. Our next stop was Chion’in, yet another temple. We were pretty much templed out by that point and just admired the architecture from the outside. Good fortune smiled on us again; two geisha were just outside, and I managed to get one to crack a smile when I asked in Japanese if it was alright to take her picture.

The rest of the tour would have taken us to Shōren-in and Yasaka-jinja, even more shrines! We were too tired and were starting to get a bit hungry; we decided to head back and stop at the Kyoto Craft Center before grabbing a bite. I took some pictures of the giant torii gate of Yasaka along the way and left it at that.