The Golden Pavilion

We got ourselves a bus pass today as we had plenty of sights to see in the north of Kyoto, and our legs have started to ache from our daily treks!! We didn't know how to ask for a bus pass, so one of the staff from the hotel wrote down a request on a bit of paper which we were able to show the bus driver as we got on. Will be keeping that! The funny thing is that is seemed to take about 50 characters to say "Can I have a bus pass"!

We got on the number 59 bus, and our first stop was the Golden Pavilion at the Kinkakuji Temple. As we got off the bus, it started to snow pretty heavily. And we didn't bring a brolly! We coated up, and headed into the Temple grounds. We arrived at a large pond and at the back of it was a tall Golden Pavilion. It looked amazing, but it was so cold that it was difficult to take it all in. We then continued to walk around the gardens and within minutes the clouds had cleared and we had blue skies and gorgeous sunshine. We decided to try and get back into the grounds from the entrance and see the Pavilion in the sunshine. We had tickets, and the front office seemed to assume we were part of a group and just marched us on...

It was well worth it. The Golden Pavilion looked so much more grand in the sun. Not only did the sunshine make the gold glisten, but the reflection on the pond surface was a picture in itself.

With the sun still out we decided to walk to Ryoanji Temple which was about 1km away. Now very grateful for some sunshine, it was an easy walk. We munched on some wasabi peanuts that we bought in the temple grounds. They were awesome and blew out heads off. Well warmed up now!

Ryoanji Temple is home to a world famous Zen rock garden. Sounds like a sight, but we were a bit underwhelmed. Literally 15 rocks in a set of small stones... a bit too minimalistic for our liking, but it certainly pulled a crowd.

We had a cup of the strangest tea there, it was seaweed tea. Leanne loved it, but I wasn't such a fan. Tasted a bit like sea water to me. However, we brought a bag, so can share it when we get home...

We finally headed down to the Ninnaji Temple. This was by far the best of the day. Really quaint and elegant, and lots of artwork and treasures on display. There were also amazing gardens, with small ponds and bridges backing on to a backdrop of the Kyoto mountains. We had to take our shoes off at Ninnaji, and as we walked around we tried to avoid all of the areas in the shade. It was still cold from this mornings snow, and it was only the sun rays that kept our feet warm!

And then just like the climate switch this morning, it started to snow again. It was really coming down heavy as we made our way up to the Pagoda. We took a few chance snaps, and then headed for the bus stop, absolutely freezing!

We are now back on the 59 heading to the Nishiki Food Market for lunch. We've heard good things and worked up quite an appetite this morning!!