We awoke to another beautiful day in Kyoto. The house is proving to be a hit and allows a modicum of normality in an otherwise busy travel agenda. We have got stuff washed, had time to refresh without having to make a special trip. So after a little breakfast we ventured out towards the bamboo forest. We took the train and walked through to to the part of the district containing the shrines and bamboo forest. It is strange because the city just stops and there you are in the forest. The only thing separating the two are a line of souvenir shops.
The shrine with the sand gardens had a fantastic overlooking temple where you can sit and contemplate. Other than that the sand gardens were not even close to those we saw yesterday at the silver temple.
Here is a view nonetheless.
After the temple was the bamboo forest itself which was amazing, not quite as green as in the guidebooks and tourist shop views but awe inspiring.
We walked back to the centre and then out again to the monkey sanctuary which involved a significant climb up to the crest of a hill. The monkeys were pretty cool although having been warned off them earlier in the holiday I was less keen to be so close up. I guess I was also remembering a time on a previous trip where a monkey became aggressive with us. It was fab though and they were swimming to keep cool. It was real play jumping in and dunking each other. The stand out bonus for me was the panorama of the city that you can see from the top. Oh my goodness it was amazing. See for yourself…
We hustled back after a cherry blossom ice cream for me and strawberry or granita options for the family. The feeling of relief after the heat was the most poignant I had felt.
After some respite we headed out to find the action around the summer festivals and the Gion area where the Geisha prepare and walk through the streets. It was a long walk but totally worth it to see the parade floats starting off. We finished the night off by grabbing some ramen in a restaurant and taking a breath. Tomorrow we head out for Osaka and the firework festival which marks the general end of festivities centred around mid-summer. We have been very lucky in the timing of everything. Luck didn’t really play as much a part in it at all, as we have an amazing coordinator, who is also Jenni, who is also mum.
