Under the sea

Today I spent the day with my cousin Chiho. She took me to the newly renovated Kyoto Aquarium, then to lunch at a sushi train and finally the Tōji Buddhist temple.

I must say, I was super impressed with the architecture of this aquarium. It features a super sleek modern design with well-utilized space and a focus on detail.

Spot the salamander..

As you walk in, this is what you see; crystal clear blue water everywhere.

Just an average sized fish...

Spotty seals.

Penguins mucking around in the water.

And out of the water..

Nemo and his dad, Marlin living the life in a sea anenome.

I`m not sure what these are called, but the label said in Japanese, that they treat the ocean like a toilet..

The main fish tank

More of the main tank

"What are you looking at"

Creepy fish...

A super rare species of coral.

My favourite section of the aquarium, the jellyfish. The designers of the tanks used a different coloured UV light for each tank to illuminate the jellyfish.

The big finale, the dolphin show. Try and spot the dolphins.. they can get some serious air!

Cute cups for complimentary greentea at the sushi train.

Tōji: the tallest pagoda in Japan. In the surrounding halls there were magnificent 10m high Buddhist statues but unfortunately, no photos were allowed.

Hiking Mt. Daimonji

Well today was interesting to say the least...

I decided to climb Mt Daimonji, one of the mountains that surrounds Kyoto. After finding detailed instructions on the internet with guiding photos (http://openkyoto.com/sightseeing/hiking-kyoto-daimonji-yama.html), I set out on my bike for Kinkakuji, where the first photo started. After a 40 minute bike ride there, I parked and set off to find the first photo. 10 minutes later, I had no such luck and ended up asking a parking officer how to begin the hike. He replied with a strange look, so no help there. I went back to my bike to figure out where I had gone wrong.
After rereading the instructions, I realized I had ridden to Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavilion) instead of Ginkakuji (the Silver Pavilion) which was back in the direction I`d come from. Good one Dede. So, I rode 40 minutes back to where I started and another 10 minutes to the silver pavilion where I found the first photo easily and finally hiked Mount Daimonji.

A torii gate I found cycling to the wrong pavilion...

Finally on the right track, the path leading to the hike.

The trees that line the same track.

The fresh spring water at the base of the mountain.

Finally, the steps leading up the mountain.

"Yodarekake" bib wearing stone statues.

The view from the top! Unfortunately, it was a really cloudy day and thus all the photos I took were all a bit overexposed but I think this gives an idea of what the view was like, breathtaking.

Shopping in Kawaramachi

I discovered the most interesting vintage store today called "Three Star". Tucked away in a small street off the main shopping area, the exterior gave nothing away, just a small yellow sign. But the interior was incredible, I've never seen anything like in Japan. 

As I walked in, I was taken aback by the arty entrance. Three bathtubs, one filled with fish and two filled with plants, were the centre piece of the light flooded room. 

The first bathtub with goldfish.

Help my sink is clogged with plants.

I then walked up a set of stairs with about 20 lanterns suspended from the ceiling.

At the top of the stairs was a huge room with high ceilings, bright lights, white walls and aisles and aisles of vintage clothing. All colour coordinated of course.

There was also a table filled with old Life magazines.

After wandering around absorbing the atmosphere, I realised there was a walkway to another room. This was the bird living in a little window in the walkway.

This was the second room. Chandeliers suspended from the roof, mirrors lining the walls and heaps of vintage clothes.

A super comfy suspended chair in the chandelier room.

Help, there's a barbie in my boot!

Heian Jingu

Today I went tea shopping with my grandma and afterwards, we visited the Heian Jingu Shrine. 

Washing our hands outside the shrine for purification purposes.

Inside Heian Jingu.

Tourist.

The Torri gate.

Wandering around Kyoto

Part one: Daitokuji Temple

I went for a bit of a wander today, no plans, just seeing where I would end up. I had to get something from a shopping centre and ended up riding to a nearby temple. Daitokuji Temple was absolutely beautiful, with hardly anyone there. I walked around the numerous individual Buddhist temples with my favourite being Daisen-In as it had the most peaceful zen garden. 

Daitokuji Temple.

Close up of Daitokuji Temple.

No photos were allowed to be taken in the zen garden so this is a picture I found on the internet.

Part two: Kyoto Botanical Gardens

After the temple, I rode to the Botanical Gardens. I wandered around the outdoor gardens as well as the giant indoor conservatory. There was so much diversity throughout the conservatory: hot, dry, wet and cold climates. 

The lush tropical rainforest/jungle in the conservatory.

Cacti in the dry climate.

The cacti collection.

All the trees were so vibrantly green.

The chrysanthemum garden.

If you can spot the person on the left of the path, you can get a sense of the size of these trees...