Hello to you all– If you’ve been reading along here, you’ve seen our recent travels with Brian, Ani & their Little Lois. Finally our last stop– Beautiful Kyoto. We took the Bullet Train south from Tokyo, past towns and rice fields to spend some days in this lovely old capitol of Japan.
Our Air Bnb In Kyoto was a traditional older house, with sliding walls and mat flooring. The beds were rolled out on the floor and the table down low as well. Loved the woodwork and detailed hardware.
This first evening we arrived we took a walk through our neighborhood–narrow lanes with kids playing ball and riding bikes and ended up by a local temple.
The next morning, we took a subway uptown to a large city park, nestled into a bustling shopping area. We noticed many young women dressed in traditional Japanese outfits and later walked past stores that rented these clothes to tourists for the day of picture taking!!
One evening we trekked up the hill to a Shinto Shrine, following trails of archways partway up a mountain. The sun was setting and it was a peaceful end to a busy day.
We spent an afternoon in the bustling indoor market (with a whole lot of other tourists), browsing over stalls of food, treats and souvenirs–and sampling a few snacks ourselves.
And one sunny morning, we strolled through the park and into the complex of ancient buildings that were the Emperor’s palace in the days when Kyoto was the capitol city of Japan.
Our last afternoon we studied our way through the Kyoto Train Museum. Brian, an big fan of public transportation, led the way. Lois favorite was the Thomas the Train tracks!
And don’t you agree that sampling new foods is one of the best bits of traveling?? Our first evening we wandered into a small neighborhood shop with just 8 seats around a small kitchen, where we watched our proprietor prepare the one meal choice for that evening.
Another dinner was at the local skewer shop– tables on platforms, sit on the floor to dig into small plates of all kinds of things cooked on skewers.
Our fanciest lunch was on a top floor of a tall downtown building– at a restaurant where you cook your own meal over a grill in the center of the table–veggies, mushrooms, different cuts of beef.
We ate at a crazy automated sushi place, where you ordered on a screen and a little conveyor belt brought dishes to your table. Then you fed the plates down a slot on the table and for every 5 plates, you could play a little game on the screen to win a prize! (There were lots of families with kids eating here!)
Our last morning we “yelped” a German-Japanese Bakery near our little house. It was a wonderland of baked goods (my favorite kind of place!)
And one last photo–heading through the train station on our way to the airport and our flights home…
Ani and Brian–thanks thanks again for inviting us along on this marvelous adventure!! You two and that Little Lois are the best kind of travel buddies. Let’s do it again!!
Lovely pictures…looks like a wonderful time!
Hey Debi!! It was a really beautiful place. Moe low key and historic than Tokyo. And now it’s good to be home (know what I mean??). hugs friend.
The food looks to-die-for!
I know Jess. Don’t you love eating on vacation??
Loveliness!
thanks Cindy– I think you could come up with the most beautiful photos there! xo
What an amazing trip! Everything is so beautiful! I bet the food is fantastic! One thing I noticed is it looks so clean and pristine there. 💞😊
You’re right Lisa– It was al so clean and tidy. An people were so kind. I guess i really didn’t know that much about Japan, but we loved our stay there. hugs hugs.
Beautiful is right! What a wonderful family adventure you’ve had. I like your parasol! 🙂
ha ha! That’s why it’s s green and beautiful there Marcia– the rain! I always love hearing from you– thanks. xox
Looks like it was an amazing trip! Loved the idea of earning a prize when you put the dishes away at the sushi place.
Hey Janet!!! fun to hear from you! Yep, I’m not a hug sushi eater, but it was a fun place– and Larry thought the automated beer machine was a kick. So glad you’ve started blogging! I’ll be following along… xox
Awesome photos!! A very interesting adventure.
HI Chris! thanks. Like your last Green Bay post!
The pictures are just stunning. I must say though my 5 year old son would have loved this part of the trip best. We’ve read about, watched videos about, and built models of that bullet train. Then the train museum would have been his wonderland.
I think you’re right Lacey– it was a train lovers dream. Our son-in-law Brian loves trains and had a book about that particular bullet train when he was a kid. So he was so excited to get to go in the drivers seat. It’s always fun fun to hear from you Lacey. xo
That’s neat. It was like a dream come true for him I bet.
It was Lacey! xo
Wonderful pictures Rhonda! Love reading about your travels! Japan must be so beautiful. 💗
I have a lot of catching up to do, I enjoy reading your posts! I hope you are doing well!😊
Thanks Ursula. We are doing well right now– tomorrow 4 grand-girls arrive for 4 days of Grammy Camp! And I’m so excited! xox
So. Much. Fun. My son went to Kyoto when he was in junior high and stayed with a host family for about a week. He absolutely loved it . I hope to get there someday! The food looks delish! -Kat
Hi Kat! What a wonderful experience! I’m so curious–Did go with a group of kids?? Did he know any Japanese? It sounds like such a great way to get kids that age to see the world beyond. Wish all kids had that chance to widen their perspective. We loved it there– so beautiful and historic and people were very kind. Take care. xox
What a great trip with family you’ve had, Rhonda! The place looks clean, green and serene. Thanks for sharing. xoxox😍
Hi Lilly!! I wish we could have extended our trip beyond to follow some of your travels!! –would love to get to Cambodia one day. xox
Hello Rhonda! You and your family are very much welcome here. Just let me know when you visit, would love to show you the place.😍😘
You are the best!! Would love love to see your part o the world! hugs!
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