We have embarked on our Asian adventure - 5 nights in Kyoto and then on to Bangkok enroute to Bhutan for 9 days.

I was a bit nervouse about navigating trains, etc. ahead of this trip since there is no way we can decipher any Japanese signs, but getting through the Osaka airport (fingerprints and all) and onto the Haruka Express train to Kyoto was a breeze.

We are staying at the Granvia Hotel, located above the ultramodern Kyoto train station. It is a large, modern hotel, with a staggering amount of staff everywhere. The room is nice and we have a straight on view of the Kyoto Tower from our 14th floor room. We have access to the concierge lounge, the main benefit being 24 hour internet access - otherwise you can get juice/tea or coffee - no snacks that I've seen, no wine, beer, drinks. The concierge staff up here so far has not been too terribly helpful - we may try the regular concierge downstairs for some advice on transportation today. The location is terrific for getting trains, buses and the subway.

Yesterday we explored the southern part of eastern Kyoto, "Higashiyama", on a walking tour I printed out from frommers.com. We started at Sanjusangendo Hall which was really fabulous - it is a 400 ft. long wooden structure housing 1001 life size golden wooden images of the thousand-handed Kannon, goddesses of mercy, guarded by 28 Buddhist deities. It was really incredible - unfortunately no photos are allowed.

We moved on to the Kyoto National Museum across the street for a look at some textiles, calligraphy, cermaics and pottery.Yesterday was a free day (2nd Saturday) which was welcome as we are really buzzing through our yen on all these attractions!

Our next stops was the Kawai Kanjuro House, the former home & studio of one of Japan's most famous potters. The house was a traditional Japaense home located down an alley with a lovely interior courtyard, with mainly hand made furniture and gorgeous woodwork and detailing.

After that we climbed up to the Kiyomizu-dera, built high in the hills overlooking Kyoto. We took a wrong turn on the way and ended up climbing up a street lined with thousands of graves. The maple trees are turning and the temple is in a stunning setting - packed with Japanese purchasing good luck wishes, lighting incense, lining up to drink from a waterfall of spring water, posing for pictures on the wooden veranda supported by 139 50 ft. pillars and strolling the grounds. Behind it is the bright red Jishu Shrine, devoted to the deity in charge of matchmaking and love - here you can buy more charms for luck in love, drown your troubles on paper in buckets of water, walk about 30 ft. with your eyes closed between two stones to ensure success in your love life and more.

We then wound down the hill past lots of shops and shrines through old neighborhoods of wooden buildings - we took a look at the Ryozen Kannon temple from the outside which houses an 80 ft. tall statue dedicated to unknown soldier who died in WWII. Next door is the serene Kodaiji Temple, a former nunnery with extensive, exquisite gardens, a bamboo grove and more turning maples.

We decided to stop at a teahouse after that - an adventure in ordering. I really just wanted some tea, but ended up getting a bright green, very odd tasting soup bowl full of a weird broth. We also tried some kind of gelatenous semi sweet item, dredged in a peanuty tasting bean paste. We sat in the back tatami room overlooking a 100 year old miniature garden and pond filled with huge, bright colored carp outside.The staff did not quite know what to do about us!

After a brief stroll through Maruyama Park we next went to the Yasaka Shrine dedicated to the gods of health & prosperity. Here we were treated to a late afternoon wedding procession.

We trudged back to the Granvia, 7 hours after departure, for a nap and then a delicious tempura dinner.

Our plan is to spend 2 more days exploring Kyoto - today we will try to tackle the subway and bus system, and take a day trip one day to Nara. Will try to poste some photos if there is a plug in to the computer up in the lounge.

Leslie, Thanks for posting. We didn't get to wish you bon voyage but wanted to wish you and Brad safe travels and an exciting trip. We'll travel with you vicariously.

Leslie - you got tea, Kyoto-style, all right. It's quite a sight, no? Let alone quite a taste!

Glad the Granvia is working out well for you. One cannot beat its central location.

I hope you enjoy Nara - we sure did. I did not take note of the various places we visited. The golden temple is well worth a stop if that's on one of your tour guide outlines.

Cheers, Anne

What a great trip you two are on....I hope you don't lose too much weight being on the go go go. Sounds like a great time. Looking forward to the pix.

Leslie & Brad - Your Asian adventure sounds wonderful so far. Fingerprints at the Osaka airport?? Has the word got out on Interpol that Brad cheats at Pooch?

While you're in the lovely Kyoto region, do you plan to try the classic Japanese meal, Kaiseki-ryori? If your hotel doesn't have a venue for Kaiseki, there are several excellent kaiseki restaurants in Kyoto. Although not for the faint of heart (Ngaire would not, emphasize NOT, like a kaiseke meal), the presentation of the series of courses is exquisite, even if some of the flavors are a bit of an aquired taste (as in, "It's gorgeous; but I don't want to eat it ever again..."). I wanted to steal every one of the beautiful pottery serving dishes. I had to be content with just photographing the astonishingly simple but truly elegant presentation of the dishes.

You know, I am sure, that you will be arriving in Bhutan just a week after the coronation of the new king, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, a 28-year-old basketball-playing Oxford graduate. It appears to be a very special time to visit that lovely country. We envy you your adventure and will continue to relish your reports.

Cheers, Fred

Leslie & Brad,

I am so sorry we could not get together with you while you are in Japan. Our movers come tomorrow morning and I am not any where near ready. Kyoto is beautiful and one of our favorite places. We never got to go in the fall though and I hear it is even more beautiful now. Glad to hear you are enjoying it.

Fred,

Amazing isn't it that you must be fingerprinted now to enter Japan? One of the reasons Japan started this is that they are very "anti immigration." They started this about a year ago and it has caused quite a bit of consternation. You should see the lines at immigration at Narita airport when 2 or 3 of those jumbos land similtaneously. We are fortunate in that Marc is here under "status of forces" so we do not have to be fingerprinted and we have learned that you need to book a seat closest to the door so you can run when you get off the plane. Friends of ours have spent 3 - 4 hours in those lines.

Brad,

What is this about you cheeting at Pooch? I thought you were the great "Pooch rules enforcer"

Back from the day's adventures - today we figured out the extensive Kyoto bus system, which is quite easy. There are many different buses, all numbered, which circle the city in grid like patterns. We bought an all day pass for 500 yen.

Only ATM's in certain places, like post offices, 7-11's and Citibank work with our system. Fortunately there is a post office right outside the Kyoto station which had instructions available in English so we were recharged with more yen for the day. All the tempels, gardens, etc. command entry fees ranging from 500 - 1000 yen per person so it is easy to drop a lot of yen daily.

Today we focused on the northern part of eastern Kyoto. We caught the #17 bus from outside the station and headed north arriving at Ginkakuji, the Temple of the Silevr Pavilion about 1/2 hour later. The main temple is undergoing restoration but the grounds and other buildings were stunning. It was built as a retirement villa for a shogun in the 15th century - as Frommers describes it, it "the whole complex was designed for enjoyment of the tea ceremonym moon viewing and other aesthetic pursuits." The grounds, as in many of the temples on the east side of Kyoto, climb up the mountainside. Many of the maple trees were in peak bright red color, which was offset by an amazing variety of different mosses, bamboo, sand gardens, ponds, streams and rocks.

We then headed down on the Philosopher's Path which follows a canal winding south for a mile or two, stopping for a detour of the low-key and tranquil Honen-In temple further up the hillside. We took a peak at the foliage behind the Eikando Temple, famous for it's statue of a backward looking Buddha. There were large crowds arriving as we came to this spot which is very popular in fall for it's maples - so popular that they double the admission price in November!

Continuing south we did stop at Nanzenji Temple, a former aristocratic villa turned into a temple set on 27 acres of forested hillside and most famous for it's Zen rock gardens attached to the main hall and a series of 16th century screen paintings, many of which feature tigers.

After that we strolled along the Lake Biwa Aqueduct and took a break at a nice cafe located in ther Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts. I had some udon noodles and Brad had a teryaki chicken sandwhich that tasted like egg salad. Ever the tea experimenter today I went for a caramel tea which while not very good was better than yesterday's fluorescent green tea.

Last stop of the day was the orange and green Heian shrine built in the 19th century to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of Kyoto, a replica of the early city administrative buildings. We especially enjoyed seeing dozens of adorable kimono clad little girls out for a Sunday stroll with their families.

Then we packed onto the #100 bus back to the Kyoto Station and spent some time exploring the complex and scouting out the dozens of restaurants, especially on the 11th floor. Whoever has the plastic food display concession is certainly kept busy in Kyoto!

Tonight, Fred, we are indeed giving the kaiseki dinner a go at Kitcho, here in the Granvia.

Leslie

We were where you are just a few weeks ago and enjoy reliving some of our experiences. Good luck on the kaiseki!

Ted

PS - watch out for the deer when you get to Nara - they are ravenous and persistent - will go into pockets for anything made of paper, including yen notes!

Ted

Leslie,

Take careful notes of your dinner...looking forward to a course by course description of the beauty of the table setting and the inedible and edible ingredients and how they tasted together!!!

Leslie, can't wait to hear about the dinner. You and Brad really make the most of your travels. I feel like a novice! Looking forward to more. Thanks for taking the time.

Today could be summed up as temples, tea houses, transportation....and gardens.

After getting some routing advice from the concierge this morning we embarked on an ambitious itinerary to western Kyoto. First we took the subway about 6 stops north, then transferred to a bus going west getting off at the Kinkaku-Ji stop for a visit to the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, built in the 14th century as a retirement villa for a shogun and converted into a Zen temple upon his death. The 3 story pavilion is on the edge of a lake and covered in gold leaf. Although the temple has been rebuilt after it was torched by an unstable student monk in the 1950's, the extensive gardens & grounds remain as they were hundreds of years ago.

From there we walked south to Ryoanji Temple, most famous for its Zen rock garden, consisting only of 15 rocks and white gravel, surrounded by walls made of clay boiled in oil. The design on the walls emerged when the oil seeped out of - sort of a Zen statement on impermanence. When you look at the garden from the verandah of the tmple you can only see 14 of the 15 rocks at any one time - once you move another rock appears as one dissapears. In Buddhism 15 symbolizes completeness; appropriate for the Zen experience of the garden, you must have an entire view of the garden to experience it as a whole, but it is not possible to see the whole at any given time. The rest of the grounds here were gorgeous with ponds, tea houses and more beautifuil red maple trees.

From there we continued walking south and took a peak into the grounds of Ninna-ji, the former palace of a 9th century emperor, and then we took two stages of a tram which went west to Arahiyama, the westernmost part of Kyoto in the foothills of the mountains, covered with cherry trees, maples and bamboo forests.

Our first stop there was Tenryu-ji, the Temple of the Heavenly Dragon, with more amazing gardens dating back to the 14th century which was one of the first gardens to incorporate the scenery of the mountains into the design of the garden itself. Upon exiting the temple you come upon a thick bamboo forest and can stroll along wide pathways from there to Okochi Sanso, the villa and gardens of a silent samurai movie actor. The gardens were developed over 30 years and were just stunning as they climbed the mountainside. The maples are turning more each day and were really wonderful here. As part of the steep admission price here we were treated to a cup of the flourescent green tea and a weird gelatinous little cake.

Upon leaving Okochi Sanso we walked some more through bamboo groves and made our way to the JR station, catching the train back to the Kyoto station, feeling quite proud that we had mastered all the logistics of the day.

Last night's kaiseki dinner was interesting. Kitcho has an outlet in the hotel here which is much more affordable than the main restaurant which is located in the Arashiyama area - the choice here is a $60 pp bento box, or full kaiseki dinners for $100, $150 or $250 pp. According to my guide book, at the main restaurant the lunches start at $450 pp and dinners start at $500 pp...

Since we had a late lunch we went for the bento box option which was preceeded by a very creamy tofu dish served with a sake chaser. The menu was only in Japanese so we really don't know what all we had, but the bento box sections were exquisitely designed with a bit of an autumn theme. We ate everything! Our only complaint was the sparseness of the dining room - the lighting was quite bright, in fact Brad mentioned that he thought we were going to be interrogated! Maybe the idea is to put all the focus on the food? There was one scroll on the wall for decoration - in reading about the main branch apparently the scroll is changed and its message sets the seasonal theme of the meal.

Tonight we are having a teppanyaki dinner.

Leslie - what a day . filled with lots of sights and sounds! IOne of my favoite places was the Golden Temple. Did you have the school kids asking to interview you? Have you seen all the kids flashing the peace sign? Did you buy the fortunes? They range from Excellent to Poor. LOL! Different marketing for different cultures.

We sure enjoyed our few days in Kyoto. You two are going above and beyond!

Best to Brad .. and what's this about him being an international pooch cheat? No way! International jewel thief .. I'd buy that.

Cheers,

Great reading Leslie - thanks for taking time to post much appreciated!!!! Joanna

last dispatch from Kyoto - we leave on the 6:45 AM train tomorrow back to the Osaka airport and on to Bangkok for an overnight and then an early morning flight to Bhutan. Not sure what the internet situation will be in Bhutan - I've heard that our last hotel has a good connection, but not the first and second so my Bhutan reports may not be very extensive.

Anne - we haven't had any interviews, although we have seen a lot of school kids in their blue uniforms, especially today. We've seen lots of peace signs - they seem to do that when they are posing for pictures, which is quite frequently. Brad is totally confused with the young female Japanese fashion sense - they wear lots of layers and have cutesy stuffed animals hanging off their purses and backpacks - they particularly love boots and hats and they love to giggle!

This morning we took the train to Nara and spent another day walking, walking, walking and only scratched the surface of all the temples, museums and gardens - you probably need a few full days to really see Nara - we were on overload so we only spent about 4 hours before heading back to Kyoto. It is going to be a relief to sit on the plane tomorrow!

First stop was Tofukuji Temple, a Unesco site with a 5 story pagoda, octagonal hall and golden hall enshrining various Buddhas and other figures. They had a National Treasure exhibit going on in one of the other halls so we were steeped in Buddhist iconography first thing and opted to skip the Nara National Museum.

From there we walked to the Toadiji Temple, supposedly the largest wooden structure in the world and home to a 50' high bronze Buddha. A fun feature here is a column with a hollowed out area, the size of one of the Buddha's nostrils. If you can successfully squeeze through it you will be aided in your path to enlightenment. The signs here also made a point that fortunes were available in English, although we didn't indulge.

There were deer (protected as envoys of the gods)all over the place - for some reason I thought they'd just be in a specific area but they were everywhere and very sweet looking as they begged for crackers. There were lots of really young school kids on field trips all over too - each group wearing brightly color coded hats - yellow, green, orange - clamboring over the temple entryways holding hands. Cute!

From there we climbed up the hillside past quite a few more temples and halls and walked through the forest lined with thousands of stone lanterns leading to Kasuga Taisha, a shinto shrine. The lanterns were given to the shrine by individuals as an expression of their faith and each one is inscribed with the name, date, and special wish of the donor. It must be incredible to visit when they are lit up twice a year. The temple is tended by priestesses with wisteria in their hair. An interesting fact about this shrine is that the buildings were rebuilt every twenty years from 8th century onwards!

We wound our way back through the forests and through the park and back to the train station and sacreligiously grabbed a Starbucks frappacino and chai latte before hopping on the train back to Kyoto. For our last night in Japan we are going for sushi at a nearby restaurant we scouted out the other day. You could easily spend a week or ten days in this part of Japan there is so much to see and do. We didn't have a chance to see the Nijo castle or Imperial Palace, anything in the southern area of Kyoto, much of the Gion district, no geishas, tea ceremonies, calligraphy lessons etc. I also would have liked to take a trip to Himeji Castle and seen some other outlying areas along with Osaka.