Day Three - 8/25

(Sorry for the lack of updates, we've been awfully busy and I have not had (free) internet access in my hotels up until now.)

On day three my brother, his girlfriend and I headed to Rokuon-ji temple complex on the outskirts of Kyoto. First we saw the Kinkaku-ji (golden temple), which was a beautiful tem ple. I took lots of photos (see link), so check them out. We enjoyed some ice cream, and my camera was dropped but it survived with a very small scratch.

From there we walked to Ryoan-ji (temple), where we viewed the famous rock garden. It was very relaxing, and we walked around the grounds.

Then we walked towards a small train station, where we caught an even smaller train. We switched trains, and made our way to Arashiyama, where we had a wonderful tofu lunch (the area is famous for tofu). Turns out I like tofu, at least outside of miso soup. The only thing that wasn't my favorite was the tofu dessert, which was was covered with a flour-like substance that I couldn't identify and didn't really enjoy.

From there, we walked across the street and up a road to Tenryu-ji, where we viewed the grounds and structures and took many photos. From there we took a path through a bamboo forest, and then back into town. We crossed the "Moon Crossing Bridge", stopped to rest, and then we took a long bus ride back into Kyoto.