Upon arrival, we'll take an afternoon tour of the city that includes the Kinkakuji Temple, also called the "Golden Pavilion." Surrounded by a lush, peaceful garden and large reflecting pond, this zen temple features a striking exterior with the top two floors completely covered in gold leaf. It was the retirement villa of one of Japan's shoguns in the late 1300s. The tranquil stroll around the garden walk will provide glimpses of Japan's past and offers a refreshing respite in the midst of our busy travels.
Next, we'll visit Nijo Castle which was built as the residence for the first shogun of the "Edo Period" which lasted over 250 years. One interesting aspect of the Nijo Castle are its wooden floors, which were specially designed to "squeak" as an intruder alert against ninja warriors who could move with great stealth, but could not keep the floors from squeaking. (Imagine that... paying extra for squeaky floors!)
But amid all this history, Kyoto is a wonderful melange of old and new. It boasts one of the most impressive train stations in the world that serves as a bustling, energetic hub for this great city. More on that in the next post!
