Pictures galore!
Next picture post of my Japan 2008 trip!
Ummm, I'll be honest. I am not going to do a write up on the Kanjani8 concert in Fukui until after the wedding on Saturday. a;lskfj;laskf need sleep! But I will write one! I promised someone I would on all three but for now, you get pictures! (Sorry for the HUGE picspam post. It'll take a few moments to load.)
The Sun Dome in Fukui. :D
Follow the salmon! I mean, fangirls! :D Even the taxis were making loads of money just taking concert-goers from the JR station to the Sun Dome.
The fields near the Sun Dome!
We've arrived at the Sun Dome!
Oh, look! CONCERT GOODS area!
My concert goodies! :D
Okay, I am lame and forgot to take a picture of our Ryokan in Kyoto. But this is our room! :D The obaachans lounging in the lobby in front of the tv teased us about it. "Kanjani? Nandesu ka?"...."AHHHHHHH! JOHNNY'S!"...."KANJANI EITO? HONTOU NI?" *CUE LOTS OF TEASING FROM THE OBAACHANS*
We had our own toilet!
and SHOWER!!! :Dv
Day 4 was spent entirely in Kyoto going to various temples. mousaPi and Shabz graciously allowed me to tailor the day of sightseeing to the temples I wanted to see. So I wanted to show them Kiyomizudera in the early light because it is beautiful in the calm dawn. Then Heian Jingu, recommended to me by sandpanther. I wanted to try and hit up Yasaka Jinja if we had time before meeting up with Ilana, alissa & co and going off to see Kinkakuji and Ryoanji but we weren't able to.
Still, I think Day 4 was one of my favorite days of all on this trip. Despite everyone calling me Leader. Leader janai!
Temples in order visited!
Kiyomizudera
The street leading up to Kiyomizudera. We took bus 101 from Kyoto Station to one of the stops.
Arriving at the steps to Kiyomizudera from the street! *huffs and puffs!* It was a walk uphill!
But so worth it!
Another pagoda!
Dragon!!!
The view was spectacular.
We could see Kyoto Tower in the distance!
People chanting. I wanted to join in but I didn't know how long it would last.
The wooden supports of the veranda!
The view opposite from the veranda.
One of the more famous views of Kiyomizudera. Complete with a mousaPi and a Shabz!
It's so wonderful.
Entrance to the Jishu-jinja, otherwise known as the Love Shrine. :D
The veranda from the other pagoda!
The water Kiyomizudera is named after! Here, you can drink the water for health, longevity, and success in studies.
I wanted to drink the water since I didn't the last time I was there (spring 2007 for Sakura season). I also filled a bottle of the water for my mom since she's very spiritual and will be embarking on a trip to France for a pilgrimage.
Heian Jingu - Heian Shrine
Just to let you know, it was still early morning when we went (around 8am). It was so peaceful and beautiful. I recommend going to as many temples in the morning as you can. It's just a wonderful experience to absorb being there with barely anyone around.
The huge torii gate in the street leading up to the Heian Shrine.
The Main Gate to the shrine.
*___* Daigokuden, the Great Hall of State
One of the other two main halls
The other hall!
A maiko!
We paid to enter the gardens after I got my goshuuin at the Daigoku-den. This is right when we entered Nishi Shin'en (West Garden).
Still in Nishi Shin'en.
The path to Naka Shin'en (Middle Garden). The acolyte was sweeping the leaves away.
The stone pathway in Nika Shin'en. *____* It was an amazing experience to cross them in such a beautiful morning. I felt so awed by the sheer beauty of being in the middle of the pathway, surrounded by such vivid lilies and everything.
The path we walked.
Onto Higashi Shin'en (East Garden).
The Higashi Shin'en.
The turtles! There were so many turtles and carp there! There was even food to feed them for 50yen. :D So we did!
Kinkakuji - The Golden Pavilion
I had us bypass Yasaka Shrine to do the next day or so because I didn't want to be late in meeting up with Ilana, alissa, xelless_poo, and Meaghan for Kinkakuji. We stopped for a brief moment at our ryokan and then met up with them at Kyoto station to tackle the two temples in West Kyoto.
Where we bought our tickets to get in!
The Golden Pavilion. Beautiful. Huge. A bit Ostentatious. Totally Blingin'.
Still bling bling, y0.
A building to one side.
It's really gorgeous. But I've been to Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion in East Kyoto, and comparing the two, I can see why both temples are so revered. Personally, I prefer the utter simplicity of Ginkakuji and it's sand and moss gardens. I like the austerity of it, especially after staring at the Golden Pavilion. I felt a bit intimidated by the sheer gold of it. Silly, ne?
Ryoanji - Peaceful Dragon Temple
Ryoanji wasn't far from Kinkakuji. But we decided to take the bus rather than walk in the humid and hot sun. We also ate a lot of shaved ice. Mmmmmmm. So refreshing!
Walkway up to the Zen Garden.
A miniature of the garden. It is said that you cannot see all 15 rocks from any single view except from a bird's eye view.
The side garden.
After all the temples, we were tired and hungry. So we headed back to Kyoto Station and decided to eat at one of the restaurants in Porta, the underground mall connected to Kyoto Station. We ended up at a okonomiyake place where we all tried okonomiyake for the first time along with takoyaki. SO GOOD. I didn't take any pictures since, in my hunger, I forgot and just enjoyed the meal. :D
We then shopped for a bit in Porta before parting ways, tired and full of delicious food.
Gah, that took longer than I thought! Sleep time. More pictures to come!
Ummm, I'll be honest. I am not going to do a write up on the Kanjani8 concert in Fukui until after the wedding on Saturday. a;lskfj;laskf need sleep! But I will write one! I promised someone I would on all three but for now, you get pictures! (Sorry for the HUGE picspam post. It'll take a few moments to load.)
The Sun Dome in Fukui. :D
Follow the salmon! I mean, fangirls! :D Even the taxis were making loads of money just taking concert-goers from the JR station to the Sun Dome.
The fields near the Sun Dome!
We've arrived at the Sun Dome!
Oh, look! CONCERT GOODS area!
My concert goodies! :D
Okay, I am lame and forgot to take a picture of our Ryokan in Kyoto. But this is our room! :D The obaachans lounging in the lobby in front of the tv teased us about it. "Kanjani? Nandesu ka?"...."AHHHHHHH! JOHNNY'S!"...."KANJANI EITO? HONTOU NI?" *CUE LOTS OF TEASING FROM THE OBAACHANS*
We had our own toilet!
and SHOWER!!! :Dv
Day 4 was spent entirely in Kyoto going to various temples. mousaPi and Shabz graciously allowed me to tailor the day of sightseeing to the temples I wanted to see. So I wanted to show them Kiyomizudera in the early light because it is beautiful in the calm dawn. Then Heian Jingu, recommended to me by sandpanther. I wanted to try and hit up Yasaka Jinja if we had time before meeting up with Ilana, alissa & co and going off to see Kinkakuji and Ryoanji but we weren't able to.
Still, I think Day 4 was one of my favorite days of all on this trip. Despite everyone calling me Leader. Leader janai!
Temples in order visited!
Kiyomizudera
The street leading up to Kiyomizudera. We took bus 101 from Kyoto Station to one of the stops.
Arriving at the steps to Kiyomizudera from the street! *huffs and puffs!* It was a walk uphill!
But so worth it!
Another pagoda!
Dragon!!!
The view was spectacular.
We could see Kyoto Tower in the distance!
People chanting. I wanted to join in but I didn't know how long it would last.
The wooden supports of the veranda!
The view opposite from the veranda.
One of the more famous views of Kiyomizudera. Complete with a mousaPi and a Shabz!
It's so wonderful.
Entrance to the Jishu-jinja, otherwise known as the Love Shrine. :D
The veranda from the other pagoda!
The water Kiyomizudera is named after! Here, you can drink the water for health, longevity, and success in studies.
I wanted to drink the water since I didn't the last time I was there (spring 2007 for Sakura season). I also filled a bottle of the water for my mom since she's very spiritual and will be embarking on a trip to France for a pilgrimage.
Heian Jingu - Heian Shrine
Just to let you know, it was still early morning when we went (around 8am). It was so peaceful and beautiful. I recommend going to as many temples in the morning as you can. It's just a wonderful experience to absorb being there with barely anyone around.
The huge torii gate in the street leading up to the Heian Shrine.
The Main Gate to the shrine.
*___* Daigokuden, the Great Hall of State
One of the other two main halls
The other hall!
A maiko!
We paid to enter the gardens after I got my goshuuin at the Daigoku-den. This is right when we entered Nishi Shin'en (West Garden).
Still in Nishi Shin'en.
The path to Naka Shin'en (Middle Garden). The acolyte was sweeping the leaves away.
The stone pathway in Nika Shin'en. *____* It was an amazing experience to cross them in such a beautiful morning. I felt so awed by the sheer beauty of being in the middle of the pathway, surrounded by such vivid lilies and everything.
The path we walked.
Onto Higashi Shin'en (East Garden).
The Higashi Shin'en.
The turtles! There were so many turtles and carp there! There was even food to feed them for 50yen. :D So we did!
Kinkakuji - The Golden Pavilion
I had us bypass Yasaka Shrine to do the next day or so because I didn't want to be late in meeting up with Ilana, alissa, xelless_poo, and Meaghan for Kinkakuji. We stopped for a brief moment at our ryokan and then met up with them at Kyoto station to tackle the two temples in West Kyoto.
Where we bought our tickets to get in!
The Golden Pavilion. Beautiful. Huge. A bit Ostentatious. Totally Blingin'.
Still bling bling, y0.
A building to one side.
It's really gorgeous. But I've been to Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion in East Kyoto, and comparing the two, I can see why both temples are so revered. Personally, I prefer the utter simplicity of Ginkakuji and it's sand and moss gardens. I like the austerity of it, especially after staring at the Golden Pavilion. I felt a bit intimidated by the sheer gold of it. Silly, ne?
Ryoanji - Peaceful Dragon Temple
Ryoanji wasn't far from Kinkakuji. But we decided to take the bus rather than walk in the humid and hot sun. We also ate a lot of shaved ice. Mmmmmmm. So refreshing!
Walkway up to the Zen Garden.
A miniature of the garden. It is said that you cannot see all 15 rocks from any single view except from a bird's eye view.
The side garden.
After all the temples, we were tired and hungry. So we headed back to Kyoto Station and decided to eat at one of the restaurants in Porta, the underground mall connected to Kyoto Station. We ended up at a okonomiyake place where we all tried okonomiyake for the first time along with takoyaki. SO GOOD. I didn't take any pictures since, in my hunger, I forgot and just enjoyed the meal. :D
We then shopped for a bit in Porta before parting ways, tired and full of delicious food.
Gah, that took longer than I thought! Sleep time. More pictures to come!